The Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully completed the fifth series of tests of the David’s Sling Weapons System at Palmachim Air Base, Israel. The David’s Sling system is part of Israel’s multi-layer missile defense shield and is a collaboration between the United States and Israel designed to defend...
Breaking with tradition, the U.S. Army has submitted its revised 2017 and new 2018 lists of unfunded priorities ahead of the next budget submission. Both lists include offensive and defensive missile systems as part of an effort to modernize aging systems considered critical for U.S. military operations. The 2017 list includes a $1.3 billion request...
On January 24th, Pakistan conducted the first test of its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface “Ababeel” medium-range ballistic missile. The Ababeel has a reported range of 2,200 km and is Pakistan’s first ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. The Pakistani military declared the test a success and claimed that the...
On Friday, January 20, 2017, The United States, South Korea, and Japan began a three-day naval-missile defense exercise in response to concerns of a possible North Korean ICBM test during President Trump’s inauguration. The exercises were conducted as a combined effort between the USS Stethem (DDG 63), the JDS Kirishima (DDG-174), and the ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991). Although...
Looking to modernize its air and ballistic missile defense force, Italy has joined France in backing Eurosam’s development of the Aster 30 Block 1 NT (B1NT) missile for the SAMP/T air defense system currently fielded by both nations. The B1NT is an extended range variant that increases the interceptor’s anti-ballistic missile capabilities, allowing it to...
Reports claim that UK Prime Minister Theresa May was aware of a malfunction that occurred during a June 2016 test-launch of an unarmed Trident II D5 missile when she spoke and voted in favor of renewing the Trident program last June. The Trident ballistic missile was tested as part of a certification program for the...
On January 18, 2017, the Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) formally transferred the first Arrow 3 interceptors to the Israeli Air Force in a ceremony marking the induction of the system into the country’s missile defense shield. Arrow 3 will coordinate with and complement the existing Arrow 2 system, providing defense from medium-range ballistic missiles....
Japan is preparing to launch a missile surveillance satellite on January 26, 2017 in an effort to upgrade its surveillance network amidst North Korea’s growing missile capabilities. The satellite, named the Kirameki No. 2, is to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in the Kagoshima Prefecture. The Kirameki No. 2 will use an X-band communication,...
The deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea may be delayed due to internal corporate concerns of the Lotte Group, which currently owns the golf course on which the THAAD unit is proposed to be stationed. Strong Chinese opposition to the THAAD deployment may be motivating the Lotte Group to reconsider its decision. In November,...
On January 17, 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had conducted a successful test of its SS-27 ‘Topol-M’ ICBM. The Topol-M was fired from the Plesetsk launch site on Monday and reportedly hit its intended target on the Kamachatka peninsula “with high precision,” according to the Defense Ministry. The test was reportedly conducted to...
