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| We hear that HGVs are invisible to radar on account of the atmospherically generated plasma shroud, but wouldn't that same shroud reveal extremely precise coordinates to a 1st tier infrared sensor? | |
| If EM doppler wasn't enough for ranging, triangulation would be. |
Depending on the upper bounds of a given HGV's heat tolerance, the utility of super-heavy boost vehicles such as Sarmat could extend beyond simply carrying multiple HGVs (Avangard), and also beyond throwing them into antipodal trajectories; surplus throw weight could be used to push a mach 20 HGV to mach 30, adding to the available delta maneuvering potential, useful as it would be in limited supply, speed bled off in the course of flight as a product of utilization of maneuver.
Indeed, in principle this is possible even without upgraded heat tolerance, in the sense that a mach 20 heat generation at 40km might translate to same heat generation at 70km at mach 30, in the increasingly rarefied atmosphere.
The point is the new perspective on the actual purpose of the huge throw weight boost vehicles, which is generating the huge surplus velocities necessary for a lot of 'jink'.
*pedantic aside: Given the drop-off in mach as a function of altitude -- not to mention in the vacuum of space -- a pro would probably use km/sec as the unit of velocity. #amateur
Ru is apparently dropping nuclear warheads from their ABM systems in favor of blast fragmentation.
Much of the efficacy of kinetic kill without the precision rqmts.
Check out the acceleration on the launch -- how many gees ? omg
Is it possible they are being launched from silos with a great depth ? It would make sense from a survivability pov, and would make the apparent acceleration (I'd assumed starting just under surface) a little less insane. Nah, idk, just a thought.
After further consideration, giving the tube / "barrel"(as someone put it) more credence
https://youtu.be/4I60WnBuHMM
That vid has slowmo take and you can see the flame jet out of the ground before the projectile / missile, as could be expected of a tube launch (not a sealed barrel iow). Initially I had puzzled over the metal screaming sound preceding the visible launch. That's the sound of all that thrust and maybe the missile itself moving up out of the tube. Guessing 100m depth. just a working hypothesis.
Even if tracked though, if it's maneuvering provides enough delta versus a given interceptor complex, even a nuclear interception would have to be extremely precise, accounting for warhead yield and the miss/delta variance possibilities. At such altitude, there will be negligible shock wave, and it's worth asking if the radiant destructive force of the intercepting warhead would breach the plasma shroud; recall the HGV is already operating comfortably with surface temps in the thousands of degrees.
I assume as a given that reliable kinetic kill is impossible. Directed energy weapons may not be viable against the plasma shroud.
In the terminal descent phase, altitude decreasing would allow for nuclear shock destruction, with increasing levels of collateral (especially EMP damage), but with HGV swarming formations, follow-on HGVs set at optimal intervals would easily breach this tenuous defensive window.