[pmulcahy11b]

The Star Wars program yielded near-mature technology by 1988, and only improved from there. It intercepted about 30% of incoming warheads. Due to Soviet technology being subpar in many ways, many of their warheads missed their targets, were lost to fratricide, or simply never detonated. Some warheads only generated subyield explosions. Subpar Soviet tech led to another 8% of warheads being ineffective or only partially effective.

San Antonio, for example, was totally spared nuclear attack, despite having one primary target, two secondary targets, and one tertiary target. The warheads destined for Cape Canaveral were mostly intercepted, with one detonating in the Atlantic Ocean, generating a small tsunami which caused a wave of one meter to roll over the Cape. The warheads destined for the bases in Colorado Springs were largely intercepted, except for one sub-yield blast which detonated on top of Cheyenne Mountain and only generated 5 kt. Another dropped into downtown Colorado Springs, but only the conventional trigger explosives detonated, yielding the effects of a dirty bomb.