I'd known about SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) for a long time but had misunderstood Brilliant Pebbles, which was to be of Phase I of the system. I understood that orbiting satellites would contain dozens of KKVs (kinetic Kill Vehicle) but as stated from 19:20 onwards in the video at bottom, this method was rejected in favour of putting each KKV on a separate mini-satellite. In total there was to be 4,067 mini-satellites orbiting in a equidistant net, each containing a KKV. Each mini-sat was self-powered and given the kill command, it would manoeuvre towards the incoming missiles at orbital speed and release the KKV. Trials actually started on the KKV in April 1989, with a smaller one the following year.
The important thing to note here is that this dispersed system could begin attacking enemy missiles, not only pre-warhead-deployment but as soon as they left the atmosphere. The ground based interceptors (ERIS, LEAP and HEDI) were only intended to pick off any crap that actually got past this net. ERIS (Exo-atmosheric RV Interceptor System) was a long range interceptor 11m in height and 0.9m in width (stage II and III of a minuteman were used in trial). LEAP (Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile) was due to intercept in the terminal phase just outside the Earth atmosphere - this became SM-3. HEDI (High Endospheric Defense Interceptor) was then due to intercept anything left, after the atmosphere had stripped away remaining decoys.
The crazy thing is that all this was and is doable and only post-Cold-War folly and negligence prevented it. If a system like this had been put in place, North Korea wouldn't have even bothered developing nuclear weapons. There wouldn't be a need to worry about any 3rd rate nuclear powers having missiles with a given range because they would be completely futile.
This was Phase I, already very effective. Phase II involved longer development lead items like ground-based lasers with space mirrors, 32,000fps rail guns, neutral particle beams and chemical lasers in space. Now it's debated how useful lasers would be at range and whether they'd be powerful enough to destroy an RV, but they would be able to destroy flimsy decoy balloons, reducing the number of targets and increase the IR signature of live RVs for KKV intercepts, or do enough damage to cause self-destruction upon re-entry. Neutral particle beams (neutron beams) could ruin the chemistry of the warheads themselves and potential even set them off.
Layer I - A Brilliant Pebble (4,067 of)
Layer II - ERIS
Layer III - LEAP
Layer IV - HEDI
The important thing to note here is that this dispersed system could begin attacking enemy missiles, not only pre-warhead-deployment but as soon as they left the atmosphere. The ground based interceptors (ERIS, LEAP and HEDI) were only intended to pick off any crap that actually got past this net. ERIS (Exo-atmosheric RV Interceptor System) was a long range interceptor 11m in height and 0.9m in width (stage II and III of a minuteman were used in trial). LEAP (Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile) was due to intercept in the terminal phase just outside the Earth atmosphere - this became SM-3. HEDI (High Endospheric Defense Interceptor) was then due to intercept anything left, after the atmosphere had stripped away remaining decoys.
The crazy thing is that all this was and is doable and only post-Cold-War folly and negligence prevented it. If a system like this had been put in place, North Korea wouldn't have even bothered developing nuclear weapons. There wouldn't be a need to worry about any 3rd rate nuclear powers having missiles with a given range because they would be completely futile.
This was Phase I, already very effective. Phase II involved longer development lead items like ground-based lasers with space mirrors, 32,000fps rail guns, neutral particle beams and chemical lasers in space. Now it's debated how useful lasers would be at range and whether they'd be powerful enough to destroy an RV, but they would be able to destroy flimsy decoy balloons, reducing the number of targets and increase the IR signature of live RVs for KKV intercepts, or do enough damage to cause self-destruction upon re-entry. Neutral particle beams (neutron beams) could ruin the chemistry of the warheads themselves and potential even set them off.
Layer I - A Brilliant Pebble (4,067 of)
Layer II - ERIS
Layer III - LEAP
Layer IV - HEDI
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