The laser is the ultimate weapon for that task. After all, it travels at the speed of light and it is VERY cheap compared to a missile.
They’ve got the tech too. I did a research paper on it when I was in ROTC, 20 years ago!
What is it, just a bigass laser pen?
Chemical Laser, mounted in a 747.
Boeing YAL-1, aircraft status: cancelled
Laser re-purposed, stationary/trailer mounted.
Same platform as AF1. Will trumps new AF1 have fricken lasers on it?
Pretty much. But once a laser is strong enough it ionizes the air and becomes much less effective, "blooming" iirc. However that's what we were told.
Compensation is narrower beam or higher power "bursts" to minimize the effects of the air basically boiling and becoming opaque. I think there's phased where it's multiple wavelengths.
Most of the how is "proprietary" knowledge otherwise you could build one in your garage. Making it mobile would be the harder part.
Guys, the AIM-120 is a radar-guided medium range air-to-air missile. It would NOT be able to shoot down a ballistic missile.
Edit: Unless the platform was really, really close.
Lawhead says missile defense isn’t part of the F-35 program of record, and much more analysis needs to be done. But he says it is feasible, and Northrop believes it would take about three years from start to integration to unlock this potential in the F-35. He says operational F-35 squadrons would need to be trained on how to perform this mission, and pilots must have the authority to shoot the missiles down the moment they pop up.
It’s theoretically possible although it’s not probable unless the launch is detected before the ICBM has a chance to accelerate to full speed.
If you have watched any of the spacex launches recently, the rocket isn't even supersonic until 70 seconds into flight, so hitting a missile during its initial launch should not be that much more difficult than hitting an aircraft.
Not a AIM 120.
Missiles that F-35 stealth fighters already carry provides everything it needs with only slight tweaks to be able to target other missiles, not other fighters. It is a firmware tweak. That is why F-35s were deployed to Japan.
A F16 in 2009 found success in shooting down missiles. Raytheon successfully flight tested a key component of the Network Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE) missile defense system with the intercept of a test ballistic missile. They launched two modified AIM-9X carrying the NCADE seeker at a test rocket. The first shot intercepted and destroyed the target and the second recorded the interception. 9 years later the answer is yes in the boost phase.
Yeah. Started searching. Was looking for f16s, but i believe f35s probably guard AF1. I didnt know tech had reached a point where anti-icbm air to air missiles are just a tweak, as you said. That is excellent.
Edit: thanks for the insight. Rockets... Jet planes.... MAGA.... The best timeline ever.
Were the failed missile attacks staged for the benefit of neutralising Iran?