In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
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In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
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Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#2Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#3If you want an interesting related story that's so incredible people wouldn't believe if it was a film plot, look up Otrag. Not the Wikipedia page, that only tells a fraction of the full story. There's a documentary floating around somewhere about their work in Zaire under Mobutu before they started building ballistic missiles for Gaddafi.
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#4If you want an interesting related story that's so incredible people wouldn't believe if it was a film plot, look up Otrag. Not the Wikipedia page, that only tells a fraction of the full story. There's a documentary floating around somewhere about their work in Zaire under Mobutu before they started building ballistic missiles for Gaddafi.
Both cases remind me of Project Harp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP). After the project was shut down by the US and Canada, the engineer behind it (Gerald Bull) decided to work for Saddam Hussein to build a "Babylon Cannon" which then caused Mossad to 'intervene' in 1990:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Bull
I wonder how many similar but unknown cases there are involving former Soviet scientists and engineers trying their luck with 3rd world despots after the Soviet Union collapsed.
PS: just remembered that Willy Messerschmitt also ended up building a jet fighter for Egypt after the project was abandondend by Spain. Egypt then also eventually cancelled the project in 1969 though and instead decided to become close buddies with the Soviet Union - I wonder if that decision saved Messerschmitt from the same fate as Krug and Bull:
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#5[flagged]
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#6Lots of shady missile deals went down in West Asia/North Africa in the 60/70s. Somewhat related: Israel was collaborating with Iran on missile projects but allegedly planned to deceive them by providing outdated missiles while using Iranian funds to develop superior versions for themselves [0].
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Project_Flower
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#7If you want an interesting related story that's so incredible people wouldn't believe if it was a film plot, look up Otrag. Not the Wikipedia page, that only tells a fraction of the full story. There's a documentary floating around somewhere about their work in Zaire under Mobutu before they started building ballistic missiles for Gaddafi.
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#8[flagged]
> hunting its top scientists [...] this discourages other scientists from following that career path
I take it you mean this literally (assassinations) rather than figuratively (getting hired by the competition).
> In recent years US has been hit so hard
Any evidence of this? Other than the storm in a cup that was the recent news of "dead scientists" that turned out to be a nothingburger.
The idea sounds very plausible and it happens again and again elsewhere (e.g. Israel keeps taking out Iranian scientists). But I haven't heard anything major from the US, and I doubt the US would take it lightly and keep everything quiet, especially with the current admin who would kill for more media distractions for the people.
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#9[flagged]
> hunting its top scientists [...] this discourages other scientists from following that career path I take it you mean this literally (assassinations) rather than figuratively (getting hired by the competition). > In recent years US has been hit so hard Any evidence of this? Other than the storm in a cup that was the recent news of "dead scientists" that turned out to be a nothingburger. The idea sounds very plausib…
They could just mean that foreign enrollment in US postgrad programs is down significantly, or other forms of specialized visas, etc.
Re: In 1962, Egypt's Missile Program Lost Its Key Scientist Without a Trace
#10[flagged]