First Arrow-2 Interceptor Delivered
November 7, 2005 :: Jane's Information Group :: News
Boeing delivered the first “Arrow 2” interceptor to the Israel Air Force on October 31, reports Jane’s Defense Weekly. The companies involved would not disclose the exact number of Arrow missiles scheduled for manufacture, but an Israel defense source is quoted as saying that there are weekly deliveries of “several missile components” from Boeing, and that Israel has two operational Arrow batteries, which each reportedly need 100 missiles. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Arrow
Text of U.S.-Japan Alliance Report
November 1, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
The Japanese Kyodo news agency provides the full text of the “US-Japan Alliance: Transformation and Realignment for the Future,” the interim report on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, adopted Saturday by Japan and the United States. The 14-page report has been called one of the most significant in decades between the two countries.
As it relates to ballistic missile defense, the report notes that there will be considerable cooperation, potential deployments of Patriot and SM-3 interceptors, and the near-term deployment of an X-band radar, which would be useful for the detection and tracking of a missile launched against either Japan or the U.S. Some excerpts:
- Emphasizing that BMD plays a critical role in deterring and defending against ballistic missile attacks, and can dissuade other parties from development and proliferation of ballistic missiles, both sides stressed the value of closely coordinating improvements in their respective BMD capabilities. To support these BMD systems, they emphasized the critical importance of constant information gathering and sharing, as well as maintaining high readiness and interoperability in light of the minimal time available to respond to a ballistic missile threat. The US will deploy additional complementary capabilities in and around Japan when appropriate, coordinating their operations to support Japan’s missile defense operations. Close coordination between respective BMD command and control systems will be critical to effective missile defense operations.
- The optimum site for deployment in Japan of a new US X-Band radar system will be examined. Through timely information sharing, this radar will support capabilities to intercept missiles directed at Japan and capabilities for Japan’s civil defense and consequence management. In addition, as appropriate, the US will deploy active defenses, such as Patriot PAC-3 and Standard Missile (SM-3) to support US treaty commitments.
Full text of report: (More »»»)
» Full text via BBC Monitoring
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» Missile system details for: Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable
Quiet Deal with Denmark Allows for Missile Defense Tech Transfer
October 27, 2005 :: News
Denmark Defense Minister Soeren Gade and the U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are reported to have quietly signed a missile defense framework this past month. The agreement would allow for the transfer of some missile defense technology to the Danish government, which would allow Denmark to develop or perhaps purchase defenses. The signing took place at the Pentagon on October 26, according to the website for Denmark’s ministry of foreign affairs. The news of the agreement seems to have evaded American media entirely. (Article, Link)
» U.S. and Denmark to sign deal for upgrading Greenland radars on August 6, 2004
» BBC Monitoring: Danish radio summarizes missile defense deal
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South Korea Considering Boosting Budget to Invest in Missile Defense Systems
October 18, 2005 :: Seoul Times :: News
The Seoul Times reports that South Korean plans to raise its defense budget by 11% to improve its defense capability, which includes purchasing missile defense systems including Patriot interceptors, Aegis destroyers, and even “multi-function satellites.” The relative buildup is a response to the planned downsizing of the U.S. presence on the peninsula in 2008.
Maj. Gen. Bang Hyo-Bok, a policy planning officer at the Defense Ministry, was quoted by the Yonhap News Agency as saying that “We’re pushing for President Roh Moo-Hyun’s cooperative self-defense’ system…In terms of the war deterrence effect, we’ll be laying the groundwork for South Korea to take the initiative in defending the Korean Peninsula.” (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, South Korea
Japan Base Could Host U.S. Forward Deployed X-Band Radar
October 17, 2005 :: Asahi Shimbun :: News
Japan may allow the United States to deploy the new FBX mobile radar on its territory, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The deployment of such radar on Japanese territory for the potential use of defending against a missile attack on the United States is controversial because some see it as violating the Japanese constitution and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.
The deployment is important, however, for the detection and tracking capabilities of the more advanced and longer-range X-band radar. Such detection would be important to a missile attack launched from within the Eurasian continent against either Japan or the United States. From Asahi Shimbun:
The primary candidate site for the radar system is the Air Self-Defense Force’s Shariki air station in Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, Japanese government sources said.
They said the radar system being considered is a U.S-developed X-band radar that is more advanced than the system Japan is scheduled to install in fiscal 2008 to guard against medium-range ballistic missiles.
The X-band radar has a longer detection range, enabling it to respond to ballistic missiles launched from deep within a continent, and is also capable of differentiating missile shapes.
The United States successfully completed an experiment in September in which the X-band radar distinguished between decoy and ballistic missiles.
Plans call for the deployment of one X-band radar system in the current fiscal year.
In talks in the summer of 2004 concerning the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan, American officials formally proposed the deployment of the X-band radar in Japan to protect the United States from ballistic missile attacks. …
The Shariki air station is being considered a candidate site because it is located in an area capable of detecting missiles North Korea may launch at the United States.
Although the United States would likely share in the usage of Shariki air station, no specific date has been set for deployment of the radar system.
Japan and the United States have already reached an agreement in principle to move the ASDF’s Air Defense Command from Tokyo’s Fuchu to the U.S. military’s Yokota Air Base as part of plans to implement a joint missile defense system.
The plans call for establishing a joint tactical center at Yokota where the Air Defense Command could share information with the 5th Air Force of the United States based at Yokota.
The alleged capabilities of the FBX-T to track missiles launched from “deep within” the continent could plausibly be integrated into a system of interceptors capable of defending against Chinese missiles. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Japan, Detection and Tracking
» Missile system details for: Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable
PACOM Head: Taiwan Should Upgrade Defenses
October 17, 2005 :: AP :: News
Admiral William Fallon, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, gave a speech urging Taiwan to upgrade its capabilities and to focus on defensive systems which could help deter an invasion, such as the sort of thing the island nation would face from China. Fallon named as important Taiwan’s upgrading of its Patriot anti-missile defense batteries, and the purchase of such weapons as mines to deter an amphibious assault by China. An excerpt from the Associated Press:
“As I take stock of the situation and have had an assessment of where we stand, it seems to me there are some things that would be much more useful than others in helping Taiwan better prepare its defenses,” Fallon said. Examples of steps Taiwan could take include upgrading the Patriot anti-missile systems it already has and buying airplane-mounted missiles that could shoot down invading aircraft, he said. Taiwan also could buy sea mines to protect the island’s beaches from an amphibious assault, he said. Fallon said he brought up the subject with Taiwanese military officials several months ago.
The sort of defensive weapons Fallon urged are less expensive than the eight diesel-electric submarines and four Kidd-class destroyers which have been offered and for which purchases have been delayed.
He noted Taiwan’s defense spending has been dropping as a percentage of its gross domestic product even as China spent heavily to modernize and upgrade its military. “If these trend lines continue, there is a clear gap and a potential to have a significant imbalance which might not be useful for long-term stability,” Fallon said.
(Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Taiwan
» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)
Japan to Deploy Additional 18 Patriots by 2011
October 10, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
Japan will deploy some eighteen Patriot Missiles around the country by 2011, reports the Kyodo news service, citing the Japanese Defense Agency. “It is desirable to put PAC-3s in place at all of our 24 air defense artilleries nationwide. We need more than 30 PAC-3s to defend the entire airspace of Japan,” Kyodo quotes a senior official at the Air Self-Defense Force as saying. The official added that Japan needs more than thirty to defend the nation from limited, short range attacks. According to Kyodo, the additional deployment of eighteen PAC-3s will bring the count to 32, implying that Japan already has some fourteen interceptors. Whether these fourteen are all PAC-3s or if the number includes some less-advanced PAC-2 interceptors is not clarified.
The Japanese are able to develop the additional Patriot interceptors because of an agreement reached with the United States in March which gives Japan a license to do so.
Also left unclear from the reports is whether the numbers refer to the missiles themselves or, as seems more likely, to batteries of missiles. To spread thirty-two missiles over twenty four locations would mean many air bases would have only a single interceptor—not much of a defense. (Article, Link)
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Japan to Design Interceptor Nose Cone
September 22, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
Demonstrating both cooperation with the U.S. and ambitions to pursue missile defenses of its own, Japan will partner with the U.S. to design a nose cone for a ballistic missile interceptor, Kyodo reports, citing close sources. The interceptor at issue is an upgraded version of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) which is part of the Aegis sea-based defense system, in which Japan and other countries are quite interested. An agreement between the two countries specifying the cooperation is said to be expected soon, possibly by the end of the year. The Japanese technology would subsequently be tested by the U.S. in a joint flight test from Hawaii. (Article, Link)
» August 25, 2005: Japan Times: Japan expected to produce four components for new SM-3
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Japan Approves Bill Authorizing Missile Intercept
July 22, 2005 :: CNN :: News
Japan’s parliament has passed a major piece of legislation giving authority to its defense chief to shoot down incoming missiles. The bill allows the defense chief to act without additional approval of Japan’s prime minister or Cabinet. The bill is significant because Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution renounces the use of force to settle international disputes, which has been interpreted to preclude defensive action against missiles which may or may not be aimed at Japan. In recent years Japan has become increasingly concerned with the ballistic missile threat from North Korea and, along with the U.S., is currently researching a joint sea-based missile defense system. The bill passed both the upper and lower houses, meaning that the legislation will be enacted. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Possible Spread of Defensive Interceptors by Japan
July 15, 2005 :: Kyodo :: News
Japanese-U.S. SM-3 sea-based interceptor missiles could be offered to third countries, reports the Japanese news agency Kyodo. According to General Yoshinori Ono, director of Japan’s Defense Agency, “If there is a request from the United States, it could be possible for those missiles to be provided to third countries under certain circumstances.” Ono’s statement follows Japan’s decision last year to end its decades-old ban on weapons exports. In December 2004, Japan stated that it could export missile parts to the U.S. under “strict controls” for national security, with exports to third countries to be considered on a case-to-case basis. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
