Do missile defence systems work ?

Question

or are they usless

Answer 1

Some of the time.

The ones on aircraft are good to prevent IR lock-on from a distance, and modern stealth technology has helped on RF systems.

There is ongoing research on energy beams - Lasers are good, and they are pushing Particle beams and microwave methods, but there are targeting problems.

Space weapons should be avoided, as they are literally a gun at your head, but I believe they are being developed as a rapid deployment device.

Ships use a variety of methods - rapid cannon fire or decoy chaff as well as ECM is used, as they can't manouver very well, and are just sitting ducks. I would expect some form of active armour to be used in the future, but may be useless against enhanced nuclear ordanance - which is getting smaller.

Answer 2

They don't. They tests fail most of the time and when they do it right its because the operators know exactly whats coming at them. The Patriot system failed in the gulf war despite the propaganda

Answer 3

Their success rate isn't great.  But then a 30% chance of stopping a nuke from hitting a city is a LOT better than a 0% chance.

Answer 4

No, Its all a farce! 911 was a inside job!

Answer 5

Yes.  Tests and real life use have proved that these systems do work.

The Russians have their panties in a wad because we want to put a missile defense system in Poland.

Too bad.  s***w those Commies.  

Answer 6

To date, no.

The Patriot system that was used in Operation Granby/Operation Gulf Storm in 1991 was effectively useless against Scuds. At least 2 "stray" Patriot missiles caused "damage" to friendly interests but they were good for morale and kept Israel "On Side".

At least one British Tornado Aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile.

Answer 7

as long as the warhead is emitting heat. the missile defence can lock on to that source of heat and destroy it.

Answer 8

They work... Although obviously some planes will get through

we haven't really had a chance to really see yet. (the modern defences)

Answer 9

Waste of money if you ask me, the Republican star wars program did not stop airplanes.

Answer 10

iamct, the starwars program allocated money to offset the deficit, nice try though I take it you went to a liberal school or read Bill Mahrs book top come up with that whopper :)

As to the question, yes our missile's defense system works very effective. The patriot system is pretty good with a 73.8% intercept ratio and as one person said any % is better than no %. Our technology is at such a point that if we were to go into all out war does anyone truly think we would only use what the general public knows about? I mean be real. The SR 71 BB was 1950's technology yet it still hold the world record 60 years later? Your telling me we have nothing out their better than this? Same concept with what we have in our hidden places. I wouldn't worry about what works and what doesn't. Our country has some of the most advanced technology of weapons and just like the area 51 conspiracy folks out there, it's a government test site, has been for years and still is just imagine what that thing is that moves at speeds not thought to be human.

Answer 11

Well. Real ICBM can be possibly intercepted ONLY in the first minutes of flight, when it accelerates, fire torch is a good target, missiles fuel-tanks are large and vulnerable.

Then ICBM leaves atmosphere, warheads split and start flying on their own ballistic trajectories. Besides warheads several dozen heavy decoys and hudreds of light decoys fly along (light decoys = pneumatic balls. as there is no air, these are flying at the same speed, without friction) .

In fact, there is no way to determine which target is real warhead, and which is fake.



First (potentially interceptable) part of trip is rather short (about 6 minutes). And this goes in the airspace of the enemy, so it is difficult to intercept something starting in the middle of, say, Siberia.

Neither it is possible to actually calculate trajectory and send interceptors to the point of rendez-vous. Modern russian missiles are able to maneuver in the acceleration stage, to thwart interception.

Nuclear war can not be won. It only can be prevented.

Answer 12

So far they have proved they are capable of intercepting a single missile.

The Patriot Missle system was effective in the Gulf War.

So yes they do.

Answer 13

Although they haven't been "formally tested," they work.  They were successful in knocking down Scud rockets in the Gulf War and they also used an interceptor missile to knock a satellite down over the Pacific Ocean.

Like any technology, there's a margin of error, so they aren't flawless, but I think they appear to be worth it.

Answer 14

They're useless. Missile Defense is nothing more than some Reagan-era pipedream that morphed into a way to enrich contractors. A bunch of nonsense.

Answer 15

not if Obamination gets in. He's already told of how he would cripple the United States' military.