Mushroom
Gold Member
Let's go one step further - imagine a WMD-capable hypersonic missile capable of striking the US.
There already is one, it's called an ICBM. As well as a SLBM.
What in the hell do you think these "Hypersonic Missiles" are? They are not like a Tomahawk or Harpoon missile that operate powered on a flat trajectory. They literally are just ballistic missiles that are launched from an aircraft. Not much more sophisticated in reality than the V-2 or SCUD of over half a century ago.
And news flash, both us and the Soviets have been able to intercept ballistic missiles for over 6 decades now. So the very idea that nothing can intercept one is very wrong and entirely propaganda.
And yes, the claim of a "carrier killing ballistic missile" is exaggerated, for the very reason that I just listed. Tell me, how is China going to locate that carrier beyond the horizon in real time, with enough pin-point accuracy to hit it while it is moving. Because I can tell you the first thing the captain will do when the launch is detected.
Now detection is nothing special, and an MRBM will have a flight time of around 15-20 minutes from launch to impact, and be detected within 2 minutes of launch. And the moment that launch is detected the carrier is going to go from around 20 knots immediately to a flank speed of over 35 knots (the actual top speed is classified but most experts agree it is in excess of 35 knots). And also start a series of radical course changes.
By the time the missile is in the end of its terminal phase, that carrier is going to be around 20 kilometers in a random direction from when the missile was launched. There is a damned good reason why nobody has ever tried to look into hitting moving targets with a conventional ballistic missile, it is simply a silly idea that is in no way realistic. Ballistic missiles against fixed targets that can't move, awesome. Against moving targets, might as well fire a gun up in the air at an 80 degree angle and try to hit a person on a bicycle 100 meters away. Oh, and that person on the bicycle will be warned that as soon as they hear the gunshot to start changing their speed and direction to avoid the falling bullet.
The only way such a weapon makes sense is if it has a nuclear warhead. Then, even if it only gets close it is going to be doing some damage.