Missile defense technology

Satellites along with a proposed ground-based radar station in the Czech Republic would detect and then track a missile launch, from say Iran or North Korea. That tracking data would then be supplied to the interceptor missiles in Poland. This official says then when the missile is launched, the data tracking info is provided to the interceptor missile so that it’s able to place itself into the path of a hostile missile warhead. The interceptor is a standard two or three stage missile, but on top is a kill vehicle. This analyst says a kill vehicle has a telescope on the front end of it so it can hone in on a missile and then it has thrusters which allow it to maneuver. In reality, hitting a missile with another has been likened to trying to hit a bullet with another bullet, in space at speeds thirty times faster than a jet aircraft. This analyst says it would be extremely difficult. She notes the U.S. has been testing such interceptors and has about a 50% success rate in heavily scripted circumstances. One thing the Pentagon hasn’t addressed yet is counter-measures, and this analyst says any nation would launch decoys along with the actual missile. Another weakness that analyst brings up is with the radar system in the Czech Republic, which simply doesn’t have the power to see missiles which would be launched from Iran at the U.S. This analyst says Iran is at least a decade away from launching a missile that would be a threat to the U.S. or Europe, so she asks why would the U.S. rush to get this system up now, especially when it hurts our relations with Russia?