美国有线新闻 CNN 美在韩部署萨德遭中方强烈反对 详解萨德反导系统

 

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense¹ or THAAD is a missile defense system. It uses missile to stop missiles.

And the U.S. has deployed² the first components³ of a THAAD system to South Korea. Why? Because North Korea, which is a rival of both the South and the U.S., has been test-launching missiles of its own lately and the THAAD system could potentially be used in self-defense.

In a clear example of how tensions have been rising in the Korean Peninsula and abroad, China is getting involved in this. It's North Korea's only real ally in the world and it's telling North Korea to suspend its nuclear weapons program which other countries consider illegal. The Chinese officials are also strongly opposed to the U.S. sending a THAAD system to South Korea. They believe it could be used to monitor potential missile launches from China as well.

How exactly does a THAAD system work and could it be effective against ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This missile defense system is a state of the art array of vehicles, typically nine of them, most of them are launchers, but they also a couple of command centers and they have an advanced radar⁵ system, which both acquires the targets and helps guide these missile-killing missiles toward that target.

About 70 missiles would be with all of these trucks out here and which one would be about like this, about 20 feet long, weigh about 2,000 pounds.

This is the booster down here. That gets it going.

And once it gets closer to the target, this part will break away, leaving only the front. Up here, you have some advanced electronics and infrared⁶ system that will unshroud in flight so it can seek out the target very specifically and the control system that helps guide it in.

Collectively, all of this is called the "kill vehicle" and the range on it, not too bad. Across the ground, it can go about 125 miles away and about 16 miles high.

Now, does it explode when it get there? No, not at all. What it does is simply intercept⁷ and ram⁴ into the target.

Look at this video from the military. Bear in mind, when this thing takes off and it's meeting with an incoming missile, a threat out there, the incoming missile may very well be traveling close to 4,000 miles an hour. So, when they hit, that's the result.

Military analysts⁸ say you can't really use this so effectively against great, big ICBMs. But for short range and middle range missiles, the kind that South Korea might be worried about from North Korea, yes, it's got a pretty good record.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

4 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

5 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

6 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

7 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。