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George Marshall Institute Hosts Roundtable on Cruise Missile Defense

On Tuesday, September 26, the George C. Marshall Institute hosted a forum on cruise missile defense at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, gave the opening remarks, stressing the importance of defending the homeland and U.S. troops and allies overseas from the cruise missile threat. “Our enemy has the political will to cause death and destruction of catastrophic proportions to the United States, but they do not have the capacity to do it yet,” Franks said. “Americans have the capacity to defend ourselves; we just need to steel the will of the American people and of the Congress so that we can defend ourselves from these emerging threats.”
        The Congressman’s speech was followed by a roundtable discussion with Captain Robert Barwis of the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Organization (JTAMDO); John Heidenrich, a senior policy analyst at Science Applications International Organization (SAIO); and Christopher Bolkcom, an analyst in national defense at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The discussion focused on the nature of the threat and the unique challenge of protecting the homeland against cruise missiles, which are difficult to identify and track and could be easily confused with commercial airliners. The participants also discussed possible strategies for deploying an effective cruise missile defense. (Link) 

» Press Release for Congressman Trent Franks’ keynote address on cruise missile defense

» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Cruise Missiles

China Upgrades H-6 Bombers to Carry Intermediate-Range Cruise Missiles

China is believed to have upgraded its H-6 “Badger” medium bombers to carry intermediate-range, anti-ship cruise missiles, reports the November 1 issue of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. The H-6 “Badger” is a Chinese copy of the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-16. The upgraded versions, designated H-6K and H-6M, are believed to now have the ability to carry four large cruise missiles beneath their wings. The bombers could carry the extended-range YJ-83 (CSSC-8 “Saccade”), an air-launched version of the YJ-62/C-602 anti-ship cruise missile. In addition, the Chinese press has published photographs of the prototype H-6 carrying unknown missiles resembling the Soviet-designed AS-15 Kent” (Kh-55) intermediate-range, land attack cruise missile, according to Jane’s. In recent years, the Chinese press has stressed the People’s Liberation Army’s capabilities against large surface ships, including U.S. aircraft carriers. (Link) 

» More stories on: China, Cruise Missiles

U.S. Army Activates X-Band Radar in Northern Japan

The U.S. Army has now activated an X-band radar in northern Japan to track regional ballistic missiles. On Tuesday, September 26, Brigadier General John E. Seward hosted a ceremony at Camp Shariki in the northern Aomori state to activate the X-Band radar. The system was moved earlier this summer from the U.S. military’s Misawa Air Base in Misawa, also in northern Japan. The two nations began working on the radar in 1998 after North Korea fired a Taep’o-dong 1 ballistic missile over northern Japan. The powerful X-band radar can identify objects from thousands of miles away and is designed to differentiate between decoys and real missile warheads. It is part of an ongoing U.S. and Japanese collaboration on missile defense that includes the joint production of sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors capable of destroying incoming missiles and the deployment of land-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors around Japan. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Japan, North Korea

» Missile details: Tien Chi

» Missile system details for: Forward-Based X-Band Radar-Transportable, Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense

Israel Prioritizes Anti-Katyusha Defense Efforts

Israel has made anti-Katyusha missile defense a top priority following Hezbollah’s rocket blitz on the country’s northern cities in recent months, reports the November issue of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. On August 19, Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz ordered the defense establishment to begin developing an anti-missile system. With Iran and Syria replenishing Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal, Israeli requires a system that can be deployed quickly and presumably with U.S. funding. Peretz has appointed a panel to determine within several months the feasibility of a new laser system known as Skyguard, developed by Northrop Grumman since 2004; as well as other potential systems such as a land-based version of Raytheon’s Phalanx rapid-fire gun system, which would lock onto incoming rockets or mortar rounds and engage them with 20 mm cannon fire.
        Jane’s reports, however, that Israel is at odds with the U.S. Army, which has paid the lion’s share of the costs for developing laser-based defense systems over the last decade. In early 2004, the Army shelved a project known as the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), developed jointly with Israel, because it was too cumbersome and costly and suffered from technical problems. In addition, the U.S. Army has shown little interest in the Skyguard systems, as it prefers a fully mobile system that can stand up to the rigors of combat in the field. The U.S. is also focusing on solid-state high-energy systems, which run on electrical power rather than the chemicals required for MTHEL variants. Yet working prototypes for such systems are not expected to be ready for another four to five years, a timeframe that does not meet Israel’s requirements.  (Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, High Energy Defenses, Israel, Terrorism

China Offers YJ-62/C-602 Anti-Ship Cruise Missile for Export

China is offering its YJ-62 anti-ship cruise missile on the international market under the export designation C-602, reports the October 4 issue of Jane’s Defence Weekly. The new missile was displayed from September 20 to 24 at the African Aerospace and Defence exhibition at Ysterplaat Air Base in Cape Town, South Africa. It marked the first time that the C-602 has been formally shown abroad and offered for sale, according to officials from the China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIEC). The YJ-62/C-602 is a short-range, sea-skimming, anti-ship missile that can be launched from land or sea. Each missile carries a 300 kg armor-piercing high-explosive warhead. A standard coastal battery consists of four launch vehicles, each holding three missiles, plus command and support vehicles. When deployed at sea, the YJ-62/C-602 launchers are typically positioned in pairs. To date the system has been fitted to Type 052C (Lanzhou-class) destroyers of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, although CPMIEC notes that the YJ-62/C-602 can also be carried by frigate-sized escort vessels. (Link) 

» More stories on: China, Cruise Missiles, Proliferation

Russia Concerned U.S. May Deploy Space-Based Assets

Russian leaders are concerned that the U.S. may deploy space-based missile defense assets, reports Defense Daily International. At a recent symposium hosted by the Henry L. Stimson Center, a Washington DC think tank, analysts noted that Russia could respond by detonating a nuclear weapon in space to create a radiation belt that would render U.S. space-based defenses useless. Such a move would also annihilate functioning of Russian satellites, although Russia has far less to lose. According to retired Russian General Vladimir Dworkin, now senior researcher with the Center for International Security at the Institute for World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Science, Russia’s concerns about lasers in space do not apply to existing components of the multi-layered U.S. missile defense system, such as the Airborne Laser. “We’ve gotten used to it,” Dworkin said. “But if you’re talking about reviving … Star Wars,” perhaps by resurrecting Brilliant Pebbles or developing a laser BMD system, then that “would be a shock” to Russians that they would not easily get used to. The more the U.S. pushes to develop a space-based BMD system, the more sharply Russia would be likely to respond, Dworkin warned. (Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Space-Based Systems

» Missile system details for: Brilliant Pebbles

Congress Secures Additional $200 Million for Missile Defense

Congress has secured an additional $200 million for the U.S. missile defense system. The funding is in the annual defense spending bill that was approved by a U.S. House-Senate conference committee last week, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The additional funds will be spent on “test infrastructure, operations support and additional interceptors for ground-based missile defense.” The final defense spending bill calls for $9.4 billion for all missile defense programs except the Patriot system in the fiscal year beginning October 1. That amount is $110 million above President Bush’s request. Spending on comparable programs was $8.74 billion in the current fiscal year. Of the $9.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, $2.8 billion is earmarked for the ground-based system. The defense spending bill now heads to each congressional chamber for final passage. Amendments are not permitted.
        Similar to last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee added language to the defense spending bill expressing dissatisfaction with the Missile Defense Agency’s direction: “The committee is concerned that MDA is investing too much funding in future systems and technology in advance of adequate testing and fielding of currently available technology.” Last year, the Committee’s defense panel, chaired by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), addressed the agency in similar terms. “Contrary to repeated Defense Department statements on spiral development and block upgrades for the missile defense program, MDA at best plans only marginal improvements to the capability of the GMD program’s ground-based interceptor,” it said then in its report. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Budget

» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)

Carafano: U.S. Should Help Israel Deploy Directed-Energy Defenses

The U.S. should help Israel deploy anti-rocket defense using available, proven, directed-energy technologies in less than two years, argues James Jay Carafano of the Heritage Foundation. He notes that the two nations have already jointly developed a short-range laser system, the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), but chose not to deploy it. Instead, the Pentagon decided to invest its resources in more advanced directed-energy research that would lead to more mobile systems that could be quickly shifted around the battlefield. Yet prototypes for these new systems will not be available until at least 2013, during which Hezbollah could rearm and instigate another war a half-dozen times. “Congress has an opportunity to jump-start the process by including the necessary funding in the annual defense appropriations bill, but so far, it has let the opportunity pass,” writes Carafano. “The Pentagon doesn’t want the proven directed-energy defenses—an attitude that clearly proves the old adage that the perfect is the enemy of the good. Waiting for futuristic technology won’t help deter war in the Middle East, but deploying a directed-energy defense now will take the threat of rocket wars off the table.” In addition to defending all of Israel’s borders, these systems could be used by the U.S. to defend against short-range missile attacks on commercial aircraft or protect critical infrastructure like nuclear power plants. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Analysis, High Energy Defenses, Israel, Terrorism

» Missile system details for: Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)

Iran Parades Shahab-3 Missiles in Tehran

Iran held a large military parade on September 22, marking the twenty-sixth anniversary of the Iran-Iraq War. The procession took place in southern Tehran near the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and included two medium-range Shahab-3 ballistic missiles. The Shahab-3 is believed to have a range of between 1,200 and 2,000 km, and is capable of targeting Israel, Turkey, the Indian subcontinent, and U.S. forces stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf. Zelzal 1 and Nazeat missiles were also present, as well as battle tanks. Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoodi oversaw the parade, standing in for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly. In his speech, Davoodi stated that Iran’s armed forces would fight back “like lightning” against any attack from the enemies. “We can defend our motherland and the Islam, we want peace but we tell the expansionists not to try to launch an aggression against Iran,” he said. Iran conducted a similar parade on September 22 last year. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Iran

» Missile details: Shahab-6, Zelzal-1/2/3

Russia Threatens Eastern Europe With Nuclear Strikes

Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons to defeat U.S. missile defenses in Eastern Europe, reports the Russian daily Izvestiya. The article quotes Major-General Vladimir Belous of the Center of International Security, who stated: “By approaching Russia’s borders, the Americans are seeking to achieve their main objective: intercepting our strategic missiles at the early stage of their trajectory, when they are most vulnerable.” Alexandr Pikayev, a defense analyst at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of World Economy and International Relations, went a step further, warning that “security cannot be built in the current world to the detriment of others” and that “the location of defense missiles will necessarily lead to the appearance of programs aimed at them.” He further noted that, “According to our military doctrine, Russia has reserved the right of preventive strikes, including those with the use of tactical nuclear weapons, against the objects that represent a threat to us.” (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Nuclear Weapons, Russia

China Fired High-Powered Lasers at U.S. Satellites

Defense News reports that China has fired high-powered, ground-based lasers at U.S. reconnaissance satellites in an attempt to blind the spacecraft and keep them from taking pictures of Chinese territory. The article quotes Pentagon officials who refused to state how many times the lasers have been tested against U.S. satellites, but confirmed that several firings have taken place over the past few years. According to one source, China has the ability to “blind” satellites passing over its territory but not “disable” them, given the massive amount of energy required to shoot a laser through the dense lower atmosphere and reach a fast-moving satellite. In any event, China’s burgeoning anti-satellite capabilities underscore the severe vulnerabilities of U.S. reconnaissance satellites, and indeed the entire U.S. space network. “The Chinese are very strategically minded and are extremely active in this arena,” said one senior former Pentagon official. “They really believe all the stuff written in the 1980s about the high frontier and are looking at symmetrical and asymmetrical means to offset American dominance in space.” The Pentagon, however, has kept largely quiet regarding China’s anti-satellite efforts, in line with the Bush administration’s policy of maintaining cordial relations with Beijing, which is a leading trade partner and seen as key to dealing with rogue threats such as North Korea and Iran. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: China, High Energy Defenses, Space-Based Systems

South Korea Develops New Cruise Missile

South Korea has developed a Tomahawk-style cruise missile, reports the UPI. The missile is believed to have a range of approximately 500 km and would be capable of striking almost all of North Korea’s missile sites, including the facility in Musudan-ri from where a set of missiles including a long-range Taepodong-2 was fired in July. The South Korean missile is equipped with a terrain-matching navigation system, as is capable of flying as low as 50 to 100 m to avoid radar detection. According to the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo, the new missile was developed jointly by the South Korean military and the state-run Agency for Defense Development. Under a 1979 accord with Washington, Seoul is allowed to develop cruise missiles with no restriction on range as long as its payload is less than 500 kg. South Korea plans to produce additional cruise missiles, to be named “Cheon Ryong” (Sky Dragon), within a year or two for ground or submarine deployment. It is also seeking to develop a cruise missile with a range of 1,000 km within five years. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Cruise Missiles, North Korea, South Korea

Spring on Missile Defense Debate

The current lack of an effective missile defense is the product of a political process that makes it exceedingly difficult to reverse deeply entrenched policies, argues Baker Spring of the Heritage Foundation. For roughly 30 years, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty restricted missile defense research and development to inadequate options such as ground-based defenses deployed at fixed locations. The result was that the missile defense bureaucracy eventually became professionally defined within these narrow boundaries, and individuals currently working on these programs are reluctant to permit open competition between their programs and effective alternatives such as sea- and space-based assets now permitted by U.S. withdrawal from the ABM Treaty.
        In addition, missile defense has fallen victim to what Spring terms “public choice theory.” Time and again, the American public has expressed strong support for missile defense. Yet when the question turns to which kind of missile defense system should be deployed, a vocal minority of hardened opponents prevails in its opposition to new technologies that would more effective, such as sea- and space-based interceptors. Political leaders move to embrace compromises that seek to satisfy both sides, favoring an outcome that “embraces strong statements of principle in favor of missile defense in deference to the majority and simultaneously marginalizes the most effective option for missile defense in deference to the vocal minority.”
        Opponents are thus able to denounce the entire missile defense enterprise in the context of the limited system currently being deployed. Spring argues that missile defense proponents in Congress must extend their support to new and more effective technologies. “True support for missile defense must be tied to commitments to back the best possible missile defense system at an affordable price,” he writes. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis, Policy

SAIC-led Consortium Wins $95 Million NATO Missile Defense Contract

NATO has awarded a $95 million contract to an international consortium led by U.S.-based Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to integrate the Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (ALTBMD) currently being developed in Europe. The project will network existing and future national missile defense systems, sensors, battle management and command, control, and communications systems. The total cost for NATO is expected to be $823 million, while the cost of individual weapons systems to be bought separately by national governments is expected to be much higher. The SAIC-led consortium also includes Raytheon from the U.S., Thales of France, IABG and Diehl from Germany, Britain’s Qinetiq, the Dutch company TNO, DATAMAT from Italy, and the European satellite giant EADS Asterism. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, European Missile Defenses

MDA Aborts THAAD Test, Problems with Target Missile

MDA aborted a test on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) yesterday due to problems with the target missile, reports Reuters. According to an MDA statement, “an anomaly occurred shortly after the [target] missile was launched.” The Hera target missile was destroyed by range safety officers about two minutes after it was fired at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The THAAD interceptor missile was not launched. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Testing - American

» Missile system details for: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

Taiwan to Deploy Home-Grown Missile Shield

Taiwan will introduce a new home-grown missile defense shield next year, reports the AFP. The article quotes Taiwan’s Apple Daily newspaper, which states that the shield, known as the Anti-Tactical Ballistic Missile (ATBM), is “expected to effectively counter the threat of China’s M-9 [CSS-6/DF-15] and M-11 [CSS-7/DF-11] ballistic missiles.” The system is believed to have evolved from Taiwan’s existing Tien Kung (Sky Bow) surface-to-air missile, and will eventually comprise 12 ATBM missiles batteries and an uncertain number of U.S.-made Patriot missiles and early warning radars. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: China, Taiwan

» Missile details: CSS-6, CSS-7

Jane’s: Iran Developing New Long-Range Missile

Iran is developing a new missile with a range of 4,000 to 5,000 km, reports the September 13 issue of Jane’s Defence Weekly. The article quotes Western diplomatic sources, who state that Iran’s Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which is responsible for the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile programs, is currently developing a long-range carrier independent of the Shahab family of missiles. Known as “Project Koussar,” the program is attempting to reverse-engineer an RD-216 engine, probably acquired from Russia in the late 1990s. The RD-216 powered Russia’s now obsolete SS-5 “Skean” (R-14/8K65) intermediate-range ballistic missiles and SL-8 Cosmos satellite launch vehicles. Jane’s notes that “Project Koussar” is believed to be in the preliminary design review stage, and quotes sources stating that Iran is making progress in the RD-215 reverse engineering. (Link) 

» More stories on: Iran

Poland Wants U.S. Pact in Exchange for Missile Silos

Poland wants a bilateral pact and improved air defenses in exchange for becoming the first missile defense site outside the U.S., reports Reuters. According to Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who spoke today to a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Poland has to be persuaded that the benefits of hosting a U.S. missile defense site outweigh potential risks such as becoming a greater target. “I would need to go in front of parliament and say, well, why overall it’s a good package,” Sikorski said, noting that any such package would have to include a bilateral pact and improved air defenses. The U.S. has favored multilateral defense pacts in recent decades, although it maintains a few bilateral treaties, including with Japan and South Korea. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies

» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)

Taiwan Indicates PAC-3 Purchase

Ex-Premier Yu Shyi-kun, chairman of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, held talks with Bush administration officials yesterday and assured them that a much-delayed deal to purchase U.S. weapons would be approved by the new Taiwanese legislature. “I really have much greater confidence that during the next session when the [legislature] reconvenes [September 19], it will be passed,” Yu told a news conference after the White House meeting, quoted by the AFP. He did not give any details of the package, although Taiwan’s 2006 National Defense Report called for the purchase of six Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) air/missile defense systems, as well as eight conventional submarines and 12 P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft for a price of around 340 billion Taiwan dollars ($10.8 billion). In July, Beijing warned Washington not to proceed with the reported deal, indicating such weapons sales would impact regional security and harm U.S.-Chinese relations. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Taiwan

» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)

Russia to Dismantle Five Nuclear Submarines by 2010

Russia will dismantle five nuclear-powered Victor-class (Type 671) submarines from its Pacific Fleet by 2010, reports RIA-Novosti. The vessels are being scrapped under the joint Russian-Japanese Star of Hope Program for Dismantling Decommissioned Nuclear Submarines, which was adopted in 2003 when Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Russia. Deputy Foreign Minister Shintaro Ito told a news conference in Vladivostok yesterday that the dismantling of the first Victor-class submarine will begin at the Zvezda Shipyard, in a suburb of Vladivostok, and will take about 10 months. During the dismantlement process, spent nuclear fuel will be removed from the submarine’s reactors and sent to storage, the hull will be cut into three sections, and the bow and stern sections will be removed and destroyed. The reactor section will be sealed and transferred to storage. Japan has allocated 20 billion yen ($171 million) for the project, according to Ito.
        The nuclear-powered Victor-class submarines are believed to have entered service in the Soviet Union around 1967, and were primarily designed to protect Soviet surface fleets and to attack U.S. ballistic missile submarines. Most were armed with torpedoes as well as SS-N-15 or SS-N-21 cruise missiles.  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Cruise Missiles, Japan, Russia, Sea-Based Systems

Aegis BMD Gains Fleet Certification

The U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have certified the latest version of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) weapon system for tactical deployment. The upgraded system, known as Aegis BMD 3.6 and carrying the Standard Missile-3 Block IA interceptor missile, enhances the ballistic missile defense capabilities of the current fleet of Aegis destroyers and cruisers. The new system was most recently tested on June 22, 2006, when it successfully destroyed a separating target launched atop a three-stage medium-range ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean. The test marked the seventh time (out of eight attempts) that MDA had successfully shot down a target missile with a ship-launched interceptor, and the second time that Aegis had successfully intercepted a separating warhead. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Policy, Sea-Based Systems

» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD

Russia Test Fires SLBMs from North Pole, Pacific

On Saturday, September 9, Russia successfully test fired a SS-N-23 (R-29RM) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a K-84 nuclear-powered submarine deployed under ice at the North Pole. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, all three warheads hit their targets at a testing range in the Arkhangesk region on the Barents Sea. The test marked the first time in 11 years that Russia test-fired a submarine-borne missile from underwater at the North Pole. The SS-N-23 has a range of 8,300 km and can carry up to four multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads each equipped with a 100 kiloton nuclear yield.
        Ivanov added that another submarine, the K-433 Sv. Georgiy Pobedonosets deployed in the Pacific Ocean, test-fired a SS-N-18 (R-29R) SLBM on Sunday, September 10, and that two of its test warheads hit the targeted range. The SS-N-18 has a range of 6,500 km and can carry 7 to 10 MIRV warheads each with a 100 kiloton nuclear yield, although it is unclear how many warheads the test missile carried. Ivanov referred to the tests as part of “serious exercises of the sea-based strategic nuclear forces.”  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Testing - Foreign

» Missile details: SS-NX-30, SS-X-14

Allard on Missile Defense

Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO), former chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the Senate Arms Services Committee which oversees ballistic missile defense, spoke on the Senate floor about the recent successes of the Missile Defense Agency on Friday, September 8. Senator Allard made note of several successful intercepts in recent months, including the September 1 test of the ground-based interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, which destroyed an incoming missile, as well as recent tests of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense (THAAD), and the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Senator Allard praised MDA for learning from past setbacks, and argued that the U.S. missile defense system should be challenged even further. “We need more testing so that we can better understand the task at hand and discover the areas that must be improved,” he said. “I do not expect perfection. In fact, I expect some failures. But, in the context of several missile defense intercepts tests per year, one or two failures only means that we are pushing to find out the real capabilities of the system.” (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis, Policy

» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)

Pentagon: Video of Iranian Missile Test Is Fake

U.S. military intelligence has determined that a video released by the Iranian government purporting to show a successful recent test of a submarine-launched missile is in fact fake, reports the Los Angeles Times. According to three Pentagon officials, the plume of smoke from the missile matched a video of an earlier Chinese test. The fake video was released on August 27, broadcast on Iranian state television, and picked up around the world, including by CNN and Fox News. Admiral Sajjad Kouchaki, the top Iranian naval commander, had stated that the weapon, known as Sagheb (“penetrating” or “piercing” in Farsi), was a long-range missile that could be fired from a variety of ships and evade radar. Regional experts speculate that the fake video had been designed to intimidate Iran’s neighbors in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which are U.S. allies. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Iran, Testing - Foreign

SS-NX-30 Bulava Test Launch Fails

Itar-Tass reports that a flight test of the Russian SS-NX-30 Bulava ended in failure today. According to a representative of the Ministry of Defense, the missile was launched underwater from the Dmitry Donskoy submarine of the Northern Fleet, but “deviated from its trajectory and fell into the sea.” The Bulava is an intercontinental-range, submarine launched, solid propellant ballistic missile. It is a submarine launched version of the SS-27 Topol-M, which was developed shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. Four previous Bulava test launches have been successful. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Testing - Foreign

» Missile details: SS-26

Israel Decides on Three-Tier Missile Defense

Israel has decided on a three-tier defense against ballistic missiles and rockets, reports Globes Online. The outer tier will destroy incoming ballistic missiles launched from Iran and other countries with Arrow anti-missile interceptors, which Israel has already deployed. The middle tier will intercept missiles launched from Syria and Lebanon. This tier has not been developed yet, but Israel believes that it will be able to develop such a program within five years at a cost of $500 million. The inner tier will intercept short-range Katyushas fired by Hezbullah and Kassams fired by Hamas. Three alternatives have been proposed for the inner tier: the Skyguard laser system developed by Northrop Grumman; an air-to-air missile developed by Rafael; and artillery with a range of up to 10 kilometers. Globes Online reports that Israel has asked Northrop Grumman to provide an assessment of Skyguard’s operational capabilities, effectiveness, development, and deployment costs. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: High Energy Defenses, Israel

Prime Minister: Japan Should Consider Nuclear Weapons

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone said Tuesday that Japan should consider developing nuclear weapons. “There are countries with nuclear weapons in Japan’s vicinity,” Nakasone said. “We are currently dependent on U.S. nuclear weapons [as a deterrent], but it is not necessarily known whether the U.S. attitude will continue.” He conceded, however, that the nuclear option should come only after Japan makes efforts to reinforce the global nonproliferation regime: “The first priority is to keep being a nuclear-free state, and the second is to reinforce the system under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.” Nakasone was prime minister from 1982 to 1987, and retired from the Diet in 2003. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Japan, Nuclear Weapons

Boeing Official: Future BMD Tests Will Be “Increasingly Challenging”

Scott Fancher, vice president and program director of Boeing’s ground-based midcourse defense program, said Tuesday at a press conference that future ground-based interceptor (GBI) tests will be made “increasingly challenging.” He referred to the successful test on September 1, when a GBI launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, shot down a target missile in mid-flight, as “the beginning of an ever more increasingly challenging test series” that will involve “very realistic flight conditions,” including the use of countermeasures. Fancher echoed the remarks of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who said on August 27 that the anti-missile system would have to be fully tested with all its elements in place before it is declared ready. The next test of the ground-based system is planned for later this year and will be identical to the September 1 test, although tests in 2007 are expected to be more complex. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Testing - American

» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base

Baluyevsky: U.S. Missile Defense Could Spark Arms Race

General Yuri Baluyevsky, Russia’s Chief of Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister, has delivered another op-ed column, this time in the Polish daily Dziennik on September 6. Baluyevsky wrote, “Deploying the large-scale U.S. anti-missile shield threatens to spark a new arms race,” adding that Washington’s intention to base some of the anti-missile shield in central Europe was of particular concern. “We are firmly convinced that, if the U.S. project is carried out, it could lead to the deployment near the Russian border of systems which threaten to upset the strategic balance in weapons positioning,” Baluyevsky noted.
        Baluyevsky’s previous article in the Voyenno-Promyshlenny Kurier on July 26 criticized the U.S. defensive posture in a similar fashion, claiming that “the world is essentially back to square one—that latter being the situation of America’s nuclear monopoly of the 1940s.” (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis, Nuclear Weapons, Russia

U.S. Conducts Subcritical Nuclear Test

Scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico conducted a subcritical nuclear test at the Nevada desert proving ground on August 30, according to a statement by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Subcritical tests involve the detonation of explosives around radioactive material, but are designed not to reach the “critical mass” necessary for a self-sustaining nuclear reaction. Such experiments are essential to maintaining the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The August 30 test, dubbed Unicorn, involved a detonation in a vault some 600 feet below the surface of the 1,375-square-mile federal reservation. No radioactivity was released and no damage was reported from the experiment. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Nuclear Weapons, Testing - American

U.S. Seeks to Block New Missiles for Hezbollah

The U.S. is helping Israel prevent Hezbollah from receiving shipments of new missiles to replace the thousands fired or destroyed in the recent 34-day conflict, reports the October 1 issue of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. The Lebanese-based terrorist organization is currently being resupplied by Iran across Syria’s mountainous western border with Lebanon into the Bekaa Valley, Hezbollah’s strategic center and the location of its main command centers and missile arsenals. Despite massive Israeli air strikes destroying virtually all the bridges and road networks in the region, Israel believes that Iranian missiles are still moving across the Syrian-Lebanese border, mostly along ancient smuggling trails. The U.S. has called for the support of regional allies such as Turkey and Iraq, and has pressured key global arms suppliers such as Russia and China to ensure that these missiles do not reach the Hezbollah. Sources indicate that at least two aircraft flying from Iran to Damascus have been challenged by aviation authorities in Iraq and Turkey, one on July 20 and another two days later. On August 17, seven transports—six Iranian and one Syrian—were forced to land at Dyarbakir, Turkey, after U.S. satellites spotted missiles, including C-802 anti-ship cruise missiles, and launchers being loaded onto them in Iran. According to Israel, however, some flights carrying weapons for Hezbollah have made it to Syria, and have possibly crossed the border into Lebanon. (Link) 

» More stories on: Iran, Israel, Proliferation, Syria

Raytheon to Design Alternative Missile Warning Satellite

Raytheon has won a $54 million contract to develop the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS), an alternative missile warning system to Lockheed Martin’s Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). The Pentagon decided to launch the AIRSS program because of recurring difficulties with SBIRS, a $10 billion effort that has been plagued by cost overruns, schedule delays, and poor government management. SBIRS was restructured last December, although the system could be delayed to save money. Current plans call for the Pentagon to weigh the alternative system against the main project in 2008. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Detection and Tracking

» Missile system details for: Space-Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High)

France Looks to Airborne Missile Detection System

The French Ministry of Defense is considering the development of an airborne ballistic missile detection system, reports the October 1 issue of Jane’s Defence Industry. According to the Delegation Generale pour l’Armement (DGA), the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defense, “Detection and alarm, two keystones of this system, can be satisfied by means of airborne infrared detection.” Documentation issued by the French government states that missile defense equipment is due to enter service by 2015. (Link) 

China Test Launches Dong Feng-31 ICBM

China yesterday test launched a CSS-9 (Dong Feng-31) intercontinental ballistic missile, according to a report by Itar-Tass. The missile was launched from the Wuzhai site towards the Taklimakan desert and traveled approximately 2,500 kilometers, according to a Russian official. Itar-Tass notes that an improved longer-range version, the Dongfeng-31A, is expected to be commissioned in 2007. (Article, Link) 

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» Missile details: CSS-9 (DF-31)

Lockheed Martin Reports Major Foreign Interest in PAC-3 Upgrades

Lockheed Martin is in “serious discussions” with Turkey and other customers over Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) upgrades, reports the September 6 issue of Jane’s Defence Weekly. According to John Ward, vice president of international business development for Lockheed’s Missiles and Fire Control Unit, concerns over Iran and North Korea may lead to new international orders for the PAC-3 and other missile defense systems. “Just about every region in the Middle East [and] Pac [Pacific] Rim has serious enquiries going on for the missile,” he said. (Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Policy

» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)

U.S. Looks to Faster, Cheaper Solid-Fuel Missile Propulsion

The U.S. Air Force is investigating the possibility of developing an improved family of solid-fuel rockets for intercontinental ballistic missile and satellite launchers, reports the September 6 issue of Jane’s Defence Weekly. The Air Force Flight Test Center, headquartered at Edwards Air Force Base in California, has awarded $49 million each to Aerojet General Corp and ATK Thiokol to research several types of improvements to solid-fuel rockets, making them fly further, faster, and for less money. Jane’s notes that these new solid-fuel rockets could serve as a potential launch platform for conventional weapons capable of hitting rogue nations and terrorist targets worldwide, a concept still in the development stages known as Prompt Global Strike. (Link) 

» More stories on: Policy

India to Fit BrahMos Cruise Missile to Su-30MK1 Fighters

India is preparing to configure the BrahMos PJ-10 cruise missile to be deployed on Su-30MK1 fighter aircraft, reports the September 6 issue of Jane’s Defence Weekly. Static and dynamic tests on the ground for this air-launched version are reportedly underway. The BrahMos, which derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moscow rivers in India and Russia, is based on the earlier Russian design for the SS-N-26 (3M55 Oniks) cruise missile. In 1998, a joint venture was set up between the Indian Defense Ministry’s Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia’s Mashinostroyeniye Company. The two entities formed a company now known as BrahMos Aerospace, which would develop and manufacture the BrahMos.
        In 2006, reports indicated that Russia and India plan to manufacture 1,000 BrahMos missiles over the next 10 years through their joint venture company. Of these 1,000 missiles, nearly 50 percent will be exported to client states. Jane’s adds that the Indian Army will introduce a ground-based version of the missile in 2007, and that a submarine-launched variant is also under development. (Link) 

» More stories on: Cruise Missiles, India, Proliferation, Russia

U.S. Discusses Ballistic Missile Conversion with Russia

At their recent meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska, on August 27, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov discussed the Bush administration plan to arm Trident-2 ballistic missiles deployed on submarines with conventional, as opposed to nuclear weapons, reports the U.S. Department of State. The move would allow for rapid, pre-emptive strikes against rogue nations or terrorist organizations anywhere in the world. At the meeting, Rumsfeld suggested that Russia consider pursuing missile conversions as well. “If either of our countries or our friends and allies were threatened at some number of years into the future with a weapon of mass destruction or a capability that was that lethal, I think any president, whether of Russia or the United States, would like to have available a conventional weapon that could attack that party quickly and accurately and precisely and not feel that the only thing they had might be a nuclear weapon which they would not want to use,” he said. Ivanov noted his concern that such launches could be mistaken for a pre-emptive nuclear attack, potentially leading to a retaliatory strike. He stated that this criticism was a matter of particular concern for the Russian government and would require further discussions before Russia would support the proposal or convert any of its missiles. “These are preliminary plans,” the Defense Minister stressed, “I cannot announce right now that Russia will join such [an] initiative right now.”
        The discussions between Rumsfeld and Ivanov follow the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s decision on July 20 to cut all but $5 million of the $127 million in initial funding for the Navy’s Conventional Trident Modification Program. In a report accompanying the defense appropriation bills, the Senate Appropriations Committee wrote its belief that “fundamental issues about the use of this weapon must be addressed prior to investing in this effort.” It added: “It is not clear that other potentially less provocative alternatives, such as land and air-based options, have been considered.”  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Nuclear Weapons, Policy, Russia

GBI from Vandenberg Successfully Intercepts Target Missile

The Missile Defense Agency today successfully intercepted a target ballistic missile over the Pacific in the widest test in 18 months of the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missile. The Patriot-As-A-Target missile was launched from Kodiak, Alaska, and followed a trajectory similar to the path a North Korean missile might follow in an attack on West Coast cities. It was successfully shot down by a GBI launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The test was designed to collect large amounts of data rather than shoot down the target, although it accomplished both goals, the target warhead being destroyed. The test also marked the first time that a ground-based interceptor missile was launched from Vandenberg. (Article, Link) 

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» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base