How Do Missile Defense Systems Work?

But do you know how these systems work?

Or how effective they can be?

Theyre not the impenetrable shield you think they are.

Thats drawing more spotlight to the U.S.s missile defense systems and whether or not they actually work.

But before we get into how effective these things are, lets talk about how they work.

Heres a play-by-play of how midcourse missile defense systemslike theU.S.

Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System (GMD)and theU.S.

Satellites using infrared technology and radar detect the launch and track the missiles trajectory.

Threat missile releases a warhead and decoys (known as the threat cloud).

The missile defense system launches an interceptor missile.

The interceptors payload, the kill vehicle, separates from the missile body.

The kill vehicle spots the threat cloud and attempts to intercept the warhead high above in the atmosphere.

Okay, So How Effective Are They?

When it comes to midcourse ICBM defense, we have no idea.

Maybe theyll work, maybe they wont.

You see, attacking enemies are likely to employ countermeasures when firing a missile.

The systems primary discrimination sensor in Honolulu,Sea-Based X-band (SBX) radar, hassignificant operational limitations.

That said, theU.S.

Theres also a good chance such countermeasures would reduce a missiles payload, range, or reliability.

So are we safe from a missile attack here in the U.S.?

Its hard to say, but were probably not as safe as you think.

The U.S. military has a history of claiming success rates much higher than reality.

Further analysis from expertssuggested the success rate was very low and possibly 0%.

Nobody makes what we make, and now were selling it all over the world.

As the U.S. has proven in the past, it just takes one to decimate an area.

Though, perhaps were better off trying to avoid any conflicts where wed need such defenses to begin with.