That's the sound made by the "Multiple Kill Vehicle," a frightening but fascinatingly cool hovering robot meant to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles.
This video of a December 2 flight test conducted at Edwards Air Force Base in California by defense contractor Lockheed Martin has made it onto the Web. It certainly looks like something out of the "Terminator" movies...
The Pentagon's plan is to mount one or more of these "MKVs" onto carrier missiles, to be launched into space to engage nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles at the apogees, or peaks, of their trajectory arcs.
Once in space, the MKVs will break off from the carrier vehicles, then use highly accurate targeting computers to shoot big bullets (kinetic interceptors in military speak) to destroy the enemy warheads before they drop back down to Earth.
I'm SO totally reassured. A Happy Christmas to you too!
Cybercast credit: YouTube
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