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to be false。 He needed the Foleys to go over this for him； and it was probably time to get Professor Weaver down from Brown University； assuming Ed and Mary Pat wouldn't throw a plete hissy…fit over letting him into both SORGE and this FBI bombshell。 SWORDSMAN wasn't sure of much right now； but he was sure that he needed to figure this stuff out； and do it damned fast。 American relations with China had just gone down the shitter； and now he had information to suggest they were making a direct attack on the Russian government。 Ryan looked up at his guests。 〃Thanks for this； guys。 If you have anything else to tell me； let me know quick as you can。 I have to ponder this one。〃
〃Yeah； I believe it； Jack。 I've told Reilly to offer all the assistance he can and report back。 They know he's doing that； of course。 So； your pal Golovko wants you to know this one。 How you handle that one's up to you； I suppose。〃
〃Yeah； I get all the simple calls。〃 Jack managed a smile。 The worst part was the inability to talk things over with people in a timely way。 Things like this weren't for the telephone。 You wanted to see a guy's face and body language when you picked his brain…her brain； in MP's case…on a topic like this one。 He hoped George Weaver was as smart as everyone said。 Right now he needed a witch。
The new security pass was entirely different from his old SDI one； and he was heading for a different Pentagon office。 This was the Navy section of the Pentagon。 You could tell by all the blue suits and serious looks。 Each of the uniformed services had a different corporate mentality。 In the U。S。 Army； everyone was from Georgia。 In the Air Force； they were all from southern California。 In the Navy； they all seemed to be swamp Yankees； and so it was here in the Aegis Program Office。
Gregory had spent most of the morning with a couple of serious mander…rank officers who seemed smart enough； though both were praying aloud to get the hell back on a ship and out to sea； just as Army officers always wanted to get back out in the field where there was mud to put on your boots and you had to dig a hole to piss in…but that's where the soldiers were； and any officer worth his salt wanted to be where the soldiers were。 For sailors； Gregory imagined； it was salt water and fish； and probably better food than the MREs inflicted on the guys in BDUs。
But from his conversations with the squids； he'd learned much of what he'd already known。 The Aegis radar/missile system had been developed to deal with the Russian airplane and cruise…missile threat to the Navy's aircraft carriers。 It entailed a superb phased…array radar called the SPY and a fair…to…middlin' surface…to…air missile originally called the Standard Missile； because； Gregory imagined； it was the only one the Navy had。 The Standard had evolved from the SM…1 to the SM…2； actually called the SM…2…MR because it was a 〃medium…range〃 missile instead of an ER； or extended…range； one； which had a booster stage to kick it out of the ships' launch cells a little faster and farther。 There were about two hundred of the ER versions sitting in various storage sheds for the Atlantic and Pacific fleets； because full production had never been approved…because； somebody thought； the SM…2…ER might violate the 1972 Anti…Ballistic Missile Treaty； which had； however； been signed with a country called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics； which country； of course； no longer existed。 But after the 1991 war in the Persian Gulf； the Navy had looked at using the Standard Missile and Aegis system that shot it off against theater…missile threats like the Iraqi Scud。 During that war； Aegis ships had actually been deployed into Saudi and other Gulf ports to protect them against the ballistic inbounds； but no missiles had actually been aimed that way； and so the system had never been bat…tested。 Instead； Aegis ships periodically sailed out to Kwajalein Atoll； where their theater…missile capabilities were tested against ballistic target drones； and where； most of the time； they worked。 But that wasn't quite the same； Gregory saw。 An ICBM reentry vehicle had a maximum speed of about seventeen thousand miles per hour； or twenty…five thousand feet per second； which was almost ten times the speed of a rifle bullet。
The problem here was； oddly enough； one of both hardware and software。 The SM…2…ER…Block…IV missile had indeed been designed with a ballistic target in mind； to the point that its terminal guidance system was infrared。 You could； theoretically； stealth an RV against radar； but anything plunging through the atmosphere at Mach 15…plus would heat up to the temperature of molten steel。 He'd seen Minuteman warheads ing into Kwajalein from California's Vandenberg Air Force
Base； they came in like man…made meteors； visible even in daylight； screaming in at an angle of thirty degrees or so； slowing down； but not visibly so； as they encountered thicker air。 The trick was hitting them； or rather； hitting them hard enough to destroy them。 In this； the new ones were actually easier to kill than the old ones。 The original RVs had been metallic； some actually made of beryllium copper； which had been fairly sturdy。 The new ones were lighter…therefore able to carry a heavier and more powerful nuclear warhead…and made from material like the tiles on the space shuttle。 This was little different in feel from Styrofoam and not much stronger； since it was designed only to insulate against heat； and then only for a brief span of seconds。 The space shuttles had suffered damage when their 747 ferry had flown through rainstorms； and some in the ICBM business referred to large raindrops as 〃hydro meteors〃 for the damage they could do to a descending RV。 On rare occasions when an RV had e down through a THUNDERstorm； relatively small hailstones had damaged them to the point that the nuclear warhead might not have functioned properly。
Such a target was almost as easy a kill as an aircraft…shooting airplanes down is easy if you hit them； not unlike dropping a pigeon with a shotgun。 The trick remained hitting the damned things。
Even if you got close with your interceptor； close won you no cigars。 The warhead on a SAM is little different from a shotgun shell。 The explosive charge destroys the metal case； converting it into jagged fragments with an initial velocity of about five thousand feet per second。 These are ordinarily quite sufficient to rip into the aluminum skin that constitutes the lift and control surfaces of the strength…members of an airplane's internal framing； turning an aircraft into a ballistic object with no more ability to fly than a bird stripped of its wings。
But hitting one necessitates exploding the warhead far enough from the target that the cone formed of the flying fragments intersects the space occupied by the target。 For an aircraft； this is not difficult； but for a missile warhead traveling faster than the explosive…produced fragments； it is…which explained the controversy over the Patriot missiles and the Scuds in 1991。
The gadget telling the SAM warhead where and when to explode is generically called the 〃fuse。〃 For most modern missiles； the fusing system is a small； low…powered laser； which 〃