Many factors are involved in this question, mainly related to the launch of the nuclear bomb and the overall structure, etc. First, the difference between nuclear bombs and nuclear weapons is that nuclear bombs are easy to understand, while missiles are loaded with nuclear materials, that is, what we know as atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs.
However, the nuclear bomb does not simply refer to this. Because the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States during World War II, the Little Boy and the Big Fat Man, are actually large bombs that require bombers to drop them.
Nuclear bombs, in the modern sense, are more missiles that can carry these nuclear bombs, and most of the current nuclear bombs are intercontinental nuclear missiles. The range of intercontinental nuclear missiles generally exceeds 8,000 kilometers, and the flight speed reaches Mach 2.5 or more.
Moreover, the intercontinental nuclear missiles of most countries in the world have the performance of sub-warheads. In other words, a nuclear missile seems to be launched, but after the end of its flight, when it approaches the target, it will be divided into several or dozens of warheads.
This is a major challenge to the current air defense missile interception capability. Moreover, many flight trajectories of these intercontinental nuclear missiles can be changed. It is different from ordinary infrared-guided missiles. The current advanced intercontinental missiles can turn and change lanes during flight. In other words, you may not be able to predict its flight trajectory in advance.
This is the strongest performance of nuclear bombs as intercontinental nuclear weapons. At present, the world’s nuclear weapons are mainly sea-based, road-based, and air-based.
That is what we call the Trinity nuclear strike force. Most of them exist in the form of missiles. The road-based ones are silos or launch vehicles, the sea-based ones are carried by strategic nuclear submarines, and the air-based ones can also be carried by strategic bombers.
In short, at present, the existence of nuclear bombs in the world is far from being as simple as the nuclear bombs that just developed after World War II. With more and more platforms carrying nuclear materials and faster development, modern missiles far exceed their ability to resist in terms of size and penetration speed. That is, generally speaking, missiles are almost unstoppable after they are launched.
Second. The current level of anti-missile interception in the world Currently, several major military powers, such as the United States, Russia, France, and China, actually have missile interception capabilities. But this missile interception capability has too many limitations and technical obstacles. Take the most advanced United States as an example.
The English name of the United States national anti-missile system is relatively long, but the abbreviation is easy to remember. That is, “NMD” is easy to understand. Its national anti-missile system mainly includes the following:
One is a land-based mid-course interception system that can intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles, the other is a sea-based standard-3 interceptor that can intercept medium- and long-range ballistic missiles, and the Patriot-3 interceptor equipped by the army.
2. Patriot-3 and THAAD system can carry out the so-called terminal interception of medium and short-range ballistic missiles.
Where is its technology advanced? The main reason is that the United States developed the missile interception system relatively early. The second is that it has many radar detection and early warning satellites and is advanced.
The United States is also the country that invests the most in this military field. At the same time, the most important thing is that the United States has many military bases and military facilities overseas. This includes these anti-missile systems. There is an information exchange mechanism among the anti-missile systems of the United States.
Plus, US military bases are all over the world. From a practical and theoretical point of view, the United States can monitor missile launches around the world and intercept them in time. And China, Russia, and other countries followed closely behind. My country’s anti-missile system started relatively late, and at the same time, it mainly refers to Russia.
Therefore, although more research and development funds and talents have been invested recently, technology has also improved. But there is still a gap compared to the United States. However, not long ago, china’s mid-stage “missile defense system technology” test was successful.
This technology mainly refers to intercepting missiles outside the atmosphere and during the mid-flight of intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is currently owned by China and the United States. This also marks a huge breakthrough in China’s anti-missile technology.
Because the main thing that can effectively intercept a nuclear bomb at present is to destroy or intercept it in the middle period before the launch of the nuclear bomb, once the nuclear bomb enters the atmosphere or the predetermined orbit, then at the final stage, no country can stop the ultra-high speed and sub-warhead.
Explaining why there is no way to intercept this reason is the principle of the anti-missile system in the third point.
3. The interception principle of the anti-missile system Generally speaking, the nuclear bomb is launched, lifted into the air, enters the predetermined trajectory through the atmosphere, and starts to accelerate the flight of the enemy target until the speed reaches the maximum at the end period, and countless points are generated.
The warhead hits all targets or explodes itself over the target city, and it’s over. Among them, on the contrary, the system can know and respond to interception before the end. When the nuclear bomb lifts off and enters the atmosphere, the radar or satellite of the anti-missile system detects it. Then it begins to transmit information to the country’s missile defense system.
Immediately afterward, the computer began to simulate and infer the possible flight trajectory and speed of the enemy’s nuclear bomb, its location, and the estimated number of sub-warheads. Then it began to respond to the missile launch system.
Immediately afterward, the computer began to issue orders, and the anti-missile system launched a missile to launch into the air to intercept, collide and explode with the local missile in the atmosphere or other places at high altitudes and then destroy the nuclear bomb.
This is the interception principle of the anti-missile system. The intermediate steps are indispensable. And as long as any link in the middle goes wrong, the missile cannot be intercepted, and it will be hit by a local nuclear bomb.
The problem is that the computer responds and calculates the trajectory with a certain program setting. Suppose the speed of the nuclear bomb is fast enough, or the number of sub-warheads is large enough, in fact, in many cases. In that case, the computer may not be able to respond, and even the radar has just detected the target, but it cannot calculate the speed and trajectory at all. Because the target speed is too fast, the radar can’t react. Then, the nuclear bomb can almost directly break through the anti-missile system and fall directly into the designated target. And this is precisely the deterrent effect of modern nuclear bombs.
The current speed of intercontinental missiles can basically reach supersonic speed or close to it. In recent years, China, Russia, and the United States have actually been researching and developing hypersonic weapons, and they have each achieved good results, and such hypersonic weapons are basically equipped with nuclear weapons.
(A hypersonic missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons) Hypersonic speed is mainly to fly high and fast. Just make your anti-missile system unable to respond, and it will be unable to intercept it at all. Therefore, after the nuclear bomb is launched, it cannot be intercepted at all. The main reason is that modern humans do not yet have that technical capability.
Therefore, as long as a nuclear war breaks out, basically, all of them will die together, and no one will be spared. For the country that launched the nuclear bomb, the nuclear bomb was launched, just like water that was spilled, and it could not be recovered. There is no way to stop the launch.
Even if the enemy country surrenders, there is no way to stop the launch of nuclear weapons. Therefore, from the source, there is no ability to intercept or terminate nuclear bombs. The above points are the reasons why nuclear bombs cannot be intercepted when they are launched. For a long time in the future, there is actually no way to intercept hypersonic nuclear weapons. Because the technology involved is too complex and difficult. The consequence of a nuclear war is the destruction of the world. So cherish peace.