[where's_the_Outrage?]

I neglected to define ABM as an Air Breathing Missile:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/air-breathing+missile

[brooklin]

“I neglected to define ABM as an Air Breathing Missile:”

ABM refers to anti ballistic missile, not air breathing missile. It’s the widely accepted meaning.

[Robert A Cook PE]

as mentioned above, air-breathing missile is an older term, started way back in the early 50’s with the Regulus and similar programs. Now, replaced by cruise missile (AGM) in all texts and dialogs.

ABM is used for anti-ballistic missiles, starting back in Reagan’s time for the protection systems installed up north around the North Dakota and Wyoming missile and B-52 bases.

Reagan’s Star Wars defense systems were designed from the ground-up (including space-based systems and ground-launched systems) to upgrade and replace the much earlier anti-air missile systems like Nike, Nike-Ajax, Nike-Hercules, etc, but the Army’s new ABM capacity for its THAAD missile and Patriot defense systems (and the similar Navy’s AEGIS ABM upgrades) are up-rated (missile altitude, missile weapons, launch controls and launch responses and response speed, in-course tracking, fuzes, etc.) from the original THAAD and Patriot and AEGIS anti-air defenses.

But the up-rated THAAD and AEGIS changes use designs and sensors and controls and guidance inventions started from Reagan’s programs.