In the summer of 2018, the guided missile destroyer USS Dewey fired 20 hyper velocity projectiles (HVPs) through its MK 45 deck gun, according to officials familiar with the test. The test took place during the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise and aimed to demonstrate the potential use of the older, 5-inch...
On January 1, the Taiwanese Navy released a promotional video entitled “Toward 2019,” showing the first public footage of its Hsiung Feng III antiship missile launching from a Tuo Chiang-class stealth corvette. The video was released a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech outlining Beijing’s goal of reunifying Taiwan with China, and confirms Taiwan’s latest...
On December 26, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will deploy its Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle in 2019. President Putin’s announcement came following a successful Avangard test launch that same day, marking what appears to be the missile’s fourteenth flight test. The Avangard was one of six “next generation” weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir...
Reports in late December suggest China conducted its first ballistic intercept test of the Russian-made S-400 Triumf (SA-21 “Growler”) in November at an undisclosed location. The S-400 reportedly intercepted a supersonic ballistic missile target 250 km away. The People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force (PLARF) also tested jamming equipment in conjunction with the intercept test. Details...
On December 25, Israeli aircraft fired missiles against an arms depot located west of Damascus. The strike was reportedly conducted from Lebanese airspace and, according to Syrian media, injured three Syrian soldiers. Newsweek reports that several Hezbollah officials were also targeted and killed in the attack, citing an unnamed U.S. DoD official familiar with the...
On December 23, India’s Strategic Forces Command conducted a flight test of its Agni-4 intermediate-range ballistic missile. The test took place on Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast, and was reportedly a “complete success”. The Agni-4 is a two-stage, solid propellant missile with a range of 4,000 km and is capable of carrying a nuclear...
Between November 21 and December 19, Houthi forces fired or attempted to fire at least one ballistic missile. The target of this launch is unclear. Below is a summary of select Houthi missile-launch reports during this period. November 29: Houthi forces attempted to fire a ballistic missile, but the Arab Coalition claims to have destroyed...
As shown in footage released on December 20, Turkey has conducted its first long-range test fire of the Bora short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). According to Turkish Defense Industry Chief Executive İsmail Demir, the test was successful, with the Bora missile striking a sea-based target 280 km away. The Bora missile project was first publicly announced...
On November 24, China’s Navy conducted its first flight test of the JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The test took place in the Bohai Sea and, according to one report, “likely verified the system’s proper cold ejection from the submarine-based launch tube.” The test has not yet been acknowledged by Chinese authorities. The JL-3, also...
On December 18, U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded Lockheed Martin a $585 million contract to design, develop, and deliver the Homeland Defense Radar – Hawaii (HDR-H). According to the contract statement, the radar will provide “autonomous acquisition and persistent precision tracking and discrimination to optimize the defensive capability of the BMDS and other evolving...
