On March 15, the Navy conducted a successful flight test using the AN/SPY-6 (V) Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) to track a target from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii. According to a March 30 statement made by Naval Sea Systems Command, the flight test, referred to as ‘Vigilant Hunter,’ achieved its...
U.S. officials report that North Korea conducted another rocket engine test last Friday, either their second or third such test this month. Officials believe the tests are part of the North Korean program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile based on North Korean statements calling earlier tests “a new birth” of its rocket industry and...
On March 28, the Saudi Royal Air Defense Force reported that it successfully intercepted four ballistic missiles fired by Houthi forces in Yemen. The missiles, intercepted by Saudi Arabia’s PAC-3 interceptors, were targeting the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushayt, which contains the King Khalid Air Base, and Abha. In a statement by the Saudi Press...
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...
