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Rain Could Destroy Nuclear Warheads on Their Way to the Targets
During the development of the A1 strategic anti-ballistic missile interceptor, ArcaSpace studied the targets for this interceptor.
One of the main candidates is the MIRVed ballistic missile.
The Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) contains multiple Reentry Vehicles (RV) carrying nuclear warheads.
Modern RVs are small and extremely fast, hitting the target at speeds in the range of 2.8–3.5 km/s, depending on the launcher, which is an intercontinental, intermediate or medium-range ballistic missile.
This extremely high speed of the reentry vehicles makes creates high aerodynamic friction their structure reaching temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius. To protect the nuclear warhead inside the vehicle, the RV is covered with refractory and ablative materials.
The refractory material used for the nose cone of the vehicle is usually graphite, while the body of the vehicle is covered in ablative material.