The United States should consider fielding more space-based sensors to improve its ability to track ballistic missiles that threaten the homeland, a U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) official said Feb. 7. U.S. missile defenses currently depend mostly on a network of land- and sea-based sensors, but more space-based sensors may be needed to track Iranian and […]
The Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA, a new, longer-range variant of the SM-3 interceptor, has achieved its first shoot-down of a ballistic missile target, according to the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and its industry partners. During a Feb. 3 test, a medium-range ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility […]
An upcoming missile defense review by the Department of Defense is long overdue and could lead to improvements in several important areas, according to a former chief of naval operations. The review presents an opportunity to set priorities for missile defense spending, something that has been suggested for years due to budget constraints, retired Adm. […]
The David’s Sling Weapon System, which Israel and the United States are developing to defend the Middle Eastern nation against long-range rockets and short-range ballistic missiles, intercepted “threat-representative targets” during a recent test series, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). During the tests, which occurred at Yanat Sea Range in Israel and ended Jan. […]
The Israeli Air Force has received its first batch of operational Arrow-3 interceptors, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The Israel Missile Defense Organization, which has been developing the Arrow-3 with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, transferred the interceptors to the air force during a Jan. 18 ceremony, the ministry said in a statement. […]
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to conduct the next intercept test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system “early this calendar year,” according to an MDA official. “We’re currently conducting pre-flight qualification testing and coordinating test dates,” MDA spokesman Christopher Johnson said Jan. 4. During the test, an interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force […]
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said its new Sea Based Terminal (SBT) system achieved its second ballistic missile intercept during a Dec. 14 test over the Pacific Ocean. During the test, the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53), a Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with the Lockheed Martin [LMT] Aegis combat system, fired a salvo of […]
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which was planning to pick a “preferred” missile defense site in the eastern United States by year’s end, has delayed its decision until “next year,” saying it needs more time to finish its review. The agency has been conducting an environmental impact study (EIS) of the three military installations […]
The United States and South Korea have agreed to set up an “integrated research team” to explore specific steps they can take together to counter increasing maritime threats posed by North Korea, a South Korean official said Oct. 20. The bilateral team will include representatives from South Korea’s defense ministry, joint chiefs of staff and navy […]
The United States should shore up its defenses against the growing threat of conventionally armed ballistic and cruise missiles, the head of a Washington, D.C., think-tank said Oct. 11. U.S. missile defense programs are currently focused on using large, expensive interceptors to destroy small numbers of nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, such as those that could be […]
