On November 16, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Navy conducted a successful test intercept of the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA against an ICBM-class target. Designated FTM-44 “Stellar Lance,” the event satisfies a Congressional mandate to test the SM-3 IIA against an ICBM by the end of 2020. The MDA released the following news release: ...
On November 13, the U.S. Army announced it had activated two units to evaluate the Iron Dome system for an interim cruise missile defense capability. According to an Army statement, the new batteries will draw personnel from the Army Air Defense Artillery School and a converted Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to prepare...
On November 6, the U.S. Army selected the Navy’s Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and the BGM-109 Tomahawk for its Mid-Range Capability (MRC), part of the service’s ground-launched strike modernization effort. Following the selection, the Army awarded a $339.3 million contract to integrate both weapons for a ground-based launcher by late 2022. The supersonic SM-6 missile has...
On November 9, the U.S. Army conducted its first flight test of the Lower-cost Air Defense (LowerAD) surface-to-air missile. According to the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command, the flight test, scheduled against a ballistic test vehicle, was successful. Under development since the mid-2010s, LowerAD is a smaller, shorter missile designed to counter unmanned aerial systems...
On October 29, the U.S. Air Force test launched a Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California. In a press release, the Air Force stated that the test “verifi[ed] the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system,” which travelled 6,700 km to Kawajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. The Air...
On October 21, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and 135 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles to Taiwan. On October 26, the United States also approved the sale to Taiwan of up to 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II missiles. The sales are...
On October 13, the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) completed its first test launch of its MK 57 vertical launch system (VLS), firing an SM-2 surface-to-air missile in waters near California. The MK 57 system, which was first delivered with the Zumwalt in 2020, can accommodate larger and heavier missiles than the MK 41 systems employed on most...
On October 28, France successfully fired a Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) submarine-launched cruise missile near Biscarrosse in the country’s southwest. In a press release, France’s Minister of Defense hailed the test as a milestone in sea trials for Suffren (Q284), the lead boat in a new class of attack submarines launched in 2019. The...
On October 18, India successfully test launched a BrahMos cruise missile from a destroyer, striking a target in the Arabian Sea. In a release, India’s Ministry of Defence stated that the missile performed “extremely complex manoeuvres” in flight. India previously tested an extended-range variant of the BrahMos missile on September 30. Related Links: BrahMos Supersonic...
On October 16, Turkey conducted the first live-fire test of its S-400 air defense system from Sinop in the country’s northern region. According to a defense industry source, Turkish forces fired three missiles from the system, all of which “successfully hit the designated targets.” Turkey agreed to purchase the S-400 system from Russia in 2017...
