If a missile, ballistic or otherwise, is intercepted no the missile will not simply be diverted it will be compromised by the interceptor.
The more complex the warhead the more likelihood an interception will neutralize it.
Even a JDAM or other simple bomb if it is intercepted in the air, is now set upon a path where the explosive potential is dismantled and exploited over time… in a great rushing of empty air… not a single, mighty bang at the instant the warhead touches the roof of a school or home.
The most extreme example is a nuclear bomb, which is usually treated in pop culture as a type of bomb you have to be VERY careful not to bump into too hard… but that actually totally misunderstands the terror of a nuclear bomb, the detonation sequence of a nuclear bomb has to go off like a finely tuned wristwratch starting up, something smashing into a nuclear bomb with great velocity and momentum will simply dismantle the wristwratch into possibly radioactive pieces, but they are harmless relative to the careful orchestrated opening to a show that was thankfully permanently cancelled by the interception.
If a missile, ballistic or otherwise, is intercepted no the missile will not simply be diverted it will be compromised by the interceptor.
The more complex the warhead the more likelihood an interception will neutralize it.
Even a JDAM or other simple bomb if it is intercepted in the air, is now set upon a path where the explosive potential is dismantled and exploited over time… in a great rushing of empty air… not a single, mighty bang at the instant the warhead touches the roof of a school or home.
The most extreme example is a nuclear bomb, which is usually treated in pop culture as a type of bomb you have to be VERY careful not to bump into too hard… but that actually totally misunderstands the terror of a nuclear bomb, the detonation sequence of a nuclear bomb has to go off like a finely tuned wristwratch starting up, something smashing into a nuclear bomb with great velocity and momentum will simply dismantle the wristwratch into possibly radioactive pieces, but they are harmless relative to the careful orchestrated opening to a show that was thankfully permanently cancelled by the interception.