On February 9, the U.S. Navy flight tested an unarmed Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from waters off the Florida coast. According to an official notice to mariners, the missile was scheduled to fly over 8,000 km to a designated area in the South Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Navy released no official details concerning...
On February 4, China successfully tested an unspecified land-based midcourse missile defense system. In a February 5 statement, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the nighttime test occurred within China’s borders and “achieved the desired test objective.” According to Chinese state media, the flight marked the fourth publicly announced test of a midcourse ballistic...
On February 3, Pakistan successfully flight tested a Ghaznavi (“Hatf 3”) short-range ballistic missile. In a press release, Pakistan’s military stated that the test verified the “operational preparedness and display of excellent standard in handling and operating the weapon system.” The solid-fueled Ghaznavi missile entered service in 2004 and possesses a range of 290 km. ...
On January 20, Pakistan successfully flight-tested a Shaheen 3 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM). In a press release, Pakistan’s military stated that the exercise “was aimed at re-validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system.” The release also noted that the missile impacted in the Arabian Sea. The Shaheen 3 missile was first displayed...
On January 15, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched several loitering munitions, ballistic missiles, and rockets during a military exercise in the country’s northeastern Dasht-e-Kavir desert. In the drill, named Prophet Mohammad 15, the IRGC struck static targets with several suicide drones and twelve or more Zolfaghar, Zelzal, and Dezful ballistic missiles. According to Iranian state media,...
On January 14, North Korea held a military parade to commemorate its eighth Workers’ Party Congress, displaying a variety of theater and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. In addition to showcasing KN-23, -24, and -25 ballistic missile launchers, North Korea revealed an unnamed tactical missile and a new submarine-launched ballistic missile labeled “Pukguksong-5ㅅ”. According to South Korean...
On January 14, Romania’s government approved the purchase of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), a subsonic antiship missile codeveloped by the United States and Norway. In a contract estimated at $286 million, Romania will acquire four ground-based launch vehicles and associated command, control, and support equipment by 2024. The NSM has an estimated range of...
On January 13, the U.S. Department of Defense began formal acquisition of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), an Army command-and-control system for air and missile defense. Following a four-year delay in its $2.7 billion development phase, IBCS completed a successful test in 2020 and is expected to enter Army service in 2022. IBCS began...
On January 11, Taiwanese military sources confirmed that Taiwan had deployed a small number of extended-range Hsiung Feng IIE cruise missiles. Developed by Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), the extended-range missile has a range of 1,200 km, double that of the baseline variant. The move comes on the heels of a...
On January 8, Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) established an underground missile base near the Persian Gulf. Several cruise missiles and launchers were visible in state-released photographs of the site. According to state media, Iran aims to construct several coastal bases to house long-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Related...
