Boost-Phase Missile Defense: Interrogating the Assumptions
This report provides a fresh assessment of key issues related to boost-phase defense, including the ways missile threats are evolving and broader technological trends.
Author:
Masao Dahlgren
290 items, Page 1 of 29
North Korea Tests ICBM
On March 24, North Korea flight tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a site off its east coast. South Korean authorities announced that the missile, reported elsewhere as the Hwasong-17, reached a maximum altitude of 6,200 km and a range of 1,080 km from its launch site, while Japanese officials stated that the “new...
Complex Air Defense: Countering the Hypersonic Missile Threat
Today's U.S. missile defense architecture is designed for legacy ballistic missiles, but may be adapted to counter hypersonic threats.
Booster Rocket Failure Cuts U.S. Hypersonic Test Short
On October 21, a U.S. Department of Defense hypersonic vehicle test failed after the system’s booster malfunctioned shortly after launch. According to a Pentagon statement, the hypersonic system being tested was not associated with the Army/Navy-developed Common Hypersonic Glide Body weapon currently under development. The flight test attempt reportedly took place in Alaska, but officials...
India Tests Agni-V Ballistic Missile
On October 27, India flight tested an Agni-V ballistic missile from a test range in Odisha. In a release, India’s ministry of defense claimed the test was successful, and was conducted “in line with India’s stated policy to have ‘credible minimum deterrence’ that underpins [its] commitment to ‘No First Use.'” The Agni-V is a solid-fueled,...
Russia Conducts Air and Missile Defense Drill
On November 1, Russia concluded a large-scale air and missile defense exercise at a range in the country’s Astrakhan region. In a release, Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated the drills involved over 1,000 servicemembers and over 300 pieces of military hardware, including the S-400V4, Buk-M3, and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile systems. During the drills, air defense...
North Korea Tests Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile
On October 19, North Korea flight tested a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) near Sinpo on the country’s east coast. According to South Korea’s military, the SLBM flew 590 km and reached a maximum altitude of 60 km. North Korean state media hailed the launch as a success, noting that the “new type SLBM” incorporated...
China Tests Orbital Hypersonic Weapon
In July and August, China tested two hypersonic weapons, according to “people familiar with US intelligence assessments.” The first weapon, tested July 27, incorporated a fractional orbital bombardment system-like launch vehicle, which partly orbited the Earth before releasing a hypersonic weapon that reentered the atmosphere. Officials stated the weapon “missed its target by about two-dozen...
US Army Flight Tests Ballistic Missile
On October 13, the U.S. Army successfully flight tested the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a short-range ballistic missile, to an undisclosed range of over 499 km. In a press statement, missile producer Lockheed Martin stated that the test demonstrated PrSM’s “longest flight to date.” The PrSM program entered its engineering and manufacturing development phase in...
Iran Launches Surface-to-Air Missiles in Drills
On October 12 and 13, the Iranian Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched several surface-to-air missiles in a drill of air defense forces in Central Iran. The exercise, named Modafe’an-e Aseman-e Velayat 1400 [Defenders of Sky of Velayat 1400], included a variety of indigenous air defense systems, including Iran’s 3rd Khordad, Mersad, Talash, 15th...