According to a Russian defense industry source, the SS-X-30 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, frequently referred to as the “Satan II,” has been delayed. These sources told TASS news agency that “the [silo launch] testing of the Sarmat from the Plesetsk launch facility in March won’t happen… it has been shifted back to the second quarter...
Pakistan unveiled an extended range variant of its Ra’ad air launched cruise missile during its March 23 Pakistan Day Parade. The Strategic Plans Division describes the Ra’ad-II as having a 550 km range, an improvement on the 350 km Ra’ad, which was introduced in 2007. Pakistan has not announced any tests of the Ra’ad-II. Related...
A report released on March 22 by Conflict Armament Research argues that Houthi rebels in Yemen are using an Iranian designed drone variant to attack Saudi and UAE missile defense sites. Officials have indicated that the drones have been used in kamikaze style attacks on Patriot missile defense radars in an attempt to degrade those...
The U.S. and South Korean militaries report that a North Korean missile fired Wednesday morning near Wonson Air Base exploded seconds after launch. Neither United States Pacific Command nor the South Korean Defense Ministry have given indication about what type of missile was launched. The Wonson launch location suggests that the missile was likely a Musudan,...
According to media reports, Israeli missile defense forces intercepted a Syrian surface-to-air missile (SAM) fired at a flight of Israeli fighter jets. If true, the intercept would mark the operational debut of the Arrow 2, which was used to shoot down the SAM over Jordanian territory. Arrow 2 is a part of Israel’s highest tier...
On March 16, President Trump announced his nominees for several Department of Defense (DoD) posts. Among them were Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan and DoD-veteran David Trachtenberg. Shanahan, nominated for Deputy Secretary of Defense, worked as vice president for Boeing Missile Defense Systems. Trachtenberg, nominated for the role of Principal Deputy of the Under Secretary of...
On March 14, 2017, the United States, South Korea, and Japan began two days of drills in the Sea of Japan in order to better respond to a potential ballistic missile attack. The drills involve the guided-missile destroyers USS Curtis Wilber (DDG-54), ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991), and JDS Kirishima (DDG-174), three Aegis-equipped ships two...
On March 11, India successfully tested an extended range variant of its BrahMos cruise missile off its eastern coast on the Bay of Bengal. The standard BrahMos has a range of 290 km, but the new variant pushes the range beyond 400 km. The missile is capable of carrying a 300 kg high explosive warhead...
According to unnamed U.S. government sources, Iran test-launched two Fateh-110 ballistic missiles from an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps base In Bandar-e-Jask, in southeastern Iran on March 4th and 5th. According these reports, the first missile test failed, despite allegedly landing “in the vicinity” of its target. However, the next day’s test was deemed a success,...
On March 6, the United States deployed the first elements of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, per a statement by the United States military. Two THAAD launch vehicles arrived to the U.S. military’s Osan Air Base late in the evening of the same day North Korea tested four ballistic missiles. The head of...
