U.S. Challenges Iran, Equipping Gulf States with More Ballistic Missiles

Defense Update ^ | November 11, 2010 | tamir_eshel

[sukhoi-30mki]

U.S. Challenges Iran, Equipping Gulf States with More Ballistic Missiles

November 11, 2010

tamir_eshel

Bahrain and Dubai are expecting to get more MGM-164 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Last week the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the U.S. Congress about the planned sale of 130 ATACMS missiles carrying Unitary Warheads T2K (MGM-164), equipping the two gulf states with medium range ballistic missile capability for the first time.

According to the agency, the United Arab Emirates’ Army will get 100 ATACMS missiles while Bahrain buy additional 30. The recent announcement includes only missiles, but no launchers, as both countries already have the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in service.

ATACMS missile fired from HIMARS rocket launcher. Such vehicles are currently operational with Bahrain and reportedly have been delivered to the UAE. Photo: Lockheed Martin

UAE will also order 60 ‘Low Cost Reduced Range Practice Rockets’ (LCRRPR) to support the training and demonstration of the new weapon’s capabilities. UAE is investing $140 million while Bahrain’s acquisition is expected to amount to $70 million, reflecting the proportionally higher cost of setup and support systems.

The UAE has initially requested acquiring tactical missile systems from the U.S. – in 2006, as the U.S. agency announced an intended sale of 20 HIMARS vehicles, 100 ATACMS missiles and 130 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) carrying Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM) and an equal number of ATACMS and GMLRS carrying unitary warheads. The total value of the 2006 package was $752 million. While the deal was never publicized, the U.S. is known to operate a training facility in the country to establish a the cadre for the HIMARS school training local crews in the operation of GMLRS and ATACMS. Bahrain is also operating HIMARS and ATACMS missiles for several years. The new acquisition will be able to replace those missiles carrying DPICM – as they are phase out of service, in compliance with the new international treaty banning the export and use of cluster munitions, which came into effect in 2009.

The new sales can also be considered part of the gulf states’ force modernization, expanding their existing architecture to counter major regional threats – namely an attack by Iranian air power, ballistic missiles or naval forces. While Iran could potentially devastate the gulf states’ air forces, the presence of highly mobile medium range missiles could provide these small states a ‘Second Strike’ potential, presenting a deterrent effect against an Iranian strike. The range of these missiles put strategic Iranian shoreline facilities at risk, including the port of Bandar Abas and the nuclear sites at Bushehr.

The U.S. intends to sell the UAE and Bahrain 130 highly accurate, medium-range ATACMS tactical missiles capable of hitting targets with high precision, at ranges of 300 km. Photo: Lockheed Martin

The ATACMS can be fired from MLRS launchers, including the M270, M270 IPDS, M270A1, and HIMARS. Block 1A Unitary Missile warhead is the latest addition to the ATACMS family of munitions. This variant is designed to launch precision attack under all weather conditions, from ranges of 300 kilometers. The missile has a unique “vertical impact” capability, designed to improve penetration and optimize fragmentation coverage while reducing collateral damage.

[Nevadan]

Yeah, this is smart. Whose brilliant idea is this!!?

[null and void]

Block 1A Unitary Missile warhead is the latest addition to the ATACMS family of munitions. This variant is designed to launch precision attack under all weather conditions, from ranges of 300 kilometers. The missile has a unique "vertical impact" capability, designed to improve penetration and optimize fragmentation coverage while reducing collateral damage. In October 2006 the US Army ordered a first batch of Block 1A Unitary Warhead missiles to replenish its tactical missile stocks, under US$47 million contract awarded to Lockheed Martin. An enhanced version of Army Tactical Missile System (Army TACMS) specially designed for deep penetration strikes is also underway. This weapon will be optimized for the attack of deeply buried targets, such as command posts and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) storage caches. The two-stage weapon, developed by the U.S. Navy will utilize exoatmospheric transition to augment speed. Despite the devastation it creates underground, the weapon's effect will be localized to around 328 ft (100 m') from the impact point.

Sounds like it might do significant damage to a nuclear reactor.

Just sayin'...

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, that’s what they’ll be using them for, no doubt about it.

[’Civ pauses for the accollades to arrive by telegram]

Thanks sukhoi-30mki. Looks like this isn’t a humbug job by Zero and Co, given the fairly short range of these.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Wuli]

“Fair weather” friends are NEVER true friends and our long-term interest has NO SOUND REASON to be taking sides between Sunni non-democratic sheikdoms and Shia Mullah-run dictatorships.

In the long run, as the saying goes, “we do not have a dog in that race”.

It is in the U.S. long-term interest to quit choosing one form of non-democratic Islamic state over another. It is in the U.S. long-term interest to let them “duke it out” on their own. When the chips are down, we cannot buy real friendship, real shared long term interests with any of them, because our long term interests have diametrically opposite priorities from all of them, whether we are talking about the Mullahs in Iran or the Middle-East sheikdoms.