On April 5, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that the country’s Yasen-class submarine Severodvinsk successfully test fired a Kalibr cruise missile while moored in port. This is the first successful launch from a Russian submarine at port, a capability which allows the ships to fire more quickly and with less warning. Related Links: Without departing from...
On April 3, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood told lawmakers that the Pentagon was developing a low-yield nuclear cruise missile for submarines. Rood said that the program was included in the Defense Department’s FY 2020 budget request, and is still in the early stages of development. “The sub-launched cruise missile is further...
Between January 10 and April 3, KSA reported at least two Houthi ballistic missile launches targeting Saudi territory. Both are unidentified. One missile targeted Khamis Mushait, and was successfully intercepted. The second targeted a pro-coalition military base in Al Khokha in southern Hodeidah, Yemen. It was not intercepted and resulted in casualties. There has been...
On March 27, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted a successful anti-satellite intercept test. Designated “Mission Shakti” (“Strength”), the test involved an indigenously produced “Ballistic Missile Defense Interceptor” launched off India’s Odisha coastal test range to target a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), at a height of approximately 300 km. India’s Press...
On March 25, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a successful GMD intercept test against an ICBM class target. The test is notably “the first salvo engagement of a threat-representative ICBM target by two Ground Based Interceptors (GBI),” as reported by MDA. The ICBM target was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and...
On March 18, the U.S. Army released its FY2020 budget proposal which laid out plans for the development of three new missile programs. These include the land-based “Long Range Hypersonic Weapon” (LRHW), a “Mobile Medium Range Missile” (MMRM), and a “Future Interceptor” designed to counter lower tier air and missile threats. Over the next five...
On March 20, defense manufacturer MBDA reported it conducted the first test launch of its Brimstone 3 missile. The test took place in February at the Vidsel Trials range in Sweden, with the missile targeting a pick-up truck target. According to Russell Jamieson, MBDA Chief Engineer, “The trial further proves Brimstone’s fully flexible platform approach,...
On March 18, the U.S. Navy released its FY2020 budget proposal which indicated plans to procure a smaller variant of the SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) to retrofit on its Arleigh Burke Flight IIA destroyers. The Flight IIA destroyers are currently fitted with the SPY-1D(V) radar. The new SPY-6 variant will include 24...
On March 18, the U.S. Navy released its FY2020 budget proposal which indicated plans to develop an upgraded Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) variant, identified as the SM-6 Block IB. The missile will employ a larger 21-inch diameter motor, which will improve the missiles range and speed. It is scheduled to complete development by 2024. Related Links:...
According to unnamed U.S. defense officials, the United States plans to test fire a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range of about 1,000 km range in August, and a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000-4,000 km in November. The August test will reportedly put a Tomahawk cruise missile in a container that can...
