Re: ICBM warheads

From: Paul F Austin (pfaustin_at_bellsouth.net)
Date: 11/19/04 

To: sci-military-moderated@moderators.isc.org
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 21:01:39 -0500

"Dirk Bruere at Neopax" <dirk@neopax.com> wrote in message
news:300nqhF2rs315U4@uni-berlin.de...
> How are the warheads of ICBMs triggered for an air burst?
> Presumably they are coming in at several thousand mph and are plasma
sheathed so
> radar won't work.
>
Plasma effects go away high in the stratosphere as they do on the shuttle.
While RVs impact at high speed compared to the shuttle, it isn't high enough
to maintain a plasma sheath. Radar altimeter it is. With impact fuze backup.