Major MDA Contract for Boost-Phase Interceptor
December 3, 2003 :: San Diego Union Tribune :: News
After an eight month competition with Lockheed Martin, the Missile Defense Agency has awarded an eight-year, 4.5 billion dollar contract to Northrop Grumman to produce an interceptor to destroy ballistic missiles during their boost-phase. This is the MDA’s first “capability-based” contract, and involves a design that would have been banned under the old ABM Treaty.
The contract is to produce a ground-based Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI). Its use of kinetic energy simply means that the interceptor would physically impact the missile: “hit-to-kill” technology. Unlike the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) being constructed in Alaska which would intercept long-range missiles during their midcourse phase in space, the KEI, while ground-based is designed to intercept missiles in their boost phase, that is, during their ascent. As the boost phase for even a long-range missile is no more than roughly five minutes, the KEI would have to be located near enough the launch site of the enemy missile in order to still reach it during that phase. It also has to accelerate very fast, perhaps as much as 5,000 miles per hour. This particular interceptor design would be compatible of being launched from either land or sea. It would be capable of being loaded onto aircraft and deployed anywhere in the world. Northrop Grumman will likely initially produce five mobile launchers for the KEI.
A layered-defense is ultimately necessary, but interception during the boost-phase has a number of advantages. It is during this phase that a missile is at its most vulnerable: during ascent a missile is moving at a slower speed; the body of the missile is under considerable pressure; its exhaust plumes make it more visible and thus trackable; its fuel tanks, which are still attached, constitute a larger target; no countermeasures or decoys can be deployed, and of course should the interception fail, time remains for a second attempt in the midcourse or terminal phases. (Article, Link)
» DoD Release: Northrop Grumman Boost Phase contract
» More stories on: Budget, Land-Based Systems, Technology, Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI)
Russian Missile Defenses for Europe?
December 2, 2003 :: AFPC :: News
During years of complaining about American movements toward missile defense, Russia has both maintained a missile defense system stationed around Moscow and, in recent years, begun to sell its S-300 and S-400 systems to other countries. Quoting the Russian ITAR-Tass news agency from November 28, an AFPC summary notes that Russia may be attempting to sell its own missile defenses for the protection of Europe from Iranian and other rogue states. Specifically, Russian defense firms may offer the more advanced “Triumf” S-400 defense system to members of NATO. The Triumf is, in terms of capability, a rival to the U.S. PAC-2 and PAC-3 “Patriot” dual-use anti-aircraft and theatre missile defense systems. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Russia, Russian Missile Defenses, Technology
» Missile system details for: S-300P (SA-10 Grumble), S-300V (SA-12A Gladiator, SA-12B Giant), S-400 (SA-20 Triumf)
U.S. to Resume Vital Tritium Production
October 22, 2003 :: ABC News :: News
The production of Tritium, an important component to the American nuclear arsenal, on hold since 1988, will now resume. Because the hydrogen isotope decays over time (half life of 12 years), new Tritium must constantly replace the old to even maintain the nuclear stockpile in functioning condition. Despite complaints from disarmament enthusiasts, the Tennessee Watts Bar nuclear reactor has now resumed the production of this strategic material, however, an action essential to the future of American strategic operations. Were production to be further suspended, the U.S. would have had to dip into its five year reserve beginning in 2005.
The Watts Bar reactor is located in Spring City, TN, approximately 45 miles from the town of Oak Ridge, where part of the Manhattan Project (the U.S. atomic bomb program) was located. (Article, Link)
» Nuclear Regulation Commission Fact Sheet on Tritium
» More stories on: Nuclear Weapons, Technology
Blimps Considered for Layered BMD Architecture
October 22, 2003 :: MSNBC :: News
The MDA recently awarded a 40 million dollar contract to Lockheed to design solar-powered blimps which would be a part of a layered missile defense architecture. Some twenty-five times larger than those used by Goodyear, the umanned blimps with a payload capacity of two tons would remain at high altitude (65,000 ft) for up to several months at a time, for the purposes of identifying and tracking any missile launch. A prototype is expected to be completed in 2006.
Innovative efforts such as these should of course be encouraged. Serious strategic defenses demand a layered system, and air-based systems such as sensors and the air-borne laser (ABL)—both designed to complement a boost-phase interception, when the missile is the most vulnerable, should be given a role within such a system. While this sort of tracking system has certain unique mobility advantages, however, it also seems to be something of a half-hearted effort, one which works within the mainstream aversion to space-based defenses. Similar tracking systems placed in orbit would of course have a greater field of view than any craft at high altitude, and orbiting lasers would be able to intercept missiles much earlier in their ascent. Space-based defenses would also be much less susceptible to conventional attack. Similarly, the air-borne laser also has range limitations of several hundred kilometers, a distance far shorter than most ballistic missile’s paths. These systems, to be effective, would certainly have to be in the right place at the right time, and progress in these directions should not distract from the need for space-based defenses. (Article, Link)
» Former Director of SDIO Abrahamson assisting in ambitious blimp program
» More stories on: Air, Technology, Testing - American
New Radar Expands Capacity of Aegis BMD
October 16, 2003 :: Geostrategy-Direct :: News
Lockheed Martin’s newly unveiled S-Band radar will expand the range of the Aegis cruisers’ missile interception capacity, Geostrategy Direct reports. The Aegis sea-based missile defense is designed to intercept intermediate range missiles. (subscription required) (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Technology
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
North Korea Missile Talks with Iran
October 16, 2003 :: Geostrategy-Direct :: News
A “high-ranking official” from North Korea recently visited Iran to solicit interest in a version of the North Korean No-Dong missiles, according to Japan’s Sankei Shimbun. The No-Dongs have a range of about 650km. North Korea reportedly received 10 million dollars from Iraq for No-Dongs which were never delivered. (subscription required) (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Technology
» Missile details: NHK-1/2, No-dong 1
GMD Booster Test Successful
August 16, 2003 :: The Missile Defense Agency :: News
Saturday’s test of a booster for the ground-based missile defense system was successful. The test launch, which took place from Vandenburg Air Force Base, did not involve an intercept attempt, but was only for the booster itself. More tests are planned for this fall.
The GMD system will be based in Fort Greely, with 16 planned interceptors. These are the interceptors which would carry the EKV, which employs “hit-to-kill” technology. There are also plans for another four interceptors based in California, at Vandenburg. This is part of the limited system the Bush administration has said will be deployed by late 2004. The system is limited, in that while it would defend against a few missiles launched from far away, such as from North Korea, it could not defend from either a large number of missiles such as would be launched from Russia or Communist China, or any number of short-range missiles launched from close by, such as from a ship off our coast. The GMD system nevertheless provides an important foundation for a more robust and layered system which would include defenses based on land, sea, and in space. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Technology, Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
SBX Radar Base Chosen
August 15, 2003 :: Department of Defense :: News
The Missile Defense Agency has announced Adak, Alaska, as the basing location for the Sea-Based X-Band (SBX) radar, a floating platform which will be integrated with the Ground Based Missile Defenses at the Fort Greeley site. The SBX vessel is a modified oil drilling platform measuring 390 feet long and 250 feet high, with a displacement of 50,000 tons.
During the last months some Alaskan towns have been actively campaigning for, and others against, receipt of the base.
The MDA completed an extensive study on the environmental impact of this and other components related to the GBD system. (Article, Link)
» MDA’s Environmental Impact Documents
» More stories on: Sea-Based Systems, Technology
» Missile system details for: Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX)
Fort Bliss to Test New “Patriot Lite”
July 23, 2003 :: El Paso Times :: News
The Fort Bliss Army Base in Texas is set to test the latest configuration of the Patriot terminal defense interceptors. This “next phase” of the system is said to be smaller, more agile, and quicker to set up in the field. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Land-Based Systems, Technology, Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Patriot
Scientists Issue Report on Boost Phase Systems
July 16, 2003 :: Washington Post :: News
Scientists with the American Physical Society issue a report on the technological limitations of systems such as the air-borne laser to effectively intercept missiles during their most vulnerable stage of flight, the boost phase. This report points to the admitted problems of such half-hearted systems such as the ABL which has a very limited range, while ignoring the potential and desirable solution of space-based lasers. (Article, Link)
» American Physical Society Boost Phase Report
» Scientist Richard Garwin disputes APS report’s contention boost phase missile defense is impractical
» More stories on: Air, Policy, Space-Based Systems, Technology
» Missile system details for: Airborne Laser (ABL)
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