On March 28, U.K. prime minister Theresa May announced a £600 million ($843.4 million) increase in the Ministry of Defence’s budget for 2018-2019 to fund Britain’s next generation of nuclear submarines. The United Kingdom’s Dreadnought submarine program carries Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), which serve as its sole nuclear deterrent. “Today’s announcement will ensure that...
On March 30, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces conducted a second ejection test of the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The test launch took place at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a spaceport in western Russia approximately 800 kilometers north of Moscow. “The new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile underwent an ejection test at the Plesetsk state test...
On March 28, Poland signed a $4.75 billion contract with the United States for the first phase of a Patriot air and missile defense system. According to one report, phase one of the deal has Poland receiving two Patriot batteries consisting of 16 launchers and a presently undisclosed number of sectored radars, PAC-3 Missile Segment...
On March 27, the European defense firm MBDA announced it had secured a $568 million capability sustainment program with the United Kingdom government for its Brimstone 2 air-to-surface missile. The deal will have MBDA extend the service life of the country’s Brimstone missiles; enhance the current inventory with new software and other updates; and develop,...
On March 25, Houthi militants fired seven ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that three missiles targeted Riyadh, two aimed at Jizan, and one each targeted Khamis Mushait and Najran. Houthi media confirmed these launches, identifying at least one of the missiles fired as the Burkan-H2 and asserting that airports were the primary target....
On March 21, Chinese officials reported the sale of an advanced tracking system used to develop missiles to Pakistan. Zheng Mengwei, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Optics and Electronics, confirmed that the purchase was of a “highly sophisticated large-scale optical tracking and measurement system.” Optical systems play a critical...
U.S. officials report that Russia has increased deployment of an allegedly INF-violating cruise missile. During a March 20 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican Deb Fischer asked if Russia was increasing its production and deployment of the cruise missile. U.S. STRATCOM Commander General John Hyten, responded, “Yes.” Christopher Ford, the Assistant Secretary of...
The U.S. Air Force successfully test fired a production-configuration Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) from a B-1B Lancer strategic bomber. The test took place over Point Mugu Sea Range in California, and marks the sixth consecutive successful test of the LRASM. The LRASM is a precision-guided, anti-ship standoff missile, “designed to detect and destroy specific targets...
On March 21, an Arab Coalition fighter jet was targeted by a Houthi surface-to-air missile (SAM) launched from Saada airport. Spokesman for the Arab Coalition Turki al-Maliki said the fighter was able to complete its mission, return fire to the SAM location, and return to its base unharmed. It is unclear whether the Houthi air...
The U.S. Department of Defense has requested $22.6 million in FY19, and a total of $48.5 million through FY23, to develop a new low-yield nuclear capability for its Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). These figures represent DoD’s expected expenditure for the new warhead, and does not include funding from the Department of Energy. The low-yield...
