Matter is not “destroyed” by an explosive. I believe the sidewinder gets close and the warhead explodes (proximity fuse?) sending fragmentation or peppering the target with metal fragments.
“Matter is not destroyed by an explosive”
Picky, picky.
After detonation of a Sidewinder missile warhead, does the resulting damage to one of these “objects” make them unsuitable for analysis?
I believe the warhead was defused on these sidewinder, to minimize damage.