Javelin missile?

[gnome]

This picture appears with the caption "U.S. Marines fire a Javelin missile at Iraqi troops in Umm Qasr, Iraq, on Sunday." on www.cnn.com right now.

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2003/images/03/23/top.marines.missile.ap.jpg
file:///C:/Download/top.marines.missile.ap.jpg

Does anyone else think this looks a little weird? A friend and I were looking at the picture and noticed a few things. For one, no smoke trail. Secondly, something seems odd about the way that the missle and the marines are in focus. Third, the angle of the missile seems wrong.

Any thoughts? I'm as eager to learn something new about photography or missiles as I am to be convinced the photo is some kind of fakery.

edited to add... OK... I'm obviously not posting this picture correctly. can someone tell me where I've gone wrong?

[LucyR]

I believe a small charge is used to eject the missile from the launcher. The rocket motor is ignited some time later.

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/world/0303/gallery.iraq.war.0323/gall.marines.missile.ap.jpg

[Victor Danilchenko]

Here is the pic...

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2003/images/03/23/top.marines.missile.ap.jpg

As the value of the IMG tag, you included the file location on your local computer (file:///...), rather than the internet address (http://.../...).

[gnome]

What if I want the file to come from my hard drive? Does it have to be an internet link?

[a_unique_person]

If the photo was taken with a telephoto lens, then there is a 'shortening' effect. If you do use a telephoto lens, then you want to be using very high speed film. The missile appears to be in very sharp focus for what you would assume would be a fast moving object.

However, the angle is unusual, in that the missils is heading in the general direction of the photographer. I would have assumed he would be behind the troops, not in front of them.

[UnrepentantSinner]

Since I have seen this same scene from the video it was captured from, I'd say it looks exactly like the video I saw.

TOW's, Javelins and Dragons don't leave a smoke trail after they're fired. You don't want a trail of smoke or vapor pointing directly back to the position of the crew when you fire something like that.

Please think from a military persepective gnome, it'll help with discernment.

[gnome]

I found a video of the missile firing
here:

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WAR_RDP?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME

It seems to have been shot from a slightly different angle than the photo.

[LucyR]

Originally posted by UnrepentantSinner
Since I have seen this same scene from the video it was captured from, I'd say it looks exactly like the video I saw.

TOW's, Javelins and Dragons don't leave a smoke trail after they're fired. You don't want a trail of smoke or vapor pointing directly back to the position of the crew when you fire something like that.

Please think from a military persepective gnome, it'll help with discernment.

Yes indeed. As I have already said motor ignition is delayed.

[John Bryce]

Here is some information on the Javelin:

JAVELIN_ANTI-ARMOUR MISSILE (http://www.army-technology.com/projects/javelin/)

[Richard G]

Just purchase the modern battlefield sim "Tacops". It will answer all of your questions regarding modern warfare.

[gnome]

Thanks, folks! Makes a bit more visual sense now.

[scotth]

There is a very good reason for the rocket engines in the missles not to be firing at that point.

They fire very briefly to get them out of the tube. They must shut down and coast before the rocket completely leaves the tube, otherwise the guy firing the missle would get rocket blast in his face.

Once the missle is a safe distance from the launcher, the main engine ignites and carries the missle the rest of the way to the target.