Did China launch mystery missile?

Several news reports are circulating that put claim to China being behind the launch of a mystery missile seen of the Californian coast last week. While some have dismissed the apparent missile launch as merely a trail from an aeroplane, some sources are claiming Chinese hackers were responsible for launching a US owned missile.

The trail of what appeared to be a missile was seen off the Californian coast on Monday and filmed by a news helicopter. It created a sensation on the Internet and a debate as to what it was. The Pentagon have been particularly quiet and would not say what they thought it was. Some bloggers claimed it was only a contrail left by a plane [Fox News]. Others speculated that there was something far more sinister.

In Sunday's News of the World an article claimed that there was a distinct possibility, if slim, that the incident was in fact the launch of a US missile sent on its way by Chinese hackers. It was not the only publication to claim the Chinese were behind the phenomena.

When KCBS aired the news helicopter footage of the mystery missile launch last Monday off the coast of southern California, GlobalSecurities.org Director John Pike claimed it was an 'optical illusion'. This gained the most attention from the media. However, he raised an interesting question which was not so widely reported. "The Air Force must … understand how contrails are formed," he said. "Why they can't get some major out to belabor the obvious, I don't know."

Already, conspiracy theories are flying. The slow response of the Pentagon to explain the apparent missile launch has heightened concern and fueled such theories. One ireport published on CNN's website and reposted on InfoWars goes further than most and claims China had "flexed its military muscle" by launching an intercontinental ballistic missile from international waters off the southern California coast from "a Chinese Navy Jin class ballistic missile nuclear submarine, deployed secretly from its underground home base on the south coast of Hainan island." [dprogram / death by 1000 papercuts / Examiner].

The claims in the article suggest the Chinese were attempting to "demonstrate to the United States its capabilities on the eve of the G-20 Summit in Seoul and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Tokyo" where President Obama is scheduled to attend during his ten-day trip to Asia. 

Of course legitimate news sources have yet to make so bold a claim that either Chinese hacker or indeed a missile actually launched by the Chinese themselves accounted for the sighting last Monday. Yet there are certainly more questions than answers. 

The DOD have issued several explanations from an 'illusion' to 'most likely an aircraft'. Speaking Sean Hannity's FOX News show, General McInerney was a little more forthcoming. "First of all I do not agree with the assertion, Sean, and your question is we should get a definitive answer, you're absolutely correct. Look, this is not an airplane because of the plume and the way you see that plume, airplanes do not con (contrail) at sea level or at 5000 like that. I spent 35 years flying fighters and I have never seen an airplane con like that. That is a missile, it was launched from a submarine and you can see it go through a correction course and then it gets a very smooth trajectory, meaning that the guidance system is now kicked in, it's going about 45 degrees away from you that why you're not seeing a lot of vertical velocity." Sean Hannity questions him further, "General, are you a 100% certain?" General McInerney is adamant. "Sean, I've watched that film ten times, I've watched 15 other Trident films, SM-3′s, standard missile 3′s, and T-Lan launchers, I am absolutely certain that that is not a an aircraft."

Well, as Fox News says 'We report you decide'. [Telegraph blog / Daily Mail / LA Times / Fox News]

tvnewswatch, London, UK