Admiral: U.S. Monitored North Korean Launch of Three Missiles
March 16, 2006 :: BBC Worldwide Monitoring :: News
The U.S. knew in advance about North Korea’s plan to launch three short-range surface-to-surface missiles on March 8, and was able to quickly confirm the actual launch, reports Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 14.
Sources indicate that the three North Korean missiles tested were of modest range and capbility, with ranges of approximately 120 kilometers, which could however reach the South Korean city of Pyongtaek where U.S. military installations are located.
Last week, General Burwell Bell, head of U.S. forces in Korea, said the launch demonstrated that North Korea has made a “quantum leap forward” in its technology, having greatly improved accuracy and mobility. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: North Korea, Testing - Foreign
U.S.-Japan SM-3 Interceptor Test Successful, Using Innovative Japanese Nosecone
March 8, 2006 :: The Missile Defense Agency :: News
The U.S. and Japan successfully test-launched a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) today from the Aegis-equipped cruiser USS Lake Erie near Hawaii. The SM-3 was equipped with an experimental nosecone, which is being jointly developed by the Missile Defense Agency and the Japanese Defense Agency.
The demonstration also tested prototypes for the rocket motor, but the primary test was of an innovative “clamshell” nosecone, designed by Japan to more quickly release the interceptor’s kill vehicle. In the standard configuration for previous tests, the SM-3 missile must maneuver to eject the barrel-shaped kill vehicle—a process known as “pitch and ditch.” The newer nosecone eliminates the need for such maneuvers, which in turn means the kinetic kill vehicle can collide with and destroy its target more quickly. The flight test did not involve an attempted intercept of a target missile, but simulated target data was instead fed into the computers of Aegis weapon system. Instead of a kill vehicle aboard the SM-3, its nosecone instead contained a camera and instruments to register temperature and shock readings during the flight. In today’s test, the nosecone was deployed at about 88 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean and 96 km northwest of the island of Kauai.
Japan has already decided to procure the SM-3 and the Aegis defense system for several of its Kongo class destroyers, as well as purchasing a number of Patriot (PAC-3) interceptors, and having received a license to produce others. Japan’s innovation in missile defense technologies is a further sign of growing international support for ballistic missile defense. (Article, Link)
» Defense News on SM-3 Test
» MDA Photos of SM-3 interceptor launch
» More stories on: Allies, Japan, Testing - American, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Pakistan Tests Hatf-2 SRBM
February 20, 2006 :: News
Pakistan successfully test-launched a Hatf-2 short-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile on February 19. The indigenously developed missile has a range of 200 km and is capable of carrying a 500 kg warhead payload containing nuclear, chemical, or conventional warheads. This was the missile’s second test; the first was conducted in March 2005. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Pakistan, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Hatf 2
Report: Iran Has Conducted Four Missile Tests in 2006
February 15, 2006 :: BBC Worldwide Monitoring :: News
The German news agency DDP reports that Iran has conducted four missile tests since the beginning of 2006. Citing employees of Western security services, the report claims that Iran tested a modified intermediate-range ballistic missile, an air defense missile, a cruise missile, and an anti-tank missile. The modified intermediate-range missile is believed to have been a Shahab-3 with a range of 900 km. The report adds that Iran recently transferred several Shahab-3 missiles to neighborhoods surrounding the cities of Kermanshah and Hamad on its western border, from which it could reach targets in Israel (the distance from Kermanshah to Tel Aviv is 850 km). The air defense missile that was tested was an Iranian version of an as-of-yet unidentified Russian SAM, most likely the S-300, while the cruise missile was an Iranian version of the Chinese HY-2 Silkworm missile. The Silkworm apparently flew 150 km during the test, which would make it capable of reaching targets in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. The report adds that Iran is attempting to acquire new engine components for these cruise missiles from Germany and Switzerland, which are then smuggled through Iranian cover firms registered in Dubai’s free trade zone in the United Arab Emirates. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Iran, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Shahab-6
German Newspaper: Iran Tested Missile Secretly in January
February 6, 2006 :: News
The German daily Die Welt cites western intelligence sources as reporting that Iran secretly tested a new surface-to-surface ballistic missile last month. The purpose of the test, which allegedly took place on January 17, was to collect electronic and aerodynamic measurements from the long-range missile during its flight. The test was conducted by a 15-person engineering team under the direct control of the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and was attended by commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as well as some high-ranking employees of the Iranian aviation industry. Diplomatic sources in Iran are cited as saying the test was a success.
The German news agency DDP speculates that the above-mentioned missile may have been the Shahab-4, an intermediate-range weapon similar to the older Shahab-3 except for its increased range of over 2,000 km (approx. 1,250 miles) and its improved accuracy based on more modern digital guidance systems. Although the Shahab-4 project has been shrouded in secrecy in recent years, it is most likely an attempt to make Iran’s missile program less dependent upon foreign materials. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Iran, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Shahab-6, Small ICBM
India Tests Three Akash SAMs in Two Days
January 30, 2006 :: AFP :: News
India has recently carried out three tests of its Akash surface-to-air missile on January 29 and 30. The missiles were fired from the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 200 km of the Orissa state capital, Bhubaneswar. According to an Indian defense official, all three hit their flying targets successfully. The Akash system, which means “sky” in Hindi, is able to track 100 targets simultaneously, move at 600 m/second, and deliver its 55 km warhead across 27 km in 50 seconds. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: India, Testing - Foreign
India Fires Dhanush
January 1, 2006 :: Forbes :: News
India test-launched its short-range Dhanush ballistic missile on December 28, reports the Press Trust of India. The missile was launched from a warship in the Bay of Bengal off the eastern coast. The Dhanush, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, is the naval version of surface-to-surface Prithvi missile. It has a range of 250 kilometers and can carry a payload of 500 kilograms. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: India, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Dhanush
Second Launch of Russian Bulava Missile, From Submerged Position
December 21, 2005 :: News
Russia today tested its Bulava (R-30/SS-NX-30) ballistic missile. The successful launch was only the second test of the Bulava system, the newest missile being developed by Russia. The missile was fired from the Dmitry Donskoy submarine of Russian navy’s Northern Fleet, from within the White Sea. In the previous test on September 27, the missile was fired while the submarine was at the surface. Today, however, the submarine was moving underwater at the time the missile was launched.
The missile’s payload traveled some 6,000km to its target at the Kura testing range on the Far Eastern Kamchatka peninsula. Interfax reported that twelve missiles will be based on each submarine. RTR television in Moscow reported that the solid fuel Bulava missile can “carry at least 10 nuclear MIRV warheads and its range is about 8,000 km.” RTR television also showed President Putin and Defense Minister Ivanov commenting on the test:
[Ivanov] We can now already talk boldly about all the design and engineering decisions that were put into this new missile system having vindicated themselves.
In 2006 we will continue flight tests in the various modes of this system and we are already firmly counting on the fact that this system - and also the new submarine that is being built, as you know, alongside this system - will be accepted to be with our fleet by 2008.
[Putin] This is a good present to the country from all of those who have worked on this subject matter for the New Year. I congratulate you, well done!
Ivanov was also quoted by RIA Novosti as emphasizing that, “What is important is that the submarine was moving [underwater], it was not stationary.” He noted that further Bulava testing would continue in 2006, and that “We are fairly certain that the [Bulava] missile system, and a new submarine to be equipped with it, will be deployed by our navy in 2008.”
RIA Novosti noted that Chief of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Gen Nikolai Solovtsev recently declared Moscow’s plans to test-fire several nuclear-capable cruise missiles in 2006. (Link)
» RIA Novosti: Ivanov on launch significance
» Moscow RTR television quotes Putin and Ivanov on launch
» More stories on: Russia, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: SS-26
Israeli Arrow Interceptor Successfully Destroys Target
December 3, 2005 :: News
On Friday December 2, Israel conducted another intercept test of its Arrow ballistic missile defense system. A Black Sparrow target missile said to simulate an Iranian Shahab-3 missile was launched from an aircraft overflying the Mediterranean. Radar located the target and transmitted its trajectory data to the command and control center, which calculated plans for defending against it. These were transmitted to the launcher, which launched the test interceptor from a military base said to be south of Tel Aviv. The interceptor, by some accounts the newer, “Arrow-2” interceptor produced and recently delivered by Boeing, successfully destroyed the target. A brochure provided by Rafael, producer of the Black Sparrow target, claims that it is capable of reproducing various reentry patterns: simple ballistic, barrel roll, and other sorts of maneuvers (inset picture).
The exercise marked the fourteenth test of the Arrow interceptor, and the ninth trial run for the current weapons system. Defense officials said the object of the test was to examine the system’s enhanced capabilities, including an expanded interception range, and to test the interface between the Arrow system and the Patriot missile system, which is supposed to become activated in the event that the Arrow does not destroy the target.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz called the test “a tremendous achievement” that “once again underscores the principle that the State of Israel relies first and foremost on itself when it comes to safeguarding the citizens of Israel.” Aryeh Herzog, head of the Arrow project in the Defense Ministry, told Israel Channel Two TV, “The launch was successful. The significance is that the Arrow arms project proved another part of its range of operations against the Iranian threat.”
Jane’s Defense Weekly reports that the test pushed the altitude boundaries of the Arrow beyond those of previous tests:
The interception was conducted at a record low altitude, considered below the AWS’s performance envelope, and determined the operability of the Arrow II Block 3 interceptor, manufactured jointly by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
“We have never before tried the Arrow against the Shahab characteristics, but we know now that we are capable of intercepting all existing ballistic missile threats in the region, whether conventional or non-conventional, and we are developing capabilities to deal with future threats,” Director of the Israel Missile Defence Organisation Arieh Herzog told JDW.
…Following the interception, IAF’s MIM-104 Patriot low- to high-altitude air-defence batteries joined the test, simulating an additional interception at lower altitude. Israel’s ballistic missile defence concept is based on a two-tier layered defence in which the AWS constitutes the higher layer and the Patriot an additional, lower layer.
On August 26, 2004, the Arrow-2 failed to intercept a Shahab-3-type target (Black Sparrow) in a test. A few days earlier on July 29, 2004, the Arrow had successfully intercepted a Scud-type target. Both tests were conducted in California.
A senior Israeli defense source was quoted as saying that Arrow system was preparing to provide a response to several missiles launched simultaneously at Israel, naming Iran and Syria as the primary threats being considered.
Yair Ramati of the IAI’s MALAM defense plant was interviewed about the test on Voice of Israel radio in Jerusalem. Ramati said of the upgrades to the Arrow-2 upgrades,
The improvements do not lie in the hardware, but rather in new software installed in the radar, in the command and control systems and in the missile itself. It is a kind of a combination that has to be tested. Incidentally, this was the third time the software was tested.
(Article, Link)
» Interview on Voice of Israel radio
» Voice of Israel report of test
» Rafael brochure for Black Sparrow target missile
» Jane’s Defense Weekly on Arrow test
» More stories on: Israel, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: Arrow
Russia Tests Topol SS-25; Service Life Extensions to Yield Savings
November 30, 2005 :: News
On November 29, Russia tested fired one of its aging “Topol” ballistic missiles, which have been in service since the 1980s. The RS-12M missile, SS-25 in the NATO designation, was successfully launched from a mobile launcher located at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region. The missile traveled east, with the warhead or warheads being delivered to the designated target at the testing ground of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The launch was part of an ongoing plan to extend the service lives of the SS-25, which shores up the strength of Russia’s offensive nuclear forces. Russia’s project to extend the service lives of Cold War workhorses such as the SS-18 and also the SS-25 helps to save or at least delay the costs associated with replacing them with newer ICBMS, such as, for example, the Topol-M (SS-27) which would otherwise be necessary to retain Russia’s sizable nuclear arsenal.
The SS-25 Topol missiles have already exceeded the period through which they were expected to be operable. A statement by Colonel Aleksey Kuznetsov, head of the Space Troops’ press service, is quoted by the Russian Interfax news agency: “The purpose of the launch is to confirm the flight, technical and operation characteristics of the mobile ground-based Topol missile complex so that its service life can be extended to 20 years.” (Meanwhile, the Associated Press quoted the statement as saying the missiles could be extended to a life of 23 years, and RIA Novosti that it was 19.) To clarify, the service lives of specific missiles means that while some Topols were first introduced around the late-1980s, others which were built and deployed later could still be in service for some time, while still having the same overall “service life.” RIA Novosti explained that some Topol missiles could still be operational until 2016-2018.
Russian Channel One TV notes that when the Topol missiles were introduced, they were expected to have a life for only ten years, which they have already almost doubled. It is however, worthy of notice that the Channel One report discussed the relation of the Topol and the newer Topol-M to missile defense, and specifically American missile defense capabilities. The Russian press, like the Russian military, is remarkably blunt in their desire to retain the means to deliver nuclear weapons to America, even so far as specifying that America is among its “likely enemies.”
…the launch from Plesetsk today of the oldest missile, and from the first batch, proved that they can maintain complete combat readiness for at least twice as long as this. A rocket usually becomes old when the opponent learns how to intercept it, but our likely enemies have not known what to do about the Topol, nor know so far.
The army is unlikely to keep the Topol missiles in service for longer than 23 years. A new weapon is on its way. …
[Gennadiy Yasinskiy, captioned as first deputy constructor at the Moscow institute of thermal technology] This missile is coming to the end of its service life. I don’t think the Americans will come up with anything special with their air defense [missile defense] system over these three years, whereas our modernized Topol-M missile [the SS-27] has all the elements required to overcome the US system being developed today.
[Correspondent] It was precisely in an attempt to catch up with the Topol that the Americans built the terribly expensive B-2 stealth bomber, each costing two billion dollars. But the outlay turned out to be justified: once in the air, this missile—the foundation of our nuclear shield—is completely unassailable for any air defense [missile defense] system.
Given the fungibility of money, Russia can allocate resources in its growing military budget to other programs. As RIA Novosti noted, “This measure will allow Russia to keep the infrastructure of missile deployment areas for new mobile ground-based missile systems as it continues to commission modernized Topol-M versions according to schedule.” (Article, Link)
» Russian Channel One TV description of Topol test
» More stories on: Russia, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: SS-N-5
» Missile system details for: Plesetsk Cosmodrome
