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Old 06-05-2006, 16:20 PM   #8 (permalink)
highsea
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Join Date: 12-10-04
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 3,585
Lots of hype, imo. I don't think Topol-M is even operational yet. The main reason it's less vulnerable is because it's mobile, and as such cannot be effectively pre-targeted.

As far as shooting one down, all missiles are vulnerable in boost phase to THAAD, SM-3, even PAC-3. ABL is also a boost phase defense. The trick is to have an ABM system within range at the right time. Hard to do in many cases.

All ICBM's are hypersonic by definition. How much manouverability can you really get in an RV? It has to be pre-programmed manouvers, since you are not going to have reliable communications during reentry, and you do not carry fuel/engines for manouvers (let alone detection capabilities to determine if the RV's even being targeted by another missile). And any manouvering will be very limited in scope if you still plan to hit the target- there's just not much room to dork around when you have an unpowered RV that is set on trajectory from orbit.

Lol. But if Putin says it, then it has to be true...
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