Pakistan Tests Short-Range Hatf-3
December 9, 2006 :: BBC :: News
Pakistan today test-fired its nuclear-capable Hatf-3 (Ghaznavi) short-range ballistic missile, reports the BBC. The road-mobile missile was launched from an undisclosed location as part of a training exercise by the Pakistani Army’s Strategic Force Command. It was the third ballistic missile to have been test-fired by Pakistan in three weeks. The Hatf-3, essentially an improved “Scud” type ballistic missile with a range of 290 km (180 miles), would be of use for striking large, fixed targets such as military bases, airfields, and cities. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Hatf 3
Russia Conducts A-135 Interceptor Test in Kazakhstan
December 5, 2006 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
Russia yesterday test-launched an interceptor from its A-135 missile defense system, reports RIA-Novosti. The test took place at the Sary-Shagan Test Range in Kazakhstan. According to Alexei Kuznetsov, a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces, “the launch was conducted to check the missile’s capabilities and prolong its operational life.” It is not immediately clear whether the missile tested was a short-range SH-08 “Gazelle” or the longer-range SH-11 “Gorgon.” Some reports indicate that the interceptor was of the same type as the one tested on November 29, 2004, which was believed to be the “Gazelle.” The A-135 system, located outside Moscow, consists of 68 “Gazelles,” 32 “Gorgons,” and a Pillbox multifunctional phased-array radar. (Article, Link)
» Press release by Russian Ministry of Defense, for interceptor test
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» Missile system details for: System A-135
Japan Tests New SAM in Texas, with Anti-Cruise Missile Capability
December 1, 2006 :: AP :: News
Japan successfully tested a new surface-to-air missile system yesterday in a live training exercise, reports the AP. The system, known as the Chu-SAM, was test fired from Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where Japanese forces have been training on their defensive missile systems. It had been tested six times previously at nearby White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, although Thursday’s launch was its first live training exercise. The Chu-SAM, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electronics, has a range of 50 km (31 miles) and is capable of shooting down aircraft, air-to-surface missiles, and cruise missiles. Up to 10 missiles can be fired from a single launcher to destroy multiple threats. The Chu-SAM will replace the HAWK missiles that Japanese defense forces have used since 1965. (Article, Link)
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» Missile system details for: Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense
Pakistan Test Fires Short-Range Hatf-4
November 29, 2006 :: AP :: News
Pakistan today test-launched a nuclear-capable Hatf-4 (Shaheen-1) short-range ballistic missile, reports the AP. The official Pakistani military statement did not provide details of the test, although an unnamed defense official said the missile hit its target. According to the statement, the test was “part of the ongoing exercises of Pakistan Army’s Strategic Force Command,” and “marked the culmination phase of the training exercise and validated the operational readiness of the Strategic Missile Group … equipped with Shaheen-1 Missiles.” The road-mobile Hatf-4 is believed to be an improved version of the Chinese CSS-7 (M-11), itself a modified Scud. The Hatf-4 is believed to have a range of 750 km, and is designed to destroy strategic assets such as airports, oil refineries, shipyards, ports, and factories. Today’s test came just two days after India announced its first successful interception of a ballistic missile, using a Prithvi-2 missile to shoot down a second, incoming one. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: CSS-7, Hatf 4
India Claims Successful Missile Interceptor Test
November 27, 2006 :: BBC :: News
India has used a nuclear-capable Prithvi-2 medium-range ballistic missile to intercept another in a missile defense test, Indian defense officials claim. According to the defense ministry, India launched a modified Prithvi-2 simulating the “adversary’s missile” from the Chandipur test range about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Bhubaneswar, capital of India’s Orissa state. The interceptor, also a Prithvi-2, was fired one minute later from the Wheeler’s Island missile testing center, located in the Bay of Bengal about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bhubaneswar. A spokesperson for India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) told the BBC that the missiles intersected each other in mid-air about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the coast and then fell into the Bay of Bengal as planned.
If the medium-range Prithvi-2 can be transformed into a viable defense system, it could upset India’s fragile balance of power with Pakistan, which on November 16 test launched its nuclear-capable Hatf-5 (Ghauri-1) medium-range ballistic missile. But Rahul Bedi of Jane’s Defence Weekly points out that India remains far from developing an effective missile interception system. “It’s not easy, India is light years away from developing anything like the American Patriot missile defense system which is designed to detect and destroy incoming missiles,” he told the BBC (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Prithvi-1
India Test Launches Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-2 Missile
November 19, 2006 :: AP :: News
India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Prithvi-2 short-range ballistic missile today, reports the AP. According to an Indian official, the missile was launched from the Bay of Bengal from the test range in Chandipur in the eastern state of Orissa. The test came three days after rival Pakistan carried out a similar test of its nuclear-capable Hatf-5 (Ghauri-1) medium-range ballistic missile. The Prithvi-2 is a road-mobile, liquid-propellant missile based on the Russian S-75 Guideline surface-to-air missile. It was first tested in 1996 and entered into the Indian Air Force in 1999. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Prithvi-1
Pakistan Test Launches Medium-Range Hatf-5
November 16, 2006 :: Reuters :: News
Pakistan today test launched its nuclear-capable Hatf-5 (Ghauri-1) medium-range ballistic missile, reports Reuters. According to military sources, the missile was launched from an undisclosed location to mark the end of a series of military exercises. The Hatf 5 has a range of 1,300 km (800 miles) and is easily capable of striking deep into India. It was first tested in 1998, the same year that Pakistan and India conducted their first nuclear tests, and last reported to have been tested in 2004. While previous tests were overseen by scientists, this time the Army Strategic Forces Command conducted the tests, military officials said. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: Hatf 5A
Russia Test-Fires SS-19 Stiletto from Baikonur Cosmodrome
November 9, 2006 :: UPI :: News
Russia today test-launched an SS-19 Stiletto (RS-18) intercontinental ballistic missile from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The missile reportedly carried a dummy warhead and hit its target at the Kura missile training range in Kamchatka, according to a spokesman from the Russian Space Forces. Russia has about 360 silo-based SS-19 missiles in operation, each with a range of 9,000 km and capable of carrying six warheads. (Article, Link)
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» Missile details: SS-21 A
» Missile system details for: Baikonur Cosmodrome
North Korea Conducts First Nuclear Test
October 9, 2006 :: Reuters :: News
North Korea today conducted an underground nuclear test, transforming Pyongyang into the world’s newest and most volatile nuclear power. The South Korean government informed U.S. officials that the explosion, registering 3.58 on the Richter scale, took place at 10:36 a.m. local time (1:36 a.m. GMT). Minutes later, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency announced the test, calling it “a historical event that has brought our military and our people huge joy.” The announcement continued: “The nuclear test was conducted with indigenous wisdom and technology 100 percent. … It will contribute to defending the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the area around it.” Measurements by the Japan Meteorological Agency showed that the test took place around Gilju, on the country’s northeast coast and around 110 km (70 miles) from the Chinese border. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a 4.2 magnitude tremor in North Korea at 10:35 a.m. local time. The White House branded the act “provocative” and said it expected the U.N. Security Council to take immediate action. Analysts have said that North Korea probably has enough fissile material to make six to eight nuclear bombs. (Article, Link)
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North Korea Vows Nuclear Test
October 3, 2006 :: Reuters :: News
North Korea said today that it will soon conduct its first-ever nuclear test, reports Reuters. According to a statement from North Korea’s foreign ministry, which was broadcast on the official KCNA news agency, “the U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a corresponding measure for defense.” The statement added, however, that North Korea would never be the first to use nuclear weapons, and would “do its utmost to realize the denuclearization of the peninsula and give impetus to the world-wide nuclear disarmament and the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons.” Analysts say that North Korea probably has enough fissile material to produce six to eight nuclear bombs, but does not yet have the technology to make one small enough to mount on a long range ballistic missile. (Article, Link)
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