On December 17, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov confirmed to local media that Russia’s 9K720 Iskander-M SRBM “has proved to be effective” in the Syrian war. He also confirmed the use of the Tornado-G and Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, the Pantsir-S missile, and other anti-aircraft missile systems. Borisov’s statements affirm multiple unconfirmed reports...
On November 27, the Brazilian Navy test launched a prototype of its indigenously produced Míssil Antinavio Nacional de Superfície (MANSUP). The test marked the first flight trial of the antiship missile and took place off the coast of Rio de Janiero. In a statement, the Navy said the MANSUP met several functioning milestones, while others...
On December 10, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General released a report, detailing cybersecurity shortcomings of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). The audit found that the system’s software and hardware are at risk of being attacked or infiltrated to gain access to classified information. In the report, the Inspector General noted...
On December 9, the U.S. Navy launched its third and last Zumwalt-class destroyer, the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, from General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine. Zumwalt ships feature a stealth design, electric propulsion system, and a wave-piercing tumblehome hull to support their primary surface-attack mission. First-of-class USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) has been undergoing...
On December 10, the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) deployed its Eurofighter Typhoon with the new Meteor air-to-air missile from RAF Lossiemouth in a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission to defend U.K. airspace. U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said that the Meteor missile “demonstrates the next chapter of the Typhoon, which will see the jet...
On December 11, the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency conducted an SM-3 Block IIA intercept test from an Aegis Ashore facility at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii. The SM-3 IIA successfully intercepted an IRBM target launched by a USAF C-17 thousands of kilometers southwest of the Aegis Ashore site. An MDA...
On December 10, India test launched its Agni-5 nuclear-capable ICBM off the Odisha coast. Indian defense sources said this was India’s seventh successful trial of the Agni-5, which was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) scientists. During the test, the missile’s navigation and guidance systems “guided the missile...
On December 5, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies released several satellite images taken in recent months that show North Korea building a missile base near the Chinese border. Middlebury analysts claim that the activity could either be an expansion of the Yeongjeo-dong long-range missile base seven miles away or a new base. While the...
On December 4, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, commander of the Iranian Air Force, announced the country’s plans to increase the range of its air-to-air missiles and ammunition. In his interview with Iran’s Fars News Agency, General Nasirzadeh specified that Iran is “after Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) missiles and ammunition” and that it intends to develop long-range, smart...
On December 1, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a press statement detailing a medium-range ballistic missile test launch conducted by Iran. According to the statement, the missile is “capable of carrying multiple warheads” and has a range that allows it to strike targets in Europe. It is unclear whether the Secretary’s comments reference the...
