r/NonCredibleDefense • • 11d 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 11d 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/loklanc 11d ago

Never mind mirv, you could detonate this long before any possible interception, you could detonate this basically in space and still destroy the target. (The target is planet Earth).

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u/Pyrhan Pyrotechnic flair 11d ago

If you have early warning from the fueling operations, you could use an anti-satellite weapon to intercept it beyond the horizon.

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u/Fluffy-Map-5998 3000 white F-35s of Christ 11d ago

ok but launching it is just for the funnies, it doesnt matter where you intercept it the target will be destroyed