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Those of us of a certain age will remember a time, some 40 years ago now, when President Ronald Reagan advocated the Strategic Defense Initiative, Project High Frontier, and various other related programs, all built around the basic concept that we should have defenses against incoming missile attacks. Throughout all of human history, military preparedness has involved both offensive and defensive elements. An army might have swords and longbows for offense, while being equipped with shields for defense. Cannons and cannonballs made up the offense, fortresses and moats provided a defense. Thus it has been for thousands of years, but...

Apair of U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were reportedly among the assets employed to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones headed toward Israel last night. There are strong signs these ships may have fired Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) anti-missile interceptors in the course of those operations, which would mark the first use of those weapons against real incoming threats.

Test showcases the U.S.'s strategic missile defense capabilitiesARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- An Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, developed by Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, successfully destroyed an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile during a recent test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System. The test was conducted today in the Pacific region by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Northern Command.This was the 13th intercept for the program, which protects the U.S. by destroying incoming ballistic missiles while they are outside the Earth's atmosphere. "This test demonstrates that the U.S. ballistic missile defense system is operational, reliable and ready...

Patriot Launch Units. CREDIT: Public Domain Image Monday night, the Russian armed forces launched an unprecedented missile attack against the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. At least 18 state-of-the-art Russian missiles were used in the attack. Six Kh-47 hypersonic missiles were launched from MiG-31K aircraft, surface combatants from the Black Sea Fleet fired nine Kalibr cruise missiles, and land forces in Occupied Ukraine launched three Iskander-M semi-ballistic missiles. This attack was supported by six Iranian-designed Shahed 136 suicide drones and three Orlan-10 reconnaissance drones to evaluate the operation.Defending against the attack was a layered air defense system built around the...

Ukraine’s army boasted of territorial gains near the strategically vital southern city of Kherson on Wednesday as Nato allies delivered new air defence systems in the wake of Russia’s recent missile attacks across the country. After 48 hours of Ukrainian cities coming under heavy fire, the government in Kyiv could celebrate positive news from both the frontlines and its diplomatic efforts to secure ground-to-air systems. Five settlements in the Beryslav district in the north-east of the Kherson region – Novovasylivka, Novogrygorivka, Nova Kamyanka, Tryfonivka, Chervone – were said to have been taken from Russian forces over the day.(snip) Meanwhile, Ukraine’s...

China is developing sea-based anti-missile systems and plans to deploy them in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean, according to military experts. The assessment came as Beijing announced it had carried out a successful test of its ground-based mid-course defence system on Monday. Testing of the anti-ballistic missile system that could shield China from a ballistic missile attack is part of efforts to catch up with the top nuclear nations with anti-missile technology, the United States and Russia. China previously carried out tests of the system in 2010 and 2013. Beijing is also working on a sea-based system for the Asia-Pacific...

Don't be too shocked by the news that a U.S. ballistic missile interceptor test has failed. First reported by CNN, the Hawaii based test was conducted by the personnel assigned to the Aegis ashore missile defense system. But while the test is obviously a disappointment, the U.S. remains years away from having a missile defense program that can, with high confidence, launch and destroy nuclear warhead armed ballistic missiles. "High confidence" are the key words here. U.S. ballistic missile defense capabilities are actually pretty competent nowadays. While they might struggle with advanced countermeasure-equipped ballistic missiles from China or Russia, North...

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said recently it would be "game on" if North Korea were to fire a missile at the United States or its allies, but how fast things would happen is not so clear. A leading expert in missile defense told Fox News there would not be much time to decide to shoot down a North Korean missile. “This is a game of minutes, but the initial detection of a launch would be really in terms of seconds,” said Thomas Karako, senior fellow and director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies....

MOSCOW—Russia stepped up its calls Friday to dismantle the missile defense system being built in Europe by the U.S. and its allies, saying that the recent nuclear deal with Iran undercuts Washington’s chief argument for the system.

Experts who took part in the test of the David's Sling anti-missile system david sling test successfulWednesday were elated at its success, according to a report by Maariv's Yochai Ofer. Pini Yungman, who heads the Missile Defense Systems Authority in Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said the test, in which an interceptor missile brought down a missile fired in simulation of an enemy attack, had made "history." "We have developed 'next generation' technology here for a system that will provide a solution for future threats. You could say that all of the systems worked perfectly. The jewel in the crown is...

(TheBlaze/AP) — Israel successfully tested its newest missile defense system Sunday, the military said, a step toward making the third leg of what Israel calls its “multilayer missile defense” operational. The “David’s Sling” system is designed to stop mid-range missiles. It successfully passed its test, shooting down its first missile in a drill Sunday in southern Israel, the military said. The system is designed to intercept projectiles with ranges of up to 300 kilometers (180 miles). Israel has also deployed Arrow systems for longer-range threats from Iran. The Iron Dome protects against short-range rockets fired by militants in the Gaza...

In the wake of the great success of the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which was able to intercept many of the rockets fired from Gaza at populated areas during Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel is now pushing ahead with the development of Magic Wand, which is supposed to be able to intercept short-range and medium-range rockets. According to a report in the Boston Globe on Saturday, Israel will test the system in the Negev in the coming days. Magic Wand, the report said, is being developed by the Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. in cooperation with the American company...

A military spokesman yesterday refused to comment on media reports alleging that two advanced anti-missile systems — the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and Tien Kung-III “Sky Bow” (TK-III) air defense systems — had been deployed in eastern Taiwan to deal with the possible launch of a North Korean rocket later this month. Ministry of National Defense spokesperson David Lo (羅紹和) said the military was collecting information about Pyongyang’s anticipated rocket launch and added that the military had requested its anti-missile units monitor and respond to the situation as appropriate. However, Lo refused to comment on whether PAC-3 missiles and TK-III...

It was recently announced that the new Russian anti-aircraft/anti-missile system, the S-500, will be further delayed. Apparently the S-500 won't enter service until the end of the decade. Last year it was admitted that the S-500 was a full two years behind schedule, with prototype testing not taking place until 2015 and deliveries in 2017. It was explained that much of the delay was due to the fact that this system uses a lot of new technology. There also seems to be a problem deciding exactly what the S-500 should do. Senior government officials are apparently demanding that the S-500...

Royal Navy reveals new supersonic anti-missile system A new air defence system that can destroy enemy missiles travelling at supersonic speeds has been revealed by the Royal Navy. Sea Ceptor missiles fired from warships will reach speeds of up to Mach 3 and protect an area of around 500 sq miles. The £483 million contract to develop the defence system has been awarded to MBDA (UK). The Ministry of Defence said the five-year project would mean continued employment for around 500 workers. Facilities across the UK including at Stevenage in Hertfordshire, Filton in South Gloucestershire and Lostock in Bolton will...

Spain, following the lead of Turkey, Poland and Romania, will participate in NATO's anti-missile shield, Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, said in a surprise announcement on October 5, in Brussels. "Zapatero cedes Rota," runs a headline in left-leaning Spanish daily Público. Zapatero explained that the naval base at Rota, located in southern Spain, near Cadiz, which is already part of the NATO system, will host a further four US war ships, equipped with anti-missile batteries and as well as 1300 additional US troops. Spain will thus become "a key component of the European defence system," the paper says, adding that...

Navy tests new missile defense systems By YAAKOV KATZ 09/12/2010 01:11 Small UAVs that can be launched from ships also being considered to counter Hamas, Hizbullah. In an effort to bolster its defenses in face of Hamas and Hizbullah’s growing anti-ship capabilities, the Israel Navy is testing a new missile defense system for its small and fast patrol boats that are tasked with enforcing the blockade on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon during wartime. The navy’s patrol ships include the Super Dvora, built by Israel Aerospace Industries and the Shaldag, manufactured at Israel Shipyards. The new defense system includes a...

When the New York Times covers a weapons program we tend to take note, in part because they do so it so rarely. And when they put it on the front page, above the fold, we take even more note. The Times did just that this morning, trumpeting a tale about how a veteran missile defense sceptic at MIT, Ted Postol, and a Cornell University colleague, George Lewis, performed an analysis of SM-3 tests and came away convinced that the system does not work very well. Now my first reaction was deep skepticism. After all this has appeared to be...

As Israel braces for more wars with Hezbollah and Hamas, the army has unveiled a miniature anti-missile system to protect its Merkava tanks and other armored vehicles from missiles that Hezbollah used with withering effect in the 34-day 2006 conflict. The system, known as Trophy, has been in development by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for some time but was given impetus by the setbacks the Israeli military suffered in the 2006 fighting. The Merkava IV saw its first heavy combat in the 2006 war. At the recent unveiling of Trophy at a military base overlooking the Mediterranean, the commander of...

On a dusty, wind-swept field overlooking the Mediterranean, a small team of researchers is putting the final touches on what Israel says is a major game changer in tank defense: a miniature anti-missile system that detects incoming projectiles and shoots them down before they reach the armored vehicles. If successful, the "Trophy" system could radically alter the balance of power if the country goes to war again against Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon or Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Its performance could also have much wider implications as American troops and their Western allies battle insurgents in Iraq and...