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Avangard (Hypersonic Glide Vehicle)
- PaulHoule 5y agoThe old American ABM system used two nuclear interceptors, the Spartan which would catch warheads outside the atmosphere, and the Sprint, which would take off at 40g and catch them in the Atmosphere. An advanced anti-anti-missile missile has a propellant load to maneuver outside the atmosphere and the ability to steer as it re-enters the atmosphere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agni-II#Manoeuvring_Re-Entry_Vehicle:_Agni_RV_Mk_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agni-II#Manoeuvring_Re-Entry_V... is a good example. It can move unpredictably to beat exoatmospheric intercept with rocket thrust and then make some turns on re-entry to complicate "last ditch" interception. The US fielded the Pershing 2 hypersonic glide missile circa 1980s. US sources claimed that the Russians really hated it and gave up a lot in negotiations to get rid of it; at least one Russian source I've seen was sanguine about the P2 threat. Many "third-world" countries have P2 and A2-type missiles within reach. A real ICBM enters the atmosphere at very high speeds and hypersonic maneuvering can involve 300g+ turns and other tough problems. Hypersonic glide is a simple way to add flexibility to medium range missiles -- not only do you get a little more range and the anti-ABM capacity, but it is no problem if the missile is launched from a mobile platform at an unsurveyed location since the missile can adjust trajectory in flight.