On February 13, Google released new maps, accidentally revealing the locations of once-secret missile bases and other defense infrastructure on Taiwan. Taiwanese Defense Minister Yen De-fa specified that the imagery showed the location of a Patriot missile base in Xindian district, as well as the National Security Bureau (NSB) and Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB). Minister...
On February 12, the U.S. Navy announced the completion of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) forward deployment to Yokosuka, Japan. The destroyer, previously homeported in San Diego, California, first entered the U.S. 7th Fleet on May 14, 2018, joining the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) in Japan to strengthen the fleet’s missile defenses....
On February 10, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced his country’s agreement with the United States to purchase 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade. According to the Polish Ministry of Defence, the $414 million contract will give Poland 18 combat-ready launchers and two training-focused launchers, creating the country’s...
On February 8, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tested its second indigenously developed Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) propulsion-based missile system at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha. An Indian Ministry of Defence press release said the test met all mission objectives, and the missile was successfully “guided to high altitude to...
On February 5, Iran attempted to launch a satellite from the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Semnan province, ultimately failing to put it into orbit, according to new satellite imagery. The imagery showed a rocket on the launch pad of the space center on February 5, but imagery taken February 6 showed the launch pad...
On February 5, the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command test launched an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The missile’s mock warhead traveled about 6,760 km across the Pacific Ocean to its destination in the Kwajalein Atoll. The Air Force told reporters that the launch provides “instrumental data for future...
On February 6, the U.S. Army announced its plan to purchase several Israeli Iron Dome air defense systems to fulfill a short-term need for indirect fire defense. In an official statement, the U.S. Army said that the system would “protect deployed U.S. military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial...
On February 6, Russia conducted a test launch of its RS-24 Yars ICBM at the Plesetsk spaceport in the Arkhangelsk Region. According to a Russian Defence Ministry press release, the missile was armed with multiple warheads and achieved all training objectives. The RS-24, which can reportedly be armed with 10 warheads and has a range...
On January 29, Russia conducted the first test launch of its nuclear-powered 9M730 Burevestnik (SSC-X-9 “SKYFALL”) cruise missile in almost a year at the Kapustin Yar missile test range, near the western Kazakhstan border. The Burevestnik is reported to have a nuclear reactor powering its engine, a feature that has yet to be fielded by...
On January 31, the U.S. Navy successfully tracked a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) target with its AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua’i. Designated “Vigilant Nemesis,” this was the final developmental test for the AMDR in a series of ballistic missile defense (BMD) tests. Program manager for...
