On September 26, India conducted a successful test of its indigenously produced Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), or “Astra,” off the Odisha coast. The missile was fired from an Su-30 multirole fighter aircraft and reportedly “engaged” a maneuvering target, thereby achieving its test objectives. Astra is equipped with mid-course inertial guidance, terminal active homing,...
On September 26, a Russian Northern Fleet tactical group test launched the Onyx (NATO: SS-N-26 “Strobile”) antiship cruise missile (ASCM) from a Bastion coastal missile system on Kotelny Island. Multiple missiles were fired at maritime targets in the Laptev Sea approximately 60 km from the launch site. Commander of the Northern Fleet Admiral Nikolai Evmenov...
On September 26, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States will remove two Patriot air and missile defense batteries from Kuwait and one each from Jordan and Bahrain. The systems, which are currently offline, will return to the United States for maintenance and upgrades and will not redeploy to the Middle East. The...
Between September 13-26, at least six Houthi-launched missiles targeting Jizan and Najran were intercepted by Saudi air defense forces. Pro-Houthi media reported another five missile attacks targeting Asir, Najran, and Zahran, but these could not be corroborated by Coalition or independent reports. There were no confirmed reports of Houthi-launched missiles striking their intended targets during...
On September 23, India conducted a successful test of its Prithvi Defense Vehicle (PDV), an exo-atmospheric interceptor missile which is designed to engage medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) at an altitude of approximately 66 km. India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) did not state the test’s objectives, but it likely focused on testing the missile’s...
On September 24, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia will deliver an unspecified number of S-300 air defense systems to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces within the next two weeks. The decision follows a friendly fire air accident on September 17 during which Russian-supplied S-200s in Syria failed to discriminate a Russian reconnaissance...
On September 19, Kyodo News reported that Japan has allocated $57 million for research and development of a hypersonic missile. The Defense Ministry plans to build a scramjet engine prototype capable of Mach 5 speeds and to explore new technologies for fuel combustion during high-speed flight. Preliminary plans for the missile’s testing period are set...
On September 20, India successfully tested its indigenously produced Prahaar short-range ballistic missile from its facility in Odisha. A defense official stated the missile was launched from a road-mobile launcher and struck its intended target. Prior to the test, over 4,000 residents were temporarily evacuated from villages surrounding the launch pad as a safety precaution....
In November 2017, an MQ-9 Reaper UAV conducted a successful air-to-air intercept of a small aerial drone target. Although an unclassified event, reports of the intercept only received public attention in mid-September 2018 following an interview with U.S. Air Force Colonel Julian Cheater, who leads the 432nd Wing drone unit. The MQ-9 fired a heat-seeking...
The U.S. Army carried out a Soldier Checkout Event, dubbed SCOE 4.0, in which Army personnel employed the in-development Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS). The test reportedly demonstrated communication and data connectivity from 20 nodes at locations in Alabama, New Mexico, and Texas. IBCS is being developed to network the...
