How The Shanksville Crater Was Made, Cruise missiles at 10 degree trajectories Options

[yankee451]

So to argument with the high incidence angle penetration cappability of the missile in fact also doesn't help the "dual missile impact" conjecture.

The warheads are interchangeable and can be configured to limit the penetration and depth of burial. This from a patent in 1978:

The penetrator of this invention is delivered to a preselected site either by aircraft or rocket launchers or the like and after entering the soil or earth, the warhead section is separated from the nose section by an initial separating charge. The wedge-shaped nose section follows a trajectory which limits its depth of burial and brings it to rest in a desired position where it may be detonated at some later time.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a penetrator which has a controlled depth of burial.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a controlled depth of burial penetrator which contains therein a warhead section for detonation at a preselected time or situation.

http://www.google.nl/patents/US4090446

As you can see the angle of attack has been considered. The crater fits the capabilities of missiles using off the shelf technology available at the time.