On August 26, Russia began military drills near the Black Sea, mobilizing over 8,000 troops in an interservice exercise. During the drills, the Southern Military District’s Iskander-M crews practiced electronic missile launches and reloading procedures. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the exercises were designed to simulate “a massive strike against the notional enemy’s command...
On August 27, Russia delivered a second batch of S-400 missile defense equipment to Murted Air Base near Ankara, Turkey. In a statement, Turkey’s defense ministry said that delivery of the second S-400 battery is expected to take a month. Turkey received its first battery of S-400 missiles on July 25. First tested in 1999,...
Between July 27-August 25, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reported nine Houthi ballistic missile attacks and at least 13 UAV launches. Of these, an MRBM attack on August 1 against a military base by Aden was the most consequential, killing around 40 people and wounding dozens more. Below is a summary of these reported...
Speaking on August 24, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami stated that Iran had successfully “tested a new missile.” While Salami declined to describe the name or type of missile tested, the statement came on the heels of earlier reports describing launch preparations in northern Iran. Related Links: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard boasts of...
On August 25, North Korea launched two “super-large” guided rockets off the country’s east coast. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missiles flew 380 km and reached a maximum altitude of 97 km. The new rocket launcher is the 3rd new system introduced by North Korea since July 25. Related Links: N....
On August 21, Iran officially inducted the Bavar-373 surface-to-air missile system into service. Speaking at the National Day of the Defense Industry ceremony, Iranian officials stated that the weapons system could track up to 60 targets and possessed a maximum engagement range of 250 km. A Bavar-373 battery is typically comprised of 6 launchers, an...
Following the Missile Defense Agency’s stop-work order in May, the Pentagon announced on August 21 its termination of the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) program. The RKV was intended to replace the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicles (EKV) fitted on U.S. Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) located in Alaska and California. According to Pentagon officials, the Department of Defense plans...
On August 20, Australian warship HMAS Hobart (DDG-39) launched an SM-2 interceptor in its first test of the weapons system. The missile, launched off the East Australian coast, successfully struck an unmanned target in the flight test. Commissioned in 2017, Hobart is the first ship in Australia’s fleet equipped with the Aegis Combat System, a...
On August 18, the U.S. Department of Defense flight tested a ground-launched cruise missile from San Nicolas Island, California. Launched from a MK-41 Vertical Launch System, the Tomahawk cruise missile struck its target “after more than 500 kilometers of flight.” Variants of the Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile (TLAM) are capable of ranges between 1,250...
On August 16, Azeri state media announced the completion of live-fire tests by the Azerbaijan Air Force. In accordance with a 2019 initiative for combat training, Azeri troops fired a S-125 surface-to-air missile at a test range. The Russian-produced S-125 is reportedly capable of engaging targets within a 35 km range. Related Links: Anti-aircraft missile...
