On July 9, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it would share information from its planned Aegis Ashore sites with the United States. The Japanese government first announced plans to acquire the system in 2017 and aims to build two Aegis sites in Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures. Japan already operates several shipborne Aegis systems and co-develops...
On July 9, Qatar announced in a joint statement its intent to purchase additional Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air (NASAMS) missile systems from the United States. Qatar first purchased Patriot in 2012 and was approved for a $215 million NASAMS sale in 2018. Qatar’s Patriot PAC-3 and PAC-2 GEM-T missiles entered service in late 2018. ...
On July 6, Singapore first publicly displayed its Aster 30 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system at parade rehearsals. The Republic of Singapore Air Force first took delivery of over 100 missiles from MBDA in 2017. The Aster 30 was co-developed by France and Italy in the 1990s and can intercept airborne targets higher than 3 km...
On July 8, the U.S. State Department approved a $223 million sale of Stinger surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan. The Stinger is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) capable of engaging low-altitude airborne threats at short range. In response, the People’s Republic of China expressed “resolute opposition” to the sale at a press conference. Related Links: Taipei...
On July 7, Yemen’s Houthi rebels unveiled a new ballistic missile and new images of three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a military exhibition in Sana’a, Yemen. The winged ballistic missile is designated the “Quds-1” and the three UAVs are named the “Samad-1,” “Samad-3,” and “Qasef.” Related Links: Revealing New Weapons at Martyr Al-Sammad Exhibition...
On July 7, Libya’s Mitiga Airport resumed service after an unspecified missile attack. The strike injured three airport employees and damaged one aircraft. Mitiga Airport is the only operational airport in Tripoli, the nation’s capital. Related Links: Libya’s Mitiga airport resumes air traffic following a missile strike, Reuters
In late June 2019, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer Maya (DDG-179) completed its second round of sea trials. The Maya-class is an improved variant of the Atago-class destroyer equipped with the Aegis Baseline J7 (Baseline 9) ballistic missile defense system. Optimized for missile defense, Maya will be equipped with the U.S.-Japanese-developed SM-3 Block...
On July 1, the Swedish Armed Forces announced their plan to deploy an updated surface-to-air missile defense system on the island of Gotland amid heightened tensions with Russia. The new system will replace the mobile anti-aircraft guns the military previously used. Sweden has been bolstering its armed forces in the Baltic Sea region since Moscow’s...
On June 30, Russia began production of its new S-500 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, the S-500 will be delivered to troops in the next few years. Previously, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that the systems would be delivered in 2020. Reports note that the S-500 system...
On July 1, two U.S. officials told NBC that China is testing antiship ballistic missiles in the South China Sea. From June 30 to July 1, China issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding a “temporary danger area” over waters off Hainan and the Spratly Islands and fired one or more missiles into the sea....
