If North Korea was to launch nukes at us from a base there, how long would it take to reach Washington D.C.?

Question

If they were able to get it across that much distance.

ok say then that it is heading for San Francisco. If our government wasn't able to intercept it how long would it take. Would it be minutes or hours?

If they all of a sudden were able to make a working nuke how long would it take?

It can even be any place in Asia that would be crazy enough to send a nuke. What would be the time from luanch to target with no interception

s7e7v7e7n7 you are freaking me out. it is nothing like that I was just working on some homework and I needed a example and I needed to find out the time it would take so I chose North Korea as a starting point for the nuke and at random I picked Washington D.C. for the ending target. It has nothing to do with anything that sort.

Answer 1

WHEN they get a functioning missile system... roughly 30-40 minutes from launch to impact.

DESPITE what someone said... the Patriot (even upgraded) is a LOUSY anti-Ballistic Missile system. The Theater-Defense system can't hit an ICMB yet.

But... the best DEFENSE is the good old M.A.D of the 60's thru 1992.

Answer 2

There are a lot of assumptions in this question but using a frame of reference I have (which will remain secret) it would take between 20 and 27 minutes depending on whether the ballistic missile went exoatmospheric or just near space. Currently this is way beyond their capability though and I suspect it would not survive the boost phase for reasons which will also remain with me.

San Fran - exo - about 22 minutes from the center of North Korea if it survived the boost phase!

One more edit - Patriot is not really a viable option against a ballistic missile - been there ;-)

Answer 3

If North Korea released a nuke it would for sure do a million of two issues; hit us or pass over us. If we are hit i've got confidence we would retaliate with a nuclear warhead of our very own, decimating North Korea. there is likewise the possibility that our protection stress shoots the warhead jointly because it incredibly is nevertheless in-air in the past it could attain everywhere to do any harm. i think of North Korea is bluffing regardless. Even China (their greatest allie) would not desire a nukeclear conflict so if North Korea began one it would in all danger reason China to connect forces with the U. S. in an attempt to give up North Korea.

Answer 4

It would take 30 minutes.

Of course, our counter strike would arrive in North Korea from our subs on patrol in the Gulf of Alaska before the North Korean missile got to DC. There'd be nobody alive in North Korea to know whether their nuke worked or not.

Answer 5

They wouldn't get past the ocean. "Patriot is a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. Patriot (MIM-104) is produced by Raytheon in Massachusetts and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Florida." While I don't like to gloat about our technological superiority these precautions have been around since even before the Cold War, The updated missle system I believe is up to the task.

Answer 6

They do not have the rocket technology to launch a Nuclear Weapon that far. We could destroy the World in under 30 min.

Answer 7

28 minutes to continental US, they currently only have the potential technology to reach from a point from Phoenix in an arc up to Montana....if they can figure out how to get it past Japan into the Pacific. There last few test failed miserably....

Answer 8

There was a time in my life, a while ago when i felt very strange. I went to counseling for that strange feeling. when i described what the feeling was to my surprise it had to do with a very large weapon being pointed in the direction of my home country, I was under the impression that it was held on me, there was no one around. in the news which followed i found the cause of my strange thoughts and again to my surprise when the story turned true and the large object had been identified as reported on the daily news. the strange feeling left. now your question is a strange one, it tells of a destination and of a particular object to be launched. it sound like a strategy game you may be playing while distracting.( opinion)

Answer 9

Ballistic missiles take about 30 minutes to travel that kind of distance.

Answer 10

at least another 50 years......

Not only do they not have working nukes (both thier tests were failures) but they don´t have the type of ballistic missle system that could even make it to cally, let alone DC.