Just need to explode some chaff in front of it. The kinetic energy will take it out. Also, can’t out run a laser. -
“Bullet speed” is one thing. Reaction time to incoming missile is another. If defense system has only several seconds to detect, calculate, target and fire then ... you can “out run” a laser.
Check out the YAL-1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_Laser
It can hit things far faster than MACH 5.
Not to mention the possibility of a electromagnetic railgun-type weapon. They’re already well past Mach 5. They’re also not all that far off in terms of deployability, especially in something that a ship could carry and supply with power.
Yup. NASA has a 50 cal. that fires at 16,000 mph (23,467 fps) but, alas, it is 'fixed' placement.