On December 11-12, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly ordered state scientists to develop their largest rocket yet. According to a defector knowledgeable about the regime’s missile and space launch programs, the rocket will likely be designated the Unha-4 and is planned to be ready for launch on September 9, the 70th anniversary of the...
On December 26, Russian forces test fired an RS-12M Topol ICBM from the Kapustin Yar range, near the Kazakh border in western Russia. The test was reportedly designed to test features aimed at evading detection and penetrating missile defenses. “During the tests, specialists obtained experimental data that will be used in the interests of developing...
On December 29, Turkish defense officials announced the completion of a deal with Russia to acquire the S-400 air and missile defense system. Turkish news media reported that Turkey would purchase one battery of four S-400 units at a cost of $2.5 billion. The Turkish Defense Industries Undersecretariat stated that Turkey maintains the option of...
On December 18, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded Lockheed Martin a $110 million contract to develop and produce autonomous cruise missiles capable of defeating enemy air defenses. The contract is for the “design, development, manufacture, and testing of prototype-affordable cruise missiles to advance networked collaborative operations technologies for defeat of enemy integrated air...
On December 28, India’s indigenously produced low-altitude Advanced Area Defense (AAD) interceptor successfully destroyed a target Prithvi ballistic missile over the Bay of Bengal. The intercept occurred at an altitude of 15 km and the interceptor was fired from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha’s coast. This was India’s third test of the interceptor. Two...
Congress passed a continuing resolution that extends the federal budget until January 19, which included $4.7 billion for missile defense-related spending. Lawmakers provided few details on the projects that money will be spent on, but the numbers appear to match the emergency request from the Pentagon in November. For example, the bill includes $884 million...
The British Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that the Royal Navy has successfully completed the first firing trials of the new Sea Ceptor missile defense system, enabling it to progress to the next stage of acceptance into navy service. The Sea Ceptor missiles were launched on Scotland’s Hebrides Rocket Range from the Type 23...
Russia has declared three new Voronezh radars operational in Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, and Altay Krais. The early warning radar system possesses a 6,000 km range, and according to Colonel General Alexander Goloyko, it is designed to “provide continuous radar monitoring of all directions vulnerable to a potential missile attack.” The addition of these three radars brings...
Japan’s Cabinet approved a plan to purchase two Aegis Ashore systems on Tuesday in response to the growing North Korean missile threat. During a press conference, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera stated, “We cannot say what the final costs will be, but we will move ahead [to introduce Aegis Ashore] on the fastest possible schedule, given...
The Saudi-led coalition announced Tuesday that it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s rebel Houthi group. Houthi sources reported firing a missile towards Riyadh, targeting a meeting of the Saudi leadership in al-Yamama Palace. Saudi media claims that the missile was headed towards a residential area of Riyadh and no casualties or damages have...
