In response to growing political tension in South East Asia, both Japan and South Korea have passed increased defense budgets for 2017. Japan’s $44.6 billion budget includes costs for upgrading its PAC-3 Patriot missile system, equipping its ships with Aegis radar systems, and continuing development of the SM-3 Block IIA anti-ballistic missile. South Korea’s budget...
Chinese State TV announced on November 28th that China had successfully test launched ten DF-21C medium-range ballistic missiles. The nuclear capable missiles have a range of around 2,150 kilometers, making them able to target numerous U.S. military bases in the region, including Guam. Related Links: China Carry Out 10 Ballistic Missile Flight Tests in a Show of Force...
On December 1, the United States Senate voted 99-0 in favor of legislation that extends sanctions, including ones pertaining to ballistic missiles, against Iran by 10 years. The House of Representatives approved the same bill in a 419-1 vote in November. In response, Iran has threatened retaliation for what it perceives to be a U.S....
Ukraine’s military announced that its two-day missile test, beginning December 1, 2016, will avoid Crimean airspace in an attempt to address Russian concern. Ukraine will conduct the exercise in its southern Kherson region on the border of Crimea, formerly a part of Ukraine until it was annexed by Russia in 2014. In anticipation of the test,...
On November 25, 2016, 11 Scud missiles were fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen towards the southern city of Al-Tuwal in Saudi Arabia. No damage from the attack was reported, and despite some media reports, it remains unclear whether the missiles were intercepted. On November 26, 2016, the Saudi Press Agency reported that Saudi Air...
On November 21, 2016, it was reported that Russia has stationed two K-300P Bastion missile launchers, equipped with P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles, in the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea. The Oniks has a range 300-450 kilometers, threatening freedom of navigation in the Baltic Sea. The deployment of Bastion missile launchers to this strategic region,...
On November 22, 2016, India successfully test fired its domestically-built Agni-1 short-range ballistic missile from the integrated test range at Wheeler Island. The test flight lasted ten minutes and the missile successfully reached its intended target in the Bay of Bengal, according to the Indian military. Conducted by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army,...
India test fired two of their nuclear-capable Prithvi-II short-range ballistic missiles on Monday (November 21, 2016). The missiles were launched from road-mobile transporter-erector launchers in rapid succession as a salvo test. This salvo test is the second India has conducted, the first taking place in 2009. Prithvi-II’s are regularly used to test Indian air defense...
On November 15, 2016, the Russian frigate the Admiral Grigorvish fired long-range 3M-14 “Kalibr” (SS-N-30A) cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea into Syria. The ship-launched missiles targeted ISIS and al-Nusra Front strongholds in Idlib and Homs provinces. The offensive was accompanied by Russian air strikes on the city of Aleppo, as well as from mobile P-800...
According to officials from both South Korea’s Defense Ministry and Japan’s Foreign Ministry, South Korea and Japan have provisionally signed the outline of a revived intelligence sharing agreement. However, the ongoing negotiations are beset by opposition in South Korea based on residual tensions over an ongoing territorial dispute in the Sea of Japan and Japan’s military...
