On August 31, The United States attacked a jihadist training camp in Idlib, Syria, killing over 40 in an apparent missile strike. While the U.S. Central Command declined to elaborate about the systems used, local observers stated that missiles struck the al-Qaeda facility north of Idlib. U.S. forces had previously struck the Al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen...
On August 29, the U.S. Army successfully intercepted a cruise missile target using the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (PAC-3 CRI) interceptor. The test also used the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) to fuse information from multiple Sentinel and Patriot radars and engage the target at a record distance. Related Links: Lockheed Martin’s...
On August 30, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a successful intercept test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system against an airborne target. Designated FTT-23, the flight test was the first to integrate a new remote launcher kit for the THAAD system. FTT-23 is the 16th successful intercept out of...
In an August 27 news release, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of 73 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptors to Japan. Co-developed by U.S. and Japanese contractors, the Block IIA is an extended-range variant of the SM-3 fitted with a 21-inch booster and upgraded kill vehicle. The deal is estimated to cost...
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,...
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 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 13, Bahrain signed an agreement to purchase the Patriot air and missile defense system from the United States. The U.S. Department of State had previously approved the sale of 60 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and 36 Patriot PAC-2 Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T), in addition to several launchers, radar sets, and control stations. According...
Speaking at the Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. Army procurement official Daryl Youngman confirmed the purchase of two Iron Dome systems to fulfill its interim rocket and cruise missile defense requirements. According to reports, the United States will spend $373 million to acquire the two batteries, pursuant to a fiscal 2019...
On August 7, a U.S. Army official confirmed that the service would flight test its first ground-launched hypersonic missile in Fiscal Year 2022. Speaking at the 2019 Space and Missile Defense Symposium, LTG L. Neil Thurgood stated that the boost-glide vehicle would be used jointly across the services; the Army plans to field its first...
