Self-destruct

gisb0rne · #1 10-21-2006, 08:41 PM

Does anything have a self-destruct mechanism outside of TV shows? I see this gimmick all the time on TV yet I can't think of anything in real life that would actually use this. It seems totally impractical and the loss from accidental or ill-timed usage would likely be higher than the gain by keeping it out of enemy hands. Where did this concept first originate?

jaffa · #2 10-21-2006, 08:52 PM

according to this wikipedia article. Space shuttle booster rockets have a seld destruct mechanism to explode them incase they hurtle towards a populated area during an emergancy.

gisb0rne · #3 10-21-2006, 08:58 PM

Yea that seems reasonable. I was thinking more along the lines of blowing up stuff that is perfectly useful simply to keep it away from the bad guys.

LuckOfTheDraw · #4 10-21-2006, 09:00 PM

[ QUOTE ]
according to this wikipedia article. Space shuttle booster rockets have a seld destruct mechanism to explode them incase they hurtle towards a populated area during an emergancy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think spy planes and other stuff that contain sensitive information often have self-destruct mechanisms as well. Better to have just lose the information rather than have it fall into the wrong hands.

Warik · #5 10-21-2006, 09:50 PM

I'd be very disappointed if every advanced form military aircraft or vehicle we had didn't have some sort of self-destruct mechanism built in.

gisb0rne · #6 10-21-2006, 09:55 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be very disappointed if every advanced form military aircraft or vehicle we had didn't have some sort of self-destruct mechanism built in.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure most don't.

d10 · #7 10-21-2006, 10:22 PM

Black Hawks don't have anything that self destructs. There are certain things I would take a minute to destroy/erase on my own if I needed to.

iversonian · #8 10-21-2006, 11:41 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be very disappointed if every advanced form military aircraft or vehicle we had didn't have some sort of self-destruct mechanism built in.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was pretty pissed when I heard about that surveillance aircraft that crashed in China in 2001 and got captured. The crew was hacking away at the electronic equipment but couldn't get the job done before they got boarded.

tboss888 · #9 10-21-2006, 11:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]
according to this wikipedia article. Space shuttle booster rockets have a seld destruct mechanism to explode them incase they hurtle towards a populated area during an emergancy.

[/ QUOTE ]

All guided missiles have self destruct features generally referred to as ordnance, this is the most fail safe system on the weapon, they are tested time and time again.

LuckOfTheDraw · #10 10-21-2006, 08:58 PM

I have a tendency to self-destruct.