[jr2]

Nuke! (desktop wallpaper)

[Mefustae]

What, you've never seen a MIRVed missile test? Why exactly did this require an entire thread? And why didn't you display the image here?

[Koth]

This picture would be a lot more awesome if this were live Warheads.

[jr2]

What, you've never seen a MIRVed missile test? Why exactly did this require an entire thread? And why didn't you display the image here?

Hmm... I'll PM it to you, maybe you can tell me.

EDIT: hmm, eh, I suppose I could lvlshot it..

[Nuke]

yes, i would require live warheads.

[jr2]

  T-0.05 seconds... it would look the same.  XD

[IceFire]

Thats a MIRV missile test?   Thats a bit chilling...woa.

[Rand al Thor]

What are the light beams exactly? Targetting lasers, or are they just the projected warhead path?

[Koth]

That are the trails left behind by the incoming dummy warheads.

[Nuke]

anything coming out of space at that angle is gonna smoke

[Rand al Thor]

That shot is right after target impact then? I ask because the trails seem amazingly coherent and undisturbed.

[Nuke]

dont mirv warheds airburst? they should go off at a couple thousand feet.

[Mefustae]

dont mirv warheds airburst? they should go off at a couple thousand feet.

This was only a test. It's probable that this was merely a separation test, rather than trajectory or airburst test, given the proximity of the warheads upon nearing ground level. Normally, a MIRVed warhead would split in the high atmosphere and separate over a very large area, like hitting a dozen cities along a given seaboard for example.

[Nuke]

separation probably occurs in space. using explosive bolts to separate it and then a small booster to alter its flight path to intersect its target.

[Mefustae]

Upper atmo, space... potato, potahto.

[Janos]

dont mirv warheds airburst? they should go off at a couple thousand feet.

They can airburst, or then again, they might not, because it's programmable, and sometimes warheads only detonate on impact.

[Col. Fishguts]

Image caption from Wikipedia:

This is a time-lapse photo showing the paths of the multiple re-entry vehicles deployed by the missle. One Peacekeeper can hold up to 10 nuclear warheads, each independently targeted. Were the warheads armed with a nuclear payload, each would carry with it the explosive power of twenty-five Hiroshima-sized weapons.

Note bold text.