On July 12, Turkey received its first shipment of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, three Russian aircraft with S-400 equipment landed at Murted Air Base in Ankara. Another aircraft with S-400 components is slated to arrive in “the near future,” according to Russia’ state-run TASS news agency....
On July 12, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) struck Iraqi Kurdish militant groups with missiles, artillery, and drones. According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC employed its new armed M-6 drones to attack several positions in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. In a statement, the IRGC said the strikes came in response to...
On July 12, Indian and Israel firms concluded an agreement to assemble Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles. Under the $100 million contract, an Israeli contractor would produce roughly 1000 missile kits for final assembly in India. First developed in 2009, the Barak-8 can intercept airbornetargets at a 100km range. Related Links: Joint Israeli, Indian venture to make...
On July 9, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it would share information from its planned Aegis Ashore sites with the United States. The Japanese government first announced plans to acquire the system in 2017 and aims to build two Aegis sites in Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures. Japan already operates several shipborne Aegis systems and co-develops...
On July 9, Qatar announced in a joint statement its intent to purchase additional Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air (NASAMS) missile systems from the United States. Qatar first purchased Patriot in 2012 and was approved for a $215 million NASAMS sale in 2018. Qatar’s Patriot PAC-3 and PAC-2 GEM-T missiles entered service in late 2018. ...
On July 6, Singapore first publicly displayed its Aster 30 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system at parade rehearsals. The Republic of Singapore Air Force first took delivery of over 100 missiles from MBDA in 2017. The Aster 30 was co-developed by France and Italy in the 1990s and can intercept airborne targets higher than 3 km...
On July 8, the U.S. State Department approved a $223 million sale of Stinger surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan. The Stinger is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) capable of engaging low-altitude airborne threats at short range. In response, the People’s Republic of China expressed “resolute opposition” to the sale at a press conference. Related Links: Taipei...
On July 7, Libya’s Mitiga Airport resumed service after an unspecified missile attack. The strike injured three airport employees and damaged one aircraft. Mitiga Airport is the only operational airport in Tripoli, the nation’s capital. Related Links: Libya’s Mitiga airport resumes air traffic following a missile strike, Reuters
In late June 2019, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer Maya (DDG-179) completed its second round of sea trials. The Maya-class is an improved variant of the Atago-class destroyer equipped with the Aegis Baseline J7 (Baseline 9) ballistic missile defense system. Optimized for missile defense, Maya will be equipped with the U.S.-Japanese-developed SM-3 Block...
On July 1, two U.S. officials told NBC that China is testing antiship ballistic missiles in the South China Sea. From June 30 to July 1, China issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding a “temporary danger area” over waters off Hainan and the Spratly Islands and fired one or more missiles into the sea....
