The U.S. has already developed some ground-based defense systems that have had unreliable success in stopping missiles, but an aerial strike could soon be an option.

Missiles that F-35 stealth fighters already carry need only slight tweaks to be able to target missiles, not other fighters, Justin Bronk, an expert on aerial combat at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider this week.

“By changing the firmware a bit, tweaking it a bit, you could gain a theoretical” capability to engage ballistic missiles, Bronk said.

Read more: https://goo.gl/tJzdtL