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6/22/2025, 7:04:18 PM
>>63877070
No. For example, here is a pic of a penetrating warhead designed for the Pershing II that impacted at Mach 4, and traveled 100ft into the ground, and it's barely scratched. To add, here is a video of a pen warhead developed by NG to test what would happen to a pen warhead traveling at high supersonic to low hypersonic speeds at impact into granite mountains. This one impacted at Mach 4 into rose granite and looks new - besides the small layer of solidified granite on the outside. Even the tip is still quite sharp. My research on the scant details of these studies indicates that penetration depth was around 40ft. Multiple tests were done at different velocities, and 10ft of penetration for every 1 Mach number seems to be the rule of thumb for granite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2ljAsz_GWE
>Other less well-diagnosed experiments by Orbital Sciences Corporation that were presented to the SAB committee indicated that they could deliver a 300-kg (660-lb) penetrator with an impact velocity of 4,000 ft/sec into an earth granite target. The measured depth of penetration was 45 ft. The penetrator that was recovered after the experiment indicated little erosion and loss of mechanical strength, although the penetrator did appear to be slightly bent. The length of the penetrator was 5 ft and the diameter was 9 inches, which gives L/D = 6.6. The areal mass M/A = 10.4 psi. In another experiment, a 4-ft-long, 256-lb steel penetrator impacted granite at a velocity of 3,300 ft/sec. The penetration depth was 31 ft in granite. The diameter of the penetrator was 6 inches, which gives L/D = 8 and an M/A = 9 psi. The penetrator in these tests was a solid body with no interior space for a warhead. In a practical device, such space would be required, which would weaken the mechanical strength of the penetrator and reduce the penetration depth.
Appendix G, if you'd like to read more.
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA387782.pdf
No. For example, here is a pic of a penetrating warhead designed for the Pershing II that impacted at Mach 4, and traveled 100ft into the ground, and it's barely scratched. To add, here is a video of a pen warhead developed by NG to test what would happen to a pen warhead traveling at high supersonic to low hypersonic speeds at impact into granite mountains. This one impacted at Mach 4 into rose granite and looks new - besides the small layer of solidified granite on the outside. Even the tip is still quite sharp. My research on the scant details of these studies indicates that penetration depth was around 40ft. Multiple tests were done at different velocities, and 10ft of penetration for every 1 Mach number seems to be the rule of thumb for granite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2ljAsz_GWE
>Other less well-diagnosed experiments by Orbital Sciences Corporation that were presented to the SAB committee indicated that they could deliver a 300-kg (660-lb) penetrator with an impact velocity of 4,000 ft/sec into an earth granite target. The measured depth of penetration was 45 ft. The penetrator that was recovered after the experiment indicated little erosion and loss of mechanical strength, although the penetrator did appear to be slightly bent. The length of the penetrator was 5 ft and the diameter was 9 inches, which gives L/D = 6.6. The areal mass M/A = 10.4 psi. In another experiment, a 4-ft-long, 256-lb steel penetrator impacted granite at a velocity of 3,300 ft/sec. The penetration depth was 31 ft in granite. The diameter of the penetrator was 6 inches, which gives L/D = 8 and an M/A = 9 psi. The penetrator in these tests was a solid body with no interior space for a warhead. In a practical device, such space would be required, which would weaken the mechanical strength of the penetrator and reduce the penetration depth.
Appendix G, if you'd like to read more.
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA387782.pdf
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