On September 15, South Korea announced it successfully flight tested the country’s first submarine-launched ballistic missile. South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) reportedly carried out ejection tests of the missile from an underwater barge and a Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine in August and early September, respectively. According to South Korean media sources, the SLBM...
On August 23, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced successful flight tests of the Iron Dome missile defense system with the United States. The test took place at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and demonstrated the first of two Iron Dome batteries configured for U.S. Army service under the Interim Fire Protection Capability (IFPC)...
On Aug 12, Pakistan successfully flight-tested a Ghaznavi short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). In a press release, Pakistan’s military said the launch successfully “re-validat[ed] technical parameters of the weapon system.” The Ghaznavi, derived from China’s DF-11, entered Pakistani service in 2004. Related Links: Pakistan today conducted a training launch of surface to surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi.,...
On August 11, the U.S. Air Force test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in southern California. The test, designated Glory Trip-239, was successful with a test reentry vehicle landing 6,700 km downrange near Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. USAF officials said the launch was “not a...
On July 24, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) attempted an intercept test against two short-range ballistic missile targets in waters northwest of Hawaii. During the test, USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 14) fired four SM-6 Dual II interceptors at the incoming ballistic missiles, intercepting one target. In a statement, the MDA noted it “[could not]...
On July 4, South Korea‘s navy flight tested a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submerged platform. According to unnamed officials, the test was successful. The missile is thought to share design characteristics with the ground-launched Hyunmoo-2B. South Korea began developing the SLBM in 2016 or earlier. Related Links: South Korea’s Mysterious Submarine-Launched Ballistic...
In mid-July, the U.S. Army intercepted two cruise missile targets with the Patriot PAC-3 effector, using targeting information shared by its Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) battle network. During the test, two Army Sentinel radars, two Air Force F-35 fighters, and a Marine Corps G/ATOR radar sent tracking data through the...
On July 12, India unsuccessfully test fired an extended-range version of its BrahMos cruise missile. According to defense industry sources, the missile failed shortly after flight, likely due to propulsion system malfunctions. Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BrahMos missile travels at supersonic speeds and has a range of 300 km. The extended-range variant...
On July 4, South Korea‘s navy flight tested a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submerged platform. According to unnamed officials, the test was successful. The missile is thought to share design characteristics with the ground-launched Hyunmoo-2B; South Korea began developing the SLBM in 2016 or earlier. Related Links: South Korea’s Mysterious Submarine-Launched Ballistic...
On July 7, Russia flight tested its S-500 missile defense system against a “high-speed ballistic target.” According to Russia’s defense ministry, the successful test “confirmed the specified tactical and technical characteristics” of the system, which will succeed the S-400 system for long-range missile defense. The event marks the first public display of the S-500, which...
