[justinellis329]

I have a hunch that this might form part of our missile defense program; the US has talked before about actually shooting down ballistic missiles in space.

[SteveMcKing]

Maybe...

The other detriment to having pilots is the artificial performace limits that would need to be set in order to avoid hazardous G-forces.

[JoeFromSidney]

I have a hunch that this might form part of our missile defense program; the US has talked before about actually shooting down ballistic missiles in space.

Ironically, the first story I ever sold to ANALOG science fiction magazine, was about a manned ICBM interceptor. I couln't interest the Air Force in the idea, so I did the next best thing. The story, PUSHBUTTON WAR, appeared in the August 1960 issue.