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IN is late Edward Tiller, the father of the hydrogen bomb, and Willel Wood, the astronomical physicist, suggested a strange plan to defend America against the missile attack. The “glossy gravel” system was calling for thousands of small satellites in the orbit of the low -Earth, all missiles seeking housing to remove the Soviet nuclear weapons received long before their warheads were fired. The idea faded, not the least of which is because the technology looked far away. Now Donald Trump is reviving it.
At the campaign’s path, Mr. Trump promised to build an “iron dome” for America, referring to the Israeli missile motivation system. The name is a wrong name. The Israeli system is designed to take out short -range missiles. What Mr. Trump meant, and an explanation in an executive matter published on January 27, was a more ambitious effort to discover the ballistic missiles (ICBMS) and the like. America already has a system designed to do so, known as the defense of the Earth’s Earth (GMD), Which depends on the intersections in Alaska and California.
Mr. Trump’s proposal differs from important aspects. One is its scope. GMD Bari was aimed at limited attacks involving a small number of ballistic missiles, and may have occurred in an attack by North Korea. The shield of Mr. Trump is supposed to prevent a “foreign air attack”, which does not only mean the flight and ballistic missiles, but also a large -scale strategic attack by Russia or China that includes several hundreds of missiles simultaneously.
Defense critics say this is foolish, because it is generally the most cheapest building additional offensive systems of intersections to stop them. Russia and China – which adopts its own rocket shields – also argued that the American defenses risk undermining nuclear deterrence, because it may allow America one day to hit the enemies without fear of revenge. Defenders re -threaten missiles may have changed: they can now paralyze long -range non -nuclear missiles in the continental United States, allowing enemies to coercion America to stay outside a distant war.
However, Mr. Trump’s favorite design deserves worth noting. GMD The targets of the rockets received when they are in the middle of the flight. In theory, it is easier to take out a missile in the “reinforcement stage” (as is the case), when it moves more slowly. The problem is that this is a passing moment – three minutes for five minutes ICBMS. The new demand calls for “objections based on space that is able to intercept the augmented phase.” This reaches a great gravel system: a lot of small armed satellites, some of which will be above Russia, China and other enemies at all times.
The cost of building small computers and putting thousands of them in the orbit is much lower than in the days of Mr. Teller – thanks to Elon Musk. But it is still expensive, and is vulnerable to assembling a large part of the defense budget. America will require 500 satellites in total to have only three to four objections in a range of North Korea’s launch platforms. Bladedin Bowen of Durham University is estimated. He says hundreds of this may be necessary.
One of the main technical challenges is to build space sensors with “Fire Quality Tracking”-which is enough to discover enemy missiles and follow them to direct provinces to them-Tom Karako of CSIS, Dual thought. But if this technology proves maturity, the effects of missile defense may exceed. “We will see the appearance, gradual understanding, and ultimately accept” space fires “. Satellites in orbit,” says Karako, who can include satellites capable of targeting, with both explosive and electronic means.
There are many skeptics. Mr. Trump broadcast similar ideas during his first term, but failed to support them with harsh money. The spending on an American iron dome will compete with a series of other priorities, from the largest navy to more nuclear weapons. “It is always a budget question,” says Mr. Karako. “Show your budget for missile defense, and I will tell you what” America’s Iron Dome. ” ■
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