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,...
On September 30, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of up to five Patriot air and missile defense systems to Switzerland. Under the sale’s terms, Switzerland could purchase up to five Patriot radar sets, 17 launchers, and 70 GEM-T interceptors. The total cost of the systems is estimated to be $2.2 billion. Related Links:...
On September 24, the U.S. State Department approved a potential $241 million sale of Patriot Advanced Capability‑3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors to the Netherlands. The deal comprises 34 PAC-3 MSE interceptors and other related parts, training, and equipment. The Netherlands previously took delivery of recapitalized Patriot fire units in July 2019. Related Links:...
On September 3, the U.S. Army successfully test-fired its National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS), downing a cruise missile target in the lowest-altitude intercept ever demonstrated for the system. The intercept was part of a testing series designated Vermillion Stallion. Used to defend Washington, D.C. airspace, NASAMS adapts a Sentinel radar and modified...
On September 16, Romania received its first battery of Patriot surface-to-air-missiles from the United States. In an agreement valued at roughly $4 billion, Romania will take delivery of seven Patriot batteries, including 56 PAC-2 GEM-T and 168 PAC-3 MSE interceptors. Romania is expected to receive an additional three batteries in the coming year and its...
