Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the "Fractional Orbital Bombardment System" often talked about in media?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.
A Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) sends a warhead into a low Earth orbit and brings it down over the target before it completes a full circuit — hence 'fractional'. Because it can approach from any direction, even over the South Pole, it is hard for early-warning radars to track. The Soviet Union built one in the 1960s, and it returned to the news in 2021 after reports of a Chinese test.
- ✓ (c) FOBS places a weapon in orbit around the Earth and then deorbits it onto a target, instead of following the arcing path of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
- ✗ (a) Deflecting or destroying an incoming asteroid is planetary defence (for example NASA's DART mission), not a bombardment system aimed at Earth.
- ✗ (b) Orbiting a planet several times before landing describes a planetary landing mission, unrelated to weapons.
Remember · FOBS: nuclear warhead put into low partial Earth orbit, deorbited onto target — evades radars facing the usual ICBM routes; Soviet system banned under SALT II (1979).
Sources
- US Congressional Research Service, Defense Primer: Hypersonic Boost-Glide Weapons (updated May 2026) ↗ “a ballistic missile booster that carried the HGV into orbit before the HGV de-orbited and approached its target. Experts assert that this type of system might provide China with the ability to launch HGVs over the South Pole, thus evading U.S. early warning assets that track threats over the North Pole”
- US Department of State: Treaty Between the USA and the USSR on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (SALT II), 1979 ↗ “After entry into force of the Treaty, fractional orbital missiles shall be removed and shall be destroyed pursuant to the provisions of subparagraph 1(c) of Article IX and of Article XI of the Treaty”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·