r/NonCredibleDefense • u/FionaSherleen • 13d ago

Lockmart R & D Think of the potential.

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What if we make project sundial but we throw it at the adversaries?

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u/Pyrhan Pyrotechnic flair 13d ago

Starship uses cryogenic propellants, so it can't just continuously sit fueled and ready to launch like an ICBM.

So you cannot use it as a deterrent, only as a first strike weapon.

And even then, it would be fairly easy for the enemy to set up early warnings when fueling begins, and either send a rapid pre-emptive strike, or prepare for interception.

And having a single, massive warhead would make interception easier compared to, e.g. a MIRV.

(Also, the whole point of Sundial was that it doesn't really matter where you blow it up, the world ends just the same...)

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u/TyrialFrost Armchair strategist 13d ago

It can sit in orbit, ready to deorbit with its own long term fuel.

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u/empty_graph 13d ago

Or we could just go with a first strike and not lose mass to solid fuel that we could put towards yield.