On Dec 15, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced the completion of a major air and missile defense exercise, employing Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow weapons systems in a series of flight tests. In the exercise, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), successfully intercepted a variety...
The United States has long worked with its allies on missile defense cooperation. Yet as missile threats proliferate, cooperation is increasingly important.
On November 18, the U.S. Air Force received a final proposal for the Long-Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) and is preparing to seek approval for the system’s engineering and manufacturing development. Scheduled for May 2021, about nine months earlier than expected, the pending authorization would officially create a program of record for the multibillion dollar nuclear...
On November 13, the U.S. Army announced it had activated two units to evaluate the Iron Dome system for an interim cruise missile defense capability. According to an Army statement, the new batteries will draw personnel from the Army Air Defense Artillery School and a converted Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to prepare...
On November 6, the U.S. Army selected the Navy’s Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) and the BGM-109 Tomahawk for its Mid-Range Capability (MRC), part of the service’s ground-launched strike modernization effort. Following the selection, the Army awarded a $339.3 million contract to integrate both weapons for a ground-based launcher by late 2022. The supersonic SM-6 missile has...
On November 9, the U.S. Army conducted its first flight test of the Lower-cost Air Defense (LowerAD) surface-to-air missile. According to the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command, the flight test, scheduled against a ballistic test vehicle, was successful. Under development since the mid-2010s, LowerAD is a smaller, shorter missile designed to counter unmanned aerial systems...
On October 29, the U.S. Air Force test launched a Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California. In a press release, the Air Force stated that the test “verifi[ed] the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system,” which travelled 6,700 km to Kawajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. The Air...
On October 21, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and 135 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles to Taiwan. On October 26, the United States also approved the sale to Taiwan of up to 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II missiles. The sales are...
On October 13, the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) completed its first test launch of its MK 57 vertical launch system (VLS), firing an SM-2 surface-to-air missile in waters near California. The MK 57 system, which was first delivered with the Zumwalt in 2020, can accommodate larger and heavier missiles than the MK 41 systems employed on most...
On October 10, North Korea showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM), and other weapons at a military parade in Pyongyang. The new liquid-fueled ICBM, displayed on an 11-axle truck, was significantly larger than North Korea’s existing Hwasong-15 ICBM, first demonstrated in 2017. The new solid-fueled SLBM, labelled the Pukguksong-4,...
