By Luke Wagner ’27
In March 2026 the United States and Israel attacked Iran and Iran retaliated against Israel. Since that time, all over the news there are videos of missiles being launched, streaks of flame in the air, fires where they land, and people screaming. Some missiles get through to their targets but many are shot down in mindair. But how does a missile work, and what are the complex systems in Israel that shoot them down?
Let’s start with the science behind the missiles. At first glance, they seem to be simply metal tubes with an engine. But internally, they are much more complicated. The Oxford definition of a missile is “a self-propelled weapon that carries an explosive warhead and is directed by remote control or internal equipment, launched from the ground or by an aircraft or submarine.”Crucially, missiles are different from rockets because they are guided – not just launched in a general direction. This makes missiles many times more dangerous, as specific targets can be picked and struck with an accuracy of as close as 5-10m.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or ICBMs, are the most deadly kind of missile. They can travel up to 24x the speed of sound (for context, that means it would take less than 30 minutes to fly from Russia to Canada), and can carry nuclear warheads. Once launched, ICBMs use “inertial navigation systems (INS) using gyroscopes and accelerometers to track position, velocity, and orientation without external signals”. Some modern missiles even use navigation by the stars.
Taking a step back from this incredible technology, it is amazing how far we have come. Imagine showing this missile to someone from the 1500s and telling them that it can fly on its own across the world in 30 minutes. I think it would be incomprehensible.
One problem with ICBMs is that they are very expensive. The next generation being developed by the United States is expected to cost over $200 million per missile (Military Watch Magazine, 2026).
(Borger & Elleman, 2010)
There are also smaller, cheaper missiles. These are used to destroy aircraft or buildings in relatively close range, which allows them to be much less costly and complicated. But they aren’t perfect. In Kuwait recently, three American F-15s were shot down by Kuwaiti air defense in a “friendly fire” mistake. Luckily all pilots safely ejected (Hagagy et al., 2026). This incident shows the dangers of cheaper missiles as they are simply heat-seeking, which can lead to the wrong target being chosen. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that thousands of other missiles, planes, and drones are in the same airspace. You can see how it might be hard to tell friend from foe.
Is it possible to defend against these weapons? The answer is yes. For example, Israel’s Iron Dome. Using complex mathematical calculations, the system fires an opposing missile when it detects an enemy one heading towards a populated area. The system is very effective, with a success rate of over 90%, but the system is being challenged to keep up with the sheer number of missiles being fired.
(Young, 2025)
Nowadays a cheap drone can disable a million-dollar tank. It is getting harder than ever to defend against attacks. As CBC said, now “the defender has to be perfect but the attacker just has to be lucky.” (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2026).
In our own country, Prime Minister Carney has committed to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP, or $63 billion (Canadian Defence Review, 2025). For too long, we have relied on the U.S. for major weapons systems. With our ally the United States becoming unreliable, it makes sense for Canada to develop more of its own capabilities.
References
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Writer). (2026, March 08). Iran names new supreme leader [TV series episode]. In CBC News: The National.
Canadian Defence Review. (2025, November 4). Canada releases Budget 2025: Canada Strong – Defence Spending. Canadian Defence Review. https://canadiandefencereview.com/canada-releases-budget-2025-canada-strong/
Hagagy, A., Choukeir, J., & Stewart, P. (2026, March 2). Kuwait shoots down US jets in friendly-fire incident, US CENTCOM says. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/kuwait-intercepts-hostile-drones-third-day-iran-retaliatory-strikes-2026-03-02/
Military Watch Magazine. (2026, January 30). Continued Cost Overruns and Delays to Urgently Needed Sentinel ICBM Undercut U.S. Nuclear Triad. Military Watch Magazine. https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/further-severe-cost-overruns-sentinel-nuclear
Borger, J., & Elleman, M. (2010, May 10). Long-range Iranian missiles still a decade away. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/julian-borger-global-security-blog/2010/may/10/iran-nuclear-weapons
Young, C. (2025, August 4). Chinese engineers design drones that survive 87% of missile attacks. Interesting Engineering. https://interestingengineering.com/military/chinese-engineers-design-missile-dodging-drones