Russia tests ICBM
April 10, 2009 :: Reuters :: News
Russia test-fired a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile today. The missile was fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia to its site target 3,700 miles east in Kamchatka. The test allowed Russia to confirm the continued viability of the missile, first introduced in 1985 and originally slated for an operational life-span of only 10 years. Called the SS-25 Sickle by NATO, the Topol has a range of 6,125 miles and can carry a 550-kiloton warhead. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: SS-25
North Korea Launches Taepo-Dong II
April 6, 2009 :: News
On Saturday, April 5, North Korea launched its Taepo-Dong-2 ballistic missile in what was described as an attempt to put a satellite into low earth orbit. The missile launched successfully, and as it traveled over the Sea of Japan, its first stage was jettisoned, falling within the area previously designated by North Korea. The missile's flight path then continued over Japan before its remaining stages and payload fell into Pacific Ocean, approximately 800 miles off Japan's eastern coast. The distance the Taepo-Dong-2 traveled is being reported as 2,000 miles (3,200 km).
The missile and its payload seem to have fallen well short of the distance to be expected from the velocity necessary to put a satellite into orbit. North Korea's state news agency claims that the launch successfully orbited a satellite broadcasting revolutionary songs. Although U.S. Aegis ships and Japanese patriot missile-defense systems were on alert in the region, no attempt was made to intercept the missile because it was determined that its trajectory posed no threat to civilian populations.
North Korea's last satellite launch attempt was in 1998—the missile used was the Taepo-Dong-1. The public relations message out of North Korea in 1998 was identical to their recent announcement: they claimed to have achieved a "successful" launch of a "communications" satellite that would play revolutionary melodies.
North Korea's last missile launch was in 2006, a Taepo-Dong-2 test which failed 42 seconds after initiation. The missile used on April 6, 2009 is thought to be a modified Taepo-Dong-2, called the "Unha-2" by North Korea.
President Obama called the attempted satellite launch a "provocative act." The U.S. was nonetheless unable to convince the 15-member U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the launch when it met in emergency session on Sunday, April 5.
Iran used the incident as an opportunity to reiterate the independence of the North Korean and Iranian missile programs. While fielding a question about North Korea's missile launch after a speech he gave about Iran's nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said: "There is absolutely no relation between the two countries. North Korea launched its space program several years ago and has fired rockets into space many times."
Russia, one of five permanent members on the U.N. Security Council, continues to emphasize the importance of the six-party talks for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Unable to reach an agreement about the proper response to the incident, the Security Council agreed only to further talks. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced his agreement with Russia's ‘prudent' response. (Link)
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» Missile details: Taep'o Dong 2
India Tests Interceptor Missile
March 9, 2009 :: News
On March 6, India successfully intercepted a test-missile over the Bay of Bengal. The exercise was part of India's ongoing development of an indigineous missile defense system, scheduled to have the capability of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles by 2010.
Two days prior, India also tested a supersonic cruise missile, the Brahmos, developed with Russia since 2001. The test was conducted near the Pakistan border. India hopes to test an Agni-V ICBM before the end of 2010; the Agni-V will have a range of over 5,000 km. (Article, Link)
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Third Test of Indiginous Indian Missile Defense System
March 6, 2009 :: News
India today reported that it conducted a successful test of its ballistic missile defense system. The details given were few, but reports said that the test was conducted on India's eastern coast of Orissa, that the target missile was destroyed, and that the defense system would be designed to The intercept incoming hostile missiles with a range of 5,000 km. (Article, Link)
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Iran Satellite Launch Raises ICBM Concerns
February 4, 2009 :: New York Times :: News
On Monday, February 2, Iran successfully launched a small satellite into low-earth orbit, in what represents a major step forward for the Iranian missile program. Rocket technology is transferable, of course, and the technical ability to place a satellite in low orbit is closely related to the ability to deliver a warhead over a long distance, even intercontinental distance. There are many similarities between the booster technology for missiles and that for space programs. Ballistic missiles are in a sense space weapons, as warheads spend most of their time traveling outside the atmosphere.
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) accelerates a warhead to velocities of approximately 7km/sec. By comparison, a space launch vehicle must accelerate a satellite to around 8km/sec. For a given payload, it would require more thrust to put an object into orbit than to deliver it over an intercontinental distance, but it is slightly easier to put a very small object into low earth orbit than it is to accelerate a larger payload to a slightly lower velocity. The weight of the Iranian satellite (some 27kg) is considerably less than that of a nuclear warhead or other weapon of mass destruction. Iran therefore likely has some improvements to make before demonstrating true ICBM capability. Nevertheless, this week's test represents a considerable achievement for Iran's missile program.
For these slightly technical reasons, many countries' "space launch vehicle" (SLV) programs are actually euphemisms for ICBM development. The success of a space launch vehicle sometimes coincides closely with the demonstration of ICBM capability. In 1957, for example, the world witnessed in short succession both the orbit of Sputnik and the first successful ICBM launch, both by the Soviet Union.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Monday that the launch of the Omid (Hope) satellite into orbit meant that Iran had "officially achieved a presence in space." The elliptical orbit of the Iranian satellite means that it has passed over the United States a number of times in the space of a few days. Like Sputnik, the Omid satellite is said to be transmitting radio signals.
The Obama administration's press secretary Robert Gibbs commented that "This action does not convince us that Iran is acting responsibly to advance stability or security in the region." State Department official Robert Wood noted that this capability could "possibly lead to the development of ballistic missiles" and were of "great concern."
(Article, Link)
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Russian Bulava Missile Fails Again
December 23, 2008 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
Russia's new Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile has failed yet another test, in an attempted launch today. The missile was fired from the Dmitry Donskoi strategic nuclear submarine from the White Sea, off Russia's northwest coast. The missile was intended to travel to the Kura firing ground in Russia's far east missile range on Kamchatka peninsula. After the missile's first stage separated, the missile went off course, and so was destroyed in mid-flight. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: SS-NX-30
Iran Conducts Missile Tests
July 9, 2008 :: New York Times :: News
Iran reportedly tested seven missiles today from a location in the Iranian desert reportedly near the Strait of Hormuz. Of the several missiles fired, reports indicate that one was the medium range Shahab-3, capable of reaching targets at a range of up to 2000 km. The other missiles fired include shorter range ballistic missiles such as the Zelzal and the Fateh 110. It is yet unclear whether the tests were successful. Iran is believed to have numerous Zelzal and Fateh missiles, and supplies them to other countries and rogue groups.
In addition to the missiles tested today, Iran is also believed to be developing longer range missiles, titled Shahab-4 and Shahab- 5, with increased range, payload, and accuracy. The rhetoric of missile bombardment most often comes from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tehran's most elite soldiers with nearly complete control over the Iranian missile forces. The IRGC is commanded by Hossein Salami who released a statement today saying, "Our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy. The enemy must not repeat its mistakes. The enemy targets are under surveillance." The IRGC often conducts war games in Iran's western provinces. The majority of war games which include missile tests occur around the mountainous region of Khorramabad.
Iran's tests occur on a regular basis. Yet the timing today seems deliberate, given the U.S. agreement with the Czech Republic yesterday for the stationing of missile defense radars. Gordon D. Johndroe, assistant White House press secretary, quickly responded to the tests today saying, "The Iranian regime only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity."
Update: Subsequent reports dispute the number of missiles fired and the classification of those tested this week. This does not, however, alter the fact that the Shahab-3 has been successfully tested on many previous occasions.
(Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Fateh A-110, Zelzal-1/2/3, Shahab 3
North Korea Fires Three Anti-Ship Missiles
May 30, 2008 :: News
North Korea again fired a salvo of short range missiles off its coast, with three rockets launched, according to the Yonhap news agency in South Korea. Little information was given about the type of the missile, but Itar Tass described them as ship-launched anti-ship missiles with a range of 45 km. Yonhap claimed that they were of a type made in the former Soviet Union. The South Korean Defense Ministry was also cited as saying that two of the three missiles missed their intended targets. North Korea last launched several missiles from its western coast in March. (Article, Link)
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North Korea Launches Short Range Rockets
March 28, 2008 :: CNN :: News
Numerous news agencies report today that North Korea has launched various short-range missiles off its western coast. The test comes a day after North Korean officials dissolved a group of experts gathered at a join industrial zone near the shared border. South Korean officials have excused the test as "merely part of [North Korea's] ordinary military training" rather than an overt attempt by Kim Jong-Il to publicize the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula. (Article, Link)
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Pakistan Tests Hatf-3
February 13, 2008 :: BBC :: News
Pakistan today tested a ballistic missile, this time the short range Hatf-3 (Ghaznavi) with a range of 290 kilometers. The location of the test was not disclosed, but it was said to have concluded the Pakistani Strategic Force Command's winter training. The test marks the third ballistic missile test over the past three weeks. The launch was attended by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro and Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani, with additional details said to be released at a later time. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Hatf 3
