On August 21, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced it has concluded an review of a 2009 decision to deploy seven Cheolomae-II medium-range missile batteries by 2023. Cheolomae-II is a South Korean manufactured medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM). The Ministry considered reducing the number of deployed batteries in response to recent easing of tensions with North Korea...
On August 9, the Philippine Navy successfully struck a target at sea using a Spike Extended Range (ER) missile launched from a multi-purpose attack craft (MPAC) gunboat. The test took place off Lamao Point, Bataan, where the missile struck a floating target with high accuracy from 6 km under unfavorable sea conditions. Spike ER is...
On August 9, the United States Department of State approved a Mexican purchase of six tactical Evolved Seasparrow Missiles (ESSM), two ESSM telemetry missiles, an MK56 8-cell vertical launching system (VLS), eight MK30 canisters, and eight MK783 shipping containers, along with various supporting materials. The systems will be mounted on the Dutch-manufactured Sigma 10514-class frigate....
On August 8, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) signed an agreement with the United States to purchase four Patriot Configuration 3+ Modernized Fire Units equipped with AN/MPQ-65 radars and armed with 100 MIM-104E Guided Enhancement Missile-TMB (GEM-T) missiles and 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles. The estimated $1.13 billion in...
On August 7, an Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) was fired from a Spanish-flown Eurofighter 2000 jet during a NATO exercise over Estonia. The incident occurred near the Russian border, and the missile is believed to have crashed approximately 40 km north of Tartu, in eastern Estonia. Spanish Eurofighter jets are suspended from further participation...
On July 31, the U.S. Air Force initiated the test flight of an unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California bound for a target in the Marshall Islands. The test was a long-planned operational launch intended to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the launch system, command...
On July 30, U.S. officials familiar with intelligence on North Korea told multiple media outlets that production of at least one Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is underway at the Sanumdong missile factory. The project appears to have begun after President Trump and Chairman Kim met on June 12 in Singapore to discuss denuclearization. The...
Indian press reported on July 29 that the country is in negotiations with the United States to add the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) to its layered air defenses. NASAMS-II is a mid-range air defense system designed to counter threats from aircraft, UAV, and cruise missiles. The system is equipped with 3D surveillance Sentinel...
On July 25, Houthi militants targeted two Saudi oil tankers sailing near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s west coast with antiship missiles, the type of which is currently unknown. An official Saudi statement reported the attack occurred in international waters outside the Port of Hodeidah where Arab Coalition ships conducted an “intervention”, but did...
According to a source in the Japanese Defense Ministry, Japan has refined the cost estimates for its two proposed Aegis Ashore batteries, indicating the actual cost may be twice the original estimate. The system, which the government aims to have operational by 2030, may come at a price of 400 billion yen alone, with the...
