Modern missile defense turns a nuclear strike into a 90-second duel
Technology
While a bullet travels at the speed of sound, a modern interceptor must hit a target moving ten times faster, essentially using one needle to strike another in mid-air.
A ballistic missile descending from space moves at four kilometers per second, leaving a defense system less time than a standard commercial break to react. To stop it, ground-based radars must detect an object the size of a toaster from 300 kilometers away. Once launched, an interceptor like David's Sling doesn't just explode near its target; it uses a hit-to-kill warhead to physically smash into the threat at a closing speed of 10,000 meters per second.