On January 8, Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) established an underground missile base near the Persian Gulf. Several cruise missiles and launchers were visible in state-released photographs of the site. According to state media, Iran aims to construct several coastal bases to house long-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Related...
On December 25, Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced it would begin mass production of the ASM-3A, an air-launched supersonic antiship missile. Japan began developing the ASM-3 in FY 2010 and completed a flight test in 2017. Following a review of defense requirements, Tokyo postponed acquisition of the ASM-3 in favor of an upgraded variant with...
On December 15, Russia tested an anti-satellite missile, according to a statement by the U.S. Space Command. According to the release, the weapon tested was a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile capable of destroying satellites in low Earth orbit. The statement separately announced that Russia had continued to develop a co-orbital anti-satellite weapon, which was tested in...
On Dec 15, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced the completion of a major air and missile defense exercise, employing Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow weapons systems in a series of flight tests. In the exercise, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), successfully intercepted a variety...
On December 11-12, Russia test fired a Tsirkon hypersonic missile and four Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) in a series of naval launches. On December 11, Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov (417) fired a Tsirkon hypersonic missile from the White Sea, striking a coastal target over 350 km away in Northern Russia’s Arkhangelsk region. On December...
On November 18, the U.S. Air Force received a final proposal for the Long-Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) and is preparing to seek approval for the system’s engineering and manufacturing development. Scheduled for May 2021, about nine months earlier than expected, the pending authorization would officially create a program of record for the multibillion dollar nuclear...
On November 13 and 17, India conducted its first flight tests of an operationally-configured Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) in Chandipur on the country’s east coast. In a release, India’s Ministry of Defence stated that both missile tests successfully neutralized an aircraft-like unmanned target. The QRSAM is a medium-range air defense system comprising of a...
On November 13, the U.S. Army announced it had activated two units to evaluate the Iron Dome system for an interim cruise missile defense capability. According to an Army statement, the new batteries will draw personnel from the Army Air Defense Artillery School and a converted Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to prepare...
On November 6, the U.S. Army selected the Navy’s Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and the BGM-109 Tomahawk for its Mid-Range Capability (MRC), part of the service’s ground-launched strike modernization effort. Following the selection, the Army awarded a $339.3 million contract to integrate both weapons for a ground-based launcher by late 2022. The supersonic SM-6 missile has...
On November 9, the U.S. Army conducted its first flight test of the Lower-cost Air Defense (LowerAD) surface-to-air missile. According to the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command, the flight test, scheduled against a ballistic test vehicle, was successful. Under development since the mid-2010s, LowerAD is a smaller, shorter missile designed to counter unmanned aerial systems...
