Reply #11: Normal Sub nukes still have ballistic trajectory [View All]

[oxycontinrush]

Any normal missile that goes more that a few miles goes sub-orbital when it launches. Even the V-2 (German WWII) went sub-orbital. Missiles with balistic trajectories can be tracked from their launching source by radar. We may not be able to stop a ballistic missile, but we would know where it was launched from. That would set the bullseye for return strikes squarely on the party that launched them. The ability for a nation to accurately counterattack those responsible for a first nuclear strike was the reason the world basically stayed alive diring the Cold War.

Harpoon nukes cannot be tracked by NORAD (or the Russian equivalent). They throw the whole balance of mutually-assured destruction out the window. They are designed to be used as a stealth platform for the delivery of nuclear weapons.

The Cold War was nuts, but not THIS kind of nuts.