On June 12, India flight tested its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) off the Odisha coast. Official sources offered inconclusive statements of test results; though initially claimed to be successful, other Ministry of Defence sources said several test objectives were not met. The indigenously developed missile was designed to validate scramjet engine technologies for military...
On June 9, the Iranian Defense Ministry showcased its indigenously-developed Khordad 15 air defense system. Paired with the Sayyad-3 surface-to-air missile, the system incorporates a new phased-array radar and can reportedly strike airborne targets at a distance of up to 75 km. The Sayyad-3 missile was first displayed publicly in April 2017. Related Links: Iran...
On June 7, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry confirmed the successful test launch of its Hsiung Feng III antiship missile last year. Conducted on July 16, 2018, the projectile was fired from a Cheng Kung-class frigate and struck a target 47 km away amid difficult sea conditions. The missile features a reported range of 120-150 km and...
U.S. intelligence says Saudi Arabia accelerated its ballistic missile program with Chinese technical assistance, CNN reported on June 5. Confirming earlier analyses on Saudi Arabia’s ballistic missile program, Trump Administration officials did not disclose the development until lawmakers discovered it through independent channels. In a statement, China’s foreign ministry stressed that “such cooperation does not...
On June 3, Russia fired a new interceptor missile at the Sary-Shagan test range as part of a series of trials, the last of which occurred in December 2018. In a press statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the launch was successful but declined to name the weapons system being tested. Prior official...
On June 2, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) test fired the JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in Bohai Bay. The June launch is the second known test of the weapon since its first firing in November 2018. The missile is expected to enter service alongside China’s new class of ballistic missile submarines, the Type...
In their fourth “two-plus-two” dialogue, Japanese and Russian foreign and defense ministers failed to reach consensus over disputed island territories north of Japan. Both countries highlighted missile activity as a key issue. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono stated that Russian missile exercises and aircraft deployments on the islands were “unacceptable,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei...
On May 23, Huntington Ingalls Industries began construction on the first Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in a steel-cutting ceremony at its Newport News shipyard in Virginia. The Columbia-class, set to enter service in 2031, will replace the 14 Ohio-class SSBNs currently operated by the U.S. Navy. The lead boat is scheduled for delivery...
On May 27, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully test fired an updated version of its Akash surface-to-air missile. The missile, which entered service in 2015, has a range of roughly 25 km and can reach altitudes of up to 18 km. The launch marks the second successful flight test of the updated...
On May 24, Inside Defense reported that the U.S. Defense Department is preparing a stop-work order on the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System’s Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV). The report comes after unspecified concerns over recent component tests, which motivated the MDA to delay the program by 2 years in March 2019. As of February 2019, the...
