> at least i theory it could do this maneuver from orbit

Nukes from LEO aren't impossible. They're just impossible to do better than the current triad. Any breakthrough in propulsion that would make a plane change easier or less visible confers the same advantages to an ICBM. There is a narrow window in which orbital nuking can outperform, and that's almost entirely taken care of--and exceeded, in stealth--by SLBMs.

▲

throwaway290 2 days ago | parent [-]

Nuking from orbit was not literal. The point of sats is intercepting. Sats allow you to nuke the other guy while intercepting his rockets. Same result...

	▲	JumpCrisscross 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		> The point of sats is intercepting. Sats allow you to nuke the other guy while intercepting his rockets Space-based missile defence is not what’s implied by weapons that are “already up” and thus “give a lot less warning in a first strike situation?”