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Russia Successfully Tests New RS-24 ICBM

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces announced the successful test of the new RS-24 ballistic missile on December 25.  The missile was launched from the Plestsk facility in northern Russia and destroyed targets on the Kura testing range located on the Kamchatka Peninsula.  Said to be based on the Topol-M, the RS-24 is designed to replace aging Soviet-era missiles such as the RS-18 and the RS-20 (known as the SS-19 and SS-18 in the West).  Interfax reports that the RS-24 missile can carry up to three warheads. The Strategic Missile Forces's statement declared, "The RS-24's deployment will strengthen the Strategic Missile Forces' capability to penetrate missile defense systems and strengthen the nuclear deterrent potential of Russia's strategic nuclear forces...The RS-24 will form the backbone of the Strategic Missile Forces and safely ensure the security of Russia and its allies through the mid-century." (Article, Link) 

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» Missile details: RS-24, SS-27

Japan Intercepts Missile in Historic Test

On December 18, Japan successfully executed the first test of its sea-based ballistic missile defense system. During the test, the Japanese destroyer JS KONGO stationed off the coast of Hawaii destroyed an incoming "SCUD-like" missile with a U.S.-developed SM-3 interceptor and the larger Aegis missile defense system. The simulated hostile missile was fired at 12:05 pm from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Detecting the missile, the Japanese Aegis destroyer then fired a SM-3 Block IA interceptor three minutes later. At 12:08 pm, the SM-3 interceptor destroyed the target some 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean, the twelfth successful intercept for the Aegis SM-3.

The intercept exercise was a joint-operation between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces and the United States' Missile Defense Agency. The test, designated Japan Flight Test Mission 1 (JFTM-1), marks the first time a Japanese ship has attempted a ballistic missile intercept. In previous tests, Japanese ships had however monitored and tracked target missiles.
 (Article, Link) 

» Video of Japanese SM-3 Aegis Intercept on December 18, 2007

India Flies the Red Flag: Participates in Exercise

The December 5 edition of The Asia Times includes a thorough evaluation of India's recent military buildup of its air, land, sea and BMD assets. India's growing military sophistication is the result of increased international cooperation and arms purchases. "In the past two to three years, India has spent almost $11 billion on military arsenal, making it the largest arms importer in the developing world."

India and the U.S. are to reach a cooperative milestone with India's participation in the "Red Flag" multinational aerial exercise, slated for August 2008. "'Red Flag' exercises are said to be among the toughest and will allow Indian pilots to witness at close hand the world's best air forces. India has participated in many US-led war games, but this will be at the highest level for the first time." India has also negotiated plans to construct a new class of fighter aircraft with Russia, while U.S. firms compete to build 126 medium multi-role combat air crafts.

India's BMD programs have also steadily advanced:

 

The new "endo-atmospheric interceptor" put down a simulated electronic missile that is a prelude to striking a live Prithvi ballistic missile, modified to approximate an attack. According to Indian scientists, the "interceptor" missile could surpass the American Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system. India established its "exo-atmospheric" hypersonic interceptor missile capabilities, borrowed from an Israeli system, in November last year when an incoming Prithvi missile was successfully destroyed.

New Dehli has also developed more effective short, medium and long range-ballistic attack missiles, such as the Akash, Prithvi and Agni. Another outgrowth of its close military relationship with Russia is the land-hugging BrahMos cruise missile. "Over the next year, DRDO also has plans to carry out advanced tests for the 250-kilometer Prithvi and the longest-range inter-continental 1,500-2,500km Agni missiles that cover China. Defense officials say that India is looking to produce 20 Prithvi missiles and 50 Brahmos missiles annually."

India's cooperation with Russia also extends to its land assets. New Dehli will import 347 T-90S main-battle tanks (MBT), worth $1.2 billion. In fact, "India's ongoing defense relationship with Russia is more than $10 billion, far higher than any competitor country, Israel, USA, Britain or France." (Article, Link) 

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Extra Funds Provided for Sea-Based Missile Defense Program

On November 28, Rear Admiral Alan Hicks, program director for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, said a significant addition to the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense budget will fund the installation of new Aegis defensive systems on 18 warships by the end of 2008, approximately six months earlier than previously scheduled. The Aegis system recently succeeded in intercepting multiple ballistic missiles simultaneously in an October test. (Article, Link) 

» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD

U.S. Fighter Intercepts Ballistic Missile Using Air-to-Air Interceptor

In a landmark test on December 3, a U.S. F-16 fighter jet used an air-to-air missile to intercept and destroy a sounding rocket in its boost phase for the first time. The Net-Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCDE) can equip fighter aircrafts with missile interceptors that could eliminate ballistic missiles as they lift into space. While the aircraft could only intercept missiles within a 100 miles of the launch site, Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner said the NCDE could still be effective against short and medium range missiles.

The test at White Sands, New Mexico, involved a F-16 fighter jet armed with two modified AIM-9X missiles. The missile seekers' relayed images of the rocket at close range, demonstrating the capability to acquire and track the target. Besides special seekers, AIM-9X and AIM-20 AAMRAM are fitted with a new liquid propellant second stage to give it the burst of speed needed to catch a ballistic missile in its boost phase.

Currently, the Pentagon is developing two other boost-phase intercept systems: the Airborne Laser and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor. (Article, Link) 

» Missile Defense Agency Press Release

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Indian Conducts Missile Intercept Simulation

On December 2, India conducted a simulation of a ballistic missile intercept 15 kilometers above the Bay of Bengal.  The simulation serves to prepare for a live intercept attempt slated for this coming week.  India's Defense Research and Development Organization designed the Advanced Air Defence missile interceptor (AADO1) specifically for the endo-atmospheric test. The AAD01 is said to be a single-stage, solid-fueled, rocket-propelled missile. In the exercise, the interceptor missile was fired at 10.44 a.m. from Inner Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast. The electronics target, a derivative of Prithvi missile, was fired at 10.42 a.m. from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) of Chandipur, located about 120 km from Wheeler Island.  The test is part of India's effort to deploy a two-layered ballistic missile defense. (Article, Link) 

» Official Statement Announcing the Exercise

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