NEW! Project Diary updated 6 July 2004 Did the USA "lean" on the NZ Government, forcing them to shut down the DIY cruise missile project by fair means or foul? Watch this investigative report by NZ's leading news and current affairs TV program then decide for yourself and, if you wish, send me your comments IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

NZ Government Moves To Kill The Project

The New Zealand government has moved aggressively to shut down this project -- and by using quite unscrupulous methods which appear to be in breach of the law. It has long been apparent that the project represents an embarrassment to the government -- a government that recently sold the Air Forces fighter jets and trainers and now sees the military's role simply as a support and peace-keeping one. Having publicly admitted that the project broke no laws, and thereby making it very difficult for them to simply shut it down by direct methods, the government appears to have broken their own laws in an attempt to ensure that I can no longer continue this project -- and, as perhaps a purely punitive step, ensuring that I can no longer even continue developing my jet engines or maintain my websites. They have even gone so far as to deliberatey scuttle a licensing deal I had arranged with a US company who was to begin manufacture of my X-Jet engine -- despite the fact that this meant sacrificing jobs and export earnings. The strange thing is that just a matter of months ago, they told me I could export the very same technology to Iran -- despite the fact that it is widely considered to be a terrorist sponsor and similar exports are prohibited in the USA. I am not about to try and understand the way in which politicians think -- but suffice to say that I am bitterly disappointed in the way this entire matter has been handled by the government. On the up-side, the missile has been completed (apart from some minor work that is relatively inconsequential) and, to ensure that the testing will proceed at sometime in the New Year, it is no longer in my possession -- but it is in safe hands. To avoid facing potential prosecution (persecution?) I have made sure that I can honestly say I do not know where the missile is right now - although it is still in the country and will not be exported. Obviously, with the future of the project far from guaranteed, I've offered to refund those who have subscribed to this website and will be accepting no more subscriptions at this time. You are welcome to ask questions or make comments on the site's forums and I encourage you to check back in a few weeks -- because the fat lady hasn't sung yet. Note, as of 11 June, I've begun uploading more detail to the Project Diary section of the website (latest update was 15-September 2003). Check out what happened the week that the world's media got wind of this project by clicking clicking here Some time ago I wrote an article in which I suggested that it would not be difficult for terrorists to build their own relatively sophisticated cruise missiles using off-the-shelf components and materials. Not surprisingly, that piece has produced a significant amount of feedback from the tens of thousands of people who have read it so far. Included in this feedback, I've received quite a number of emails from former and currently serving US military personnel who acknowledge that the threat is one they are very much aware of and for which there is little in the way of an effective defense available. However, there have also been a number of people who claim I'm overstating the case and that it's not possible to build a real cruise missile without access to sophisticated gear, specialist tools and information not readily available outside the military. So, in order to prove my case, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and build a cruise missile in my own garage, on a budget of just US$5,000. I like to think of this project as the military version of "Junkyard Wars". Obviously the goal of this website is not to provide terrorists or other nefarious types with the plans for a working cruise missile but to prove the point that nations need to be prepared for this type of sophisticated attack from within their own borders. A detailed level of documentation will be provided to those who qualify and are willing to pay a small subscription for full access to the project diary. Public Feedback

Since this site was erected there has been some public discussion on the project. For that reason I've created an FAQ that I hope will answer some of the questions and concerns you might have.