High Velocity Projectiles

Hello,
	I'm working on a thesis regarding kinetic energy weapons.  I've
talked to
the folks at China Lake and other places.  The unclassified part of it
is
that there is a problem with high velocity objects.  Above mach 4 the
objects start to shatter.  The result is that high velocity weapons
radiate
a lot of energy into the surrounding environment and not enough into the
target...  The penetrator shatters to soon, before pentration begins and
the remainder of the energy is lost as heat...	This seems to be the
case
for objects dropped from orbit as well.  So you might want to keep your
explosives around for a while.
	Phil P.

Gort, Klaatu barada nikto!