Posted on 11/16/2021 5:58:47 PM PST by Navy Patriot
Russia’s latest S-550 missile systems will serve as a mobile follow-up of the A-135 ‘Amur’ - A-235 ‘Nudol’ strategic missile defense system and will feature the kinetic energy interceptor principle to avoid a nuclear detonation when a warhead is struck, military expert Dmitry Litovkin told TASS on Tuesday.
"In the case of the Soviet ABM system, nuclear warheads were intended to be intercepted over the country’s Central Industrial Region by a counter nuclear blast. It was believed that both dummy targets and warheads would burn up in the emerging plasma. Therefore, the nuclear ash would all the same fall down on the country’s territory. The S-550, to follow the logic, will employ a different principle, a kinetic intercept," the expert explained.
This will make it possible to "physically destroy the warhead and prevent nuclear blasts," Litovkin said.
(Excerpt) Read more at tass.com ...
I wonder if Litovkin ever heard of salvage fusing?
So, Russian Copt of
THAAD?
Has Milley surrendered yet?
“Has Milley surrendered yet?”
I have yet to find out why President Trump appointed Milley to the position of Chairman of the JCS.
THAAD is “hit to kill” technology, but I honestly don’t remember if the THAAD collision vehicle has an explosive charge or not.
I guess it’s the same reason he appointed Sessions, Barr, Wray, the Exxon CEO as his first SoS, his first 3 or 4 NSA’s, Reince Preibus as Chief of Staff, Scaramuchi as Chief of Staff, etc., etc. Seems to have been a pattern.
I suspect that salvage fusing would be quite rare in kinetic impact as thermonuclear fission to fusion progression requires ultra precise geometry of the physical parts unlikely to survive the kinetic impact long enough to initiate lithium fusion.
I have to admit I never knew the Russians’ ABM concept involved using a nuclear counter-blast. What could go wrong? Was/is this our plan too?
I have to admit I never knew the Russians’ ABM concept involved using a nuclear counter-blast. What could go wrong? Was/is this our plan too?
This is still a backup system to the nuclear blast ABMs that Russia has, and for close in work should they get through the first nuclear shield. Not good.
Neither did I, and it scares the crap outta me.
I do know that Russian ABMs are positioned to defend their cities as priority, and I know they fight with what they've got, but I didn't expect small nuclear high altitude airbursts, and acceptance of that fallout.
As far as I know, the US has no such plan.
Yes in the 60’s and 70’s. Search for the Sprint missile and Project Cannikin for some fascinating videos.
Thanks for the additional info, 90.
“I guess it’s the same reason he appointed Sessions, Barr, Wray, the Exxon CEO as his first SoS, his first 3 or 4 NSA’s, Reince Preibus as Chief of Staff, Scaramuchi as Chief of Staff, etc., etc. Seems to have been a pattern.”
I’m wondering if President Trump listened to the same adviser or group of advisors in each of those cases or in a majority of them and who those advisers may be? If it’s the same people, that would explain the pattern. If the advisers were ever changing, then President Trump himself would be to blame. He’s just really, really bad at picking people to fill key positions.
Ok, so basically all speculation. Check.
I believe the ground based interceptors (GBI) in Alaska and Cali, the THAAD, and the SM-3 are all simple (ha!) hit to kill. The PATRIOT and SM-6 have explosive fragmentation warheads. The difference is nominally, pure ABM is hit to kill, while dual ABM and anti-air missions have fragmentation warheads. Of course THAAD violates that nice definition, being hit to kill and having an anti-air capability.
“I have to admit I never knew the Russians’ ABM concept involved using a nuclear counter-blast. What could go wrong? Was/is this our plan too”
They were permitted around Moscow by treaty. This was the best the Soviets could do at the time - brute force with very limited guidance systems, Close does count in this case. I think that we chose not to build one because of the fallout.
BTW this is is why the escilators in the Moscow and Washington subways are really, really long!
IIRC, the existing defense system uses small nuke warheads. An issue when you effectively EMP the hell out of your country to try and defend it.
Our last ABM system we had planned would have used a 5Mt warhead....
In comparison, the Titan II ICBM had a 9Mt warhead
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