On November 14, the State Department approved the potential sale of 60 AIM-120 C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) to Norway for an estimated cost of $170 million. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency this sale “will improve Norway’s capabilities for mutual defense, regional security, force modernization, and U.S. and NATO interoperability.” These...
On November 2, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) finished installing the 44th Ground-based Interceptor (GBI) at the Missile Defense Complex at Fort Greely, Alaska, completing the deployment of 14 additional GBIs ordered by President Obama in 2013. The final emplacement occurred just ahead of the year-end deadline. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system is designed to...
From November 6 through November 9, U.S. and German troops are practicing fires from short- and long-range air defense platforms at the NATO Missile Firing Installation on the Greek island of Crete as part of the German-led Artemis Strike 2017 exercise. In addition to two Patriot batteries from the Baumholder, Germany-based 5th battalion, 7th Air...
On November 11, the Israeli military shot down a Syrian reconnaissance drone patrolling near the demilitarized zone north of the Golan Heights with a Patriot interceptor missile. While initial reports indicated the unmanned aerial vehicle was Russian-designed, the Israeli military is also investigating if there is a connection to Iran and Hezbollah. “We hold the...
On November 8, Turkey signed a letter of intent with France and Italy in Brussels to strengthen cooperation on air and missile defense projects. The France-Italy EUROSAM consortium, which produces the SAMP-T missile defense system, are set to meet with Turkish representatives to discuss the common defensive needs of each country. Although Turkey has seemingly...
On November 10, a senior U.S. Air Force official in the Middle East told reporters that Iran manufactured the ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi-Saleh forces toward the Saudi capital and remnants of it bore Iranian markings. “What we have seen, clearly from the results of the ballistic missile attacks, that there have been Iranian...
On November 7, the Swedish government announced it will begin negotiations with U.S. company Raytheon for a $1.2 billion Patriot missile defense sale. The Swedish Armed Forces and the Defense Material Administration (FMV) chose Patriot over the French consortium Eurosam’s SAMP/T. “This is a major investment in the Swedish defence capability as well as the...
On November 7, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced that its Defense Research and Development Organization successfully test-fired the Nirbhay, an indigenous land-attack cruise missile. The Nirbhay was fired from the Integrated Test Range on Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of the southeastern province of Odisha. “The missile majestically cruised for a total time...
On November 6, the White House submitted an FY18 emergency budget request for the Department of Defense for $5.9 billion in additional funding “to support urgent missile defeat and defense enhancements to counter the threat from North Korea.” Most of this request, $4 billion, is designated for missile defeat and defense activities. $2.1 billion would...
On October 24, the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) successfully conducted a live-fire missile exercise using the updated Aegis Baseline 9 weapons system. During the missile exercise, USS Mobile Bay fired two Standard Missile-2s and one Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) at airborne training targets. Mass Communication SPC2 Lenny LaCrosse explains the significance...
