If a missile defense system can intercept three missiles at various times in a day, which salvo size should be expected given attackers might fire at the system's weakest moment?

• A. Six missiles because that is when the system is strongest.
• B. Three missiles because the attacker would know to fire when the system is at its weakest.
• C. Nine missiles because that is the system's total intercept capacity.
• D. Zero missiles because if the system can only intercept three missiles at its weakest, we must assume something will go wrong making it miss them all.

Answer: (B)

The central idea is that a salvo is limited by how many missiles the defense can engage at once. If an attacker targets the system’s weakest moment, they’ll fire a number of missiles equal to that single-event intercept capacity. The defense can handle only a fixed amount in a single moment, so the expected salvo matches that bottleneck, not more. The other options assume firing during the strongest moment, exploiting total daily capacity, or assuming complete failure, none of which fit the scenario of exploiting the weakest moment. So the best answer is the salvo that matches the system’s per-salvo interception capability at its weakest moment.