On July 30, Chinese president Xi Jinping presided over a large military parade celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). China unveiled its new DF-31AG ICBM. The DF-31AG is an upgrade to the DF-31A missile that was introduced in 2009. The DF-31AG was mounted on an all-terrain vehicle, demonstrating...
On July 29, South Korean officials said the country will allow the deployment of four additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers. The four THAAD units are already in South Korea, but President Moon Jae-in had delayed deployment pending an environmental assessment. Two THAAD units have been deployed since May 2017. On July 30,...
On July 30, the United States conducted an intercept test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. The test was deemed successful, with THAAD intercepting a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) target. This was the 15th successful intercept in 15 attempts for the operational version of the THAAD weapon system. The Missile...
On July 27, Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile close to Mecca, according to the Arab military coalition. Houthi-Saleh forces launched the 800 km Borkan-1 from northern Yemen. The missile was intercepted 69 km south of the city. Houthi-Saleh news sources state that the Burkan-1 missile was aimed toward King Fahd Air Base, located approximately...
On July 27, Iranian state-run television announced the successful launch of a Simorgh space launch vehicle (SLV) from the Imam Khomeini Space Centre located in Semnan. According to a report released by the Tasnim News Agency, the Simorgh is capable of carrying satellites weighing up to 250 kg to an orbit of 500 km. The...
On July 24, reports indicated that the South Korean government is pushing to revise its missile guidelines developed with the United States. Officials working under President Moon Jae-in are hoping to increase the maximum weight of ROK ballistic missile warheads from the current 500 kg to 1,000 kg. South Korean officials argue that these revisions...
On July 17, Japan and Germany signed a cooperation agreement for the joint development of new defense technologies. German media outlet Deutsche Welle reports that Germany wishes to integrate Japan’s AAM-4 air-to-air missile’s advanced seeker technology into MBDA’s air-to-air Meteor missile. The Meteor project is currently being led by the United Kingdom’s defense sector with,...
On July 24, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) indicated that sailor error was responsible for a failed SM-3 Block IIA missile intercept test. According to Defense News, a tactical datalink controller, responsible for maintaining communications between the missile and the Navy’s Aegis ship combat system, incorrectly identified the incoming ballistic missile target as friendly, consequentially...
On July 23, Yemen’s Houthi armed group reportedly targeted a Saudi Aramco oil refinery with a Burkan-2 ballistic missile. According to reports, the missile traveled 1,100 km to hit the Yanbu city refinery, located along the Red Sea coast. Abdulrahman Al-Abdulqader, the spokesman for the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, said the Yanbu refinery...
On July 19, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $37.7 million contract for continued development of a new wing design for the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER). The wing design is expected to increase the cruise missile’s range beyond the current 1,000 km. The B-1B Lancer bomber is the only current airframe...
