The drums of a Third World War are beating louder. At the security forum in Beijing, representatives of the General Staffs of Russia and China, Viktor Poznihir and Cai Yingting stated that US plans to create a missile defense system endanger the security of both countries.

They are referring to the development of an ABM system that can create an illusion of “security” and encourage American hawks to acts of aggression. Before, mutual assured destruction deterred the two superpowers from nuclear war. Now the false sense of security can play a trick on US leaders.

In fact, the US ABM system is incapable of protecting the country from a Russian nuclear strike, and new delivery systems will soon make it completely useless. The second question is whether all the elements of the US missile defense system are defensive. .

Blind the Enemy

The latest generation of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles is equipped with third generation"anti-shield" systems. For example, the Terek system can launch false targets for infrared sensors of anti-ballistic missiles, reproducing the "signature" of independent nuclear warheads entering the atmosphere.

The Terek system is programmed to respond when a ballistic missile reaches the enemy’s anti-ballistic missile range. To “blind” the enemy’s infrared and radar interceptors that are already in space, Russian ballistic missiles also have high power microwave transmitters.

Of course, the US anti-missile defense shield will be able to intercept some of the missiles. However, Pozner hinted that Russia would have to respond somehow to the modernization of US antimissiles.

The US’s Achilles’ Heel

The key point of the US anti-missile defense shield is that it can hit the target, maneuvering in the mesosphere (35,000-80,000 m) under hypersonic conditions, i.e. at a speed over Mach 5.

Another key point is that as a rule, they are suborbital solid-propellant ballistic missiles not designed to destruct moving targets. The potential enemy uses three types of missiles in its ABM systems: SM-3 Block 1b (range 150-500 km), THAAD (range 80-150 km) and SR19 (range 100-300 km). They are designed to destroy the enemy’s ballistic missiles at various stages of approach. Besides, the heaviest missile, the SM-3 Block 1b flies at the lowest speed, and ballistic missiles at altitudes below 35,000 m enter the destruction area of the MIM-104 Patriot.

Hyper-sound vs ABM

The development of hypersonic weapons by Russia makes the US anti-missile defense shield largely useless. A 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile can accelerate up to 6,500 kmph, which are indestructible.

These systems were designated to destruct US aircraft carriers and the Aegis Combat System. Besides, Russia has been testing the Yu-71 hypersonic glider, that can cruise at a speed of 11,200-12,500 kmph at near space altitudes.

The maneuverability of the glider leaves the US anti-missile defense systems no chance. It is expected that by 2020 the testing of new weapons will be completed.

In turn, China is busy developing hypersonic aircraft, mainly the hypersonic glide vehicle DF-ZF. It has been fight-tested since 2014 and has similar characteristics as the Russian analogue and American DARPA Falcon Project. Moving the arms race to a new hypersonic level, and development of this type of weapon make conventional anti-missile defense systems useless.

ABM as a sign to prepare for a major war

There are even more irregularities in the deployment of new anti-missile defense shields. No one believes it is aimed at Iran and North Korea. And deployment of US anti-missile defense systems in Poland and Romania contradict the idea of a probable nuclear strike. The shortest trajectory of a ballistic missile launched from Russian territory toward the US is 9,000 km, via the North Pole.

This means that if Russia strikes the US, the anti-missile defense shield in Poland and Romania will not save its population. Of course, the West can talk about protecting Europe from “evil Russians”, but they began planning these systems long before the current aggravation of Russian-European relations. Still, in 2006 this was already about US protection.

I have the impression that back then people somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean were starting to prepare for a European war. Although they say that the elements of the US anti-missile defense shield in South Korea are aimed at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, they concern Russia and China.

Tomahawks under the guise of ABMs

It’s strange that SM-3 Block 1b missiles, which should be deployed at the first American ABM base at Deveselu in Europe have similar dimensions as the Tomahawk BGM-109G with nuclear warhead. Compare:

SM-3 Block 1b: mass – 1,500 kg, length – 6.6 m, diameter – 34 cm. Tomahawk BGM-109G: mass – 1,500 kg, length – 6.6 m, diameter – 34 cm. Each missile is delivered in a canister inserted into hermetic launch cells. Mk-14 canisters containing Tomahawk cruise missiles have the same dimensions as the Mk-21din that launches anti-ballistic missiles.

Taking into account that Romanian officials are not allowed into the base, the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, under the guise of anti-missiles, looks highly probable. It confirms information about nuclear warheads from the INcirlik Air Base being moved to Deveselu after the failed coup in Turkey.

Remember that US bombs with nuclear warheads, including the B61, were stored there. Tomahawk BGM-109G missiles can be equipped with W84 nuclear warheads, which in turn, is a modification of the W85 warhead installed on B-61 bombs, which previously were deployed at the Incirlik Air Base. Both warheads have similar dimensions, which means that “Turkish” warheads can be installed on the missiles in Romania and aimed at Moscow.