Kinetic bombardment

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"Project Thor" redirects here. For other uses, see Thor (disambiguation).
"Kinetic strike" redirects here. For the political euphemism, see
kinetic military action
.

A kinetic bombardment or a kinetic orbital strike is the hypothetical act of attacking a planetary surface with an inert

orbital bombardment), where the destructive power comes from the kinetic energy of the projectile impacting at very high speeds. The concept originated during the Cold War
.

Typical depictions of the tactic are of a

suborbital trajectory that intersects the target. The rods would typically be shaped to minimize air resistance
and thus maximize velocity upon impact.

The kinetic bombardment has the advantage of being able to deliver projectiles from a very high angle at a very high speed, making them extremely difficult to defend against. In addition, projectiles would not require explosive warheads, and—in the simplest designs—would consist entirely of solid metal rods, giving rise to the common nickname "rods from God".[2] Disadvantages include the technical difficulties of ensuring accuracy and the high costs of positioning ammunition in orbit.

Real life concepts and theories

Predecessors and early concepts

See also:
Smart Rocks

During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, there was limited use of the Lazy Dog bomb, a kinetic projectile shaped like a conventional bomb but only about 1+3⁄4 inches (44 mm) long and 1⁄2 inch (13 mm) in diameter. A piece of sheet metal was folded to make the fins and welded to the rear of the projectile. These were dumped from aircraft onto enemy troops and had the same effect as a machine gun fired vertically.[3][self-published source?][4][self-published source?] Similar flechette projectiles have been used since World War I.[5]

In the 1980s, another kinetic swarm system was conceptualized as a potential part of the Strategic Defense Initiative, there codenamed Brilliant Pebbles.[6][7]

Project Thor was an idea for a weapons system that launches telephone pole-sized kinetic projectiles made from tungsten from Earth's orbit to damage targets on the ground. Jerry Pournelle created the concept while working in operations research at Boeing in the 1950s before becoming a science-fiction writer.[8][9]

2003 United States Air Force proposal

A system described in the 2003 United States Air Force report called Hypervelocity Rod Bundles[10] was that of 20-foot-long (6.1 m), 1-foot-diameter (0.30 m) tungsten rods that are satellite-controlled and have global strike capability, with impact speeds of Mach 10.[11][12][13]

The bomb would naturally contain large kinetic energy because it moves at

atmosphere, it would lose most of its velocity, but the remaining energy would cause considerable damage. Some systems are quoted as having the yield of a small tactical nuclear bomb.[13] These designs are envisioned as a bunker buster.[12][14] As the name suggests, the 'bunker buster' is powerful enough to destroy a nuclear bunker. With 6–8 satellites on a given orbit, a target could be hit within 12–15 minutes from any given time, less than half the time taken by an ICBM and without the launch warning. Such a system could also be equipped with sensors to detect incoming anti-ballistic missile-type threats and relatively light protective measures to use against them (e.g. hit-to-kill missiles or megawatt-class chemical laser
). The time between deorbit and impact would only be a few minutes, and depending on the orbits and positions in the orbits, the system would have a worldwide range. There would be no need to deploy missiles, aircraft, or other vehicles.

In the case of the system mentioned in the 2003 Air Force report above, a 6.1 by 0.3 metres (20 ft × 1 ft) tungsten cylinder impacting at Mach 10 (11,200 ft/s; 3,400 m/s) has kinetic energy equivalent to approximately 11.5

GJ).[15] The mass of such a cylinder is itself greater than 9 short tons (8.2 t), so the practical applications of such a system are limited to those situations where its other characteristics provide a clear and decisive advantage—a conventional bomb/warhead of similar weight to the tungsten rod, delivered by conventional means, provides similar destructive capability and is far more practical and cost-effective.[16][17][18]

The highly elongated shape and high mass of the projectiles are intended to enhance sectional density (and therefore minimize kinetic energy loss due to air friction) and maximize penetration of hard or buried targets. The larger device is expected to be quite effective at penetrating deeply buried bunkers and other command and control targets.[19]

The weapon would be very hard to defend against. It has a very high closing velocity and a small radar cross-section. The launch is difficult to detect. Any infrared launch signature occurs in orbit, at no fixed position. The infrared launch signature also has a much smaller magnitude compared to a ballistic missile launch. The system would also have to cope with atmospheric heating from re-entry, which could melt non-tungsten components of the weapon.[20]

The phrase "rods from God" is used to describe the same concept.[21] An Air Force report called them "hypervelocity rod bundles".[2]

In science fiction

In the 1970s and 1980s, this idea was refined in science fiction novels such as

roleplaying games such as Traveller, Shadowrun, and Heavy Gear (the first of these games naming such weapons ortillery, a portmanteau of orbital artillery[23]), as well as visual media including Babylon 5's "mass drivers",[24] the film The Last Starfighter,[25] and the film Starship Troopers,[26] itself an adaptation of the Heinlein novel of the same name.[27]

Further Examples

In

psychological weapon to pressure Earth into granting lunar independence.[28]

Call of Duty: Ghosts features two kinetic bombardment weapons named Odin and Loki as story elements in the campaign and as killstreak weapons.

In

projectiles launched from space to inflict devastation on planetary targets. These weapons rely on pure kinetic energy rather than explosives, making them a precise and efficient alternative to nuclear strikes. The novel describes their use in planetary sieges, where spacecraft or orbital platforms fire dense, inert projectiles to penetrate defenses and infrastructure.[29]

A smaller "crowbar" variant is mentioned in David's Sling by Marc Stiegler (Baen, 1988). Set in the Cold War, the story is based on the use of (relatively inexpensive) information-based "intelligent" systems to overcome an enemy's numerical advantage. The orbital kinetic bombardment system is used first to destroy the Soviet tank armies that have invaded Europe and then to take out Soviet ICBM silos prior to a nuclear strike.[30]

In

asteroids, turning them into high-mass projectiles without dedicated military systems. This highlights the novel intersection of commercial space operations and warfare, showcasing how everyday resource extraction methods can be weaponized in interplanetary conflict.[31]

In Revelation Space (2000) by Alastair Reynolds, the assault on the world of Cerberus utilizes a two-stage kinetic bombardment strategy. First, a relativistic mass driver bombards the megastructure with high-velocity projectiles to weaken its defenses. This is followed by a lighthugger, a massive interstellar vessel that deliberately crashed into the planet, delivering a nanotechnological warfare payload deep into its crust.[32]

Halo features the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC), or Mass Accelerator Cannon, as the primary weapon system employed by the

United Nations Space Command (UNSC) on its warships and orbital defense platforms.[33][34] Essentially large coilguns, MACs are capable of firing a variety of ammunition types varying on the model and bore, ranging from hyper-dense kinetic kill slugs to sub-caliber rounds to semi-autonomous drone missiles.[35] Most predominantly featured in Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2
, the MAC is an ability that allows the player to utilize the UNSC Spirit of Fire's point-defense MAC for pinpoint orbital bombardment, allowing the player to heavily damage or destroy enemy units. However, there are variants of the MAC platforms mounted to various ships and stations, with the most powerful being able to fire a 3,000-ton projectile at anywhere between 0.4% and 25% the speed of light.

In Seveneves (2015) by Neal Stephenson, kinetic orbital bombardment occurs as a natural consequence of the Moon’s fragmentation, resulting in a sustained bombardment of Earth by high-velocity lunar debris. The impact energy of these fragments causes widespread devastation, leading to the collapse of civilization. Unlike conventional orbital strikes, this event highlights the destructive potential of natural celestial mechanics, framing kinetic bombardment as an existential threat.[36]

In

Cixin Liu, kinetic orbital bombardment is depicted through the use of near-light-speed projectiles, where objects are accelerated to relativistic velocities to maximize destructive energy. These strikes are capable of triggering planetary-scale catastrophes, as even small masses, when moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light, release immense kinetic energy upon impact. Unlike traditional orbital bombardment, which relies on gravity-assisted or mass-driver-launched projectiles, these attacks are executed with extreme precision using advanced acceleration technologies. This portrayal highlights the existential threat of relativistic warfare, where the sheer energy of kinetic strikes renders planetary defenses nearly obsolete.[37]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-387-40213-0
    .; - the word "brake" in this paragraph refers to the act of braking; the fact that by slowing the rod's orbital trajectory, the satellite can de-orbit it in order to drop it onto the planet below.
  2. ^ a b Adams, Eric (June 2004). "Rods from God". Popular Science. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  3. ISBN 978-1-4917-5228-9
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-939335-12-8
    .
  5. ^ Harvey, Ian (3 March 2018). "WWI Flechettes – the troop piercing arrows dropped from planes onto German trenches". The Vintage News. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Brilliant Pebbles". MissileThreat.com. Claremont Institute. 18 October 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2006.
  7. ^ Spring, Baker (January 25, 1990). "'Brilliant Pebbles': The Revolutionary Idea for Strategic Defense" (PDF). The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on March 17, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Shainin, Jonathan (10 December 2006). "Rods From God". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Pournelle, Jerry (6 March 2006). "Chaos Manor Mail". The View from Chaos Manor. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008.
  10. ^ "2003 U.S. Air Force Transformation Flight Plan". United States Department of the Air Force. November 2003 – via Homeland Security Digital Library.
  11. ^ Anzera, Giuseppe (18 August 2005). "Star Wars: Empires strike back". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 18 December 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  12. ^ a b Arquilla, John (12 March 2006). "RODS FROM GOD / Imagine a bundle of telephone poles hurtling through space at 7,000 mph". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2010. [Such] bundles of metal are not specifically disallowed by the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which explicitly prohibits only deploying nuclear weapons in space. The rods, however, would violate the spirit of the more general Outer Space Treaty.
  13. ^ a b Julian Borger (19 May 2005). "Bush likely to back weapons in space". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  14. ^ Kelly, Jack (28 July 2003). "Rods from God". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. A5.
  15. ^ "US Air Force Transformation Flight Plan" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  16. JSTOR 10.7249/mr1209af.11
    .
  17. S2CID 57559513
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  18. ^ Adams, Eric (June 2004). "Is This What War Will Come To?". Popular Science. Vol. 264, no. 6. Bonnier Corporation. pp. 62–72. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  19. ^ "Space Wars".
    History
    . Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  20. ^ Shachtman, Noah (20 February 2004). "Pentagon Preps for War in Space". Wired. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  21. ^ Goldfarb, Michael (8 June 2005). "The Rods from God". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on June 15, 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  22. ^ Niven, Larry; Pournelle, Jerry (1985). Footfall. Del Rey Books. ISBN 978-0345323446
  23. ^ Game Designers Workshop, Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society No. 9, 1981
  24. ^ Straczynski, J. Michael (Creator). Babylon 5. Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, 1994–1998.
  25. ^ Castle, Jonathan R. (Producer); Ritchie, Nick (Director). The Last Starfighter. Universal Pictures, 1984. ISBN 978-0425072040
  26. ^ Verhoeven, Paul (Director). Starship Troopers. TriStar Pictures, 1997. ISBN 978-1572973301
  27. ^ Heinlein, Robert A. (1959). Starship Troopers. G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0441783588
  28. ^ Heinlein, Robert A. (1966). The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0312863555
  29. ^ Niven, Larry; Pournelle, Jerry (1974). The Mote in God's Eye. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671741921
  30. ^ Stiegler, Marc (1988). David's Sling. Baen Books. ISBN 978-0671653699
  31. ^ Corey, James S.A. (2015). Nemesis Games. Orbit Books. ISBN 978-0316334716
  32. ^ Reynolds, Alastair (2000). Revelation Space. Gollancz. ISBN 978-0441009428
  33. ISBN 978-0-7653-1569-4
    .
  34. ISBN 978-0756675929
    .
  35. ISBN 978-1681196633
    .
  36. ^ Stephenson, Neal (2015). Seveneves. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0062334510
  37. ^ Liu, Cixin (2010). Death’s End. Chongqing Press. ISBN 978-0765377104

Further reading

Library resources about
Kinetic bombardment
  • Space Weapons, Earth Wars, RAND Corporation, 2002,
    ISBN 0-8330-2937-1


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