New Zealand man 'building cruise missile in garage'

A New Zealand handyman is using high tech parts bought over the Internet to make a cruise missile in his garage.

Bruce Simpson said he had a message for anyone else who wants to copy him: You don’t have to be a rocket scientist.

He said he plans to publish step-by-step instructions on a website about how to make the jet-powered missile, which he claims will be able to fly the 60 miles in less than 15 minutes.

The missile could carry a small warhead weighing 22lbs, and Simpson claimed the New Zealand Air Force would have no way of stopping it.

The 49-year-old, who works as an Internet site developer, said his missile project, which he says will cost less than £1,750 (€2,443), was intended to warn governments how easy it would be for terrorists to build one.

“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,” he said.

A police spokeswoman declined to comment on whether they were investigating Simpson’s project, but said they were ”now aware of the situation”.

“It is not something we recommend people try at home,” spokeswoman Rebecca Holt added.

Former US Defence Department analyst and terrorism expert Paul Buchanan said Simpson may not be trying to encourage terrorism, but “might be facilitating it”.

If the missile worked, it would send a powerful message to authorities, he said.

“It might alert them as to how darn easy it is to assemble this stuff,” said Buchanan, who lectures at Auckland University.

Simpson said his website, “A DIY Cruise Missile – watch me build one for under 5,000 New Zealand dollars,” received 250,000 hits in two weeks.

He said he was alarmed at the ease with which he had bought the parts needed to guide the missile from overseas websites – and import them into the country - passing local Customs with ease.

“All this stuff is off the shelf,” he said. “It rang no alarm bells.”

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist,” he added.

The imported parts included a radio control transmitter and flight pack, global positioning equipment, antennas and a flight control system.

The website allows the public to view pictures and prices of the components, but for more information users must pay a subscription, which Simpson said he plans to offer once the site is complete, to cover his costs.

Local media said Simpson has already tested several noisy jet engines on a bench in his garage, something his neighbours up to half a mile away could confirm.

Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, is 410 miles north-east of the capital Wellington.