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Aegis BMD Update (January 20, 2014)
An update on some recent developments on Aegis BMD as it moves towards the deployment of the Aegis Ashore site with SM-3 Block IB interceptors in Romania in 2015. The first two Aegis Ashore intercept...
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THAAD Flight Tests Since 2005 (January 27, 2014)
Flight tests of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system since developmental testing resumed in 2005 and planned future tests. FTT-01 (November 22, 2005: First launch of an...
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The FY 2013 DOT&E Report and the GMD System. What does “demonstrated...
The FY 2013 Annual Report from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation is now available. Its short (two pages) section on the Ground-Based Midcourse (GMD) national missile defense system has...
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How Much Radar for $1 Billion? (February 7, 2014)
According to a recent news report, the United States plans to spend nearly $1 billion dollars on a new missile defense radar in Alaska.[1] This radar is intended to increase the discrimination...
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Department of Defense Says No to Increased GMD Testing (February 13, 2014)
As discussed in my post of December 24, 2012, the FY 2013 Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide a report to Congress on testing of the Ground-Based Midcourse...
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When Is a Missile Defense “Hit” a “Kill”? MDA Says It’s Classified. (February...
The full transcript of the House Armed Services Committee’s May 8, 2013 hearing on ballistic missile defenses was posted by the Government Printing Office this week. The responses to written questions...
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RAND Report on Countermeasures Proliferation (February 28, 2014)
RAND has just released a report on ballistic missile countermeasure technologies. The Report: “Penaid Nonproliferation: Hindering the Spread of Countermeasures Against Ballistic Missile Defenses” by...
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First Deployment of SM-3 Block IB Interceptors (April 29, 2014)
The United States has begun deployment of the its new SM-3 IB ballistic missile interceptor on U.S. Navy ships, according to an April 23 press release by Raytheon, the missile’s manufacturer. The SM-3...
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GAO on DoD’s GMD Testing Options Report (May 1, 2014)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) yesterday (April 30, 2014) released a Report assessing a Department of Defense (DoD) Report on options for the test program of the Ground-Based Midcourse...
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First Test Launch for Aegis Ashore (May 21, 2014)
The Missile Defense Agency announced today that it had conducted its first test launch of an Aegis SM-3 missile defense interceptor from an Aegis Ashore facility similar to the one planned to be...
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Next Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) Intercept Test Could Be as soon as...
It appears that the next intercept test for the Ground-Based Midcourse national missile defense system is planned for Sunday, June 22 between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm U.S. east coast time. The target will...
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A Closer Look at the CBO’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) System Cost...
The Congressional Budget Office has just released a very short report on the Missile Defense Agency’s future spending plans for its Ground-Based Midcourse (GMD) national missile defense system.[1] This...
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Lying Down on the Ground. It’s Almost as Effective as Iron Dome. And a Lot...
According to the Israeli Government, Iron Dome has been 85% effective (or perhaps a bit more) in destroying threatening rockets fired at its territory. However, each Iron Dome interceptor costs roughly...
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“Informational Handouts” from MDA Environmental Impact Meetings Posted....
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has begun holding a series of required public meetings as part of the Environmental Impact Review process for the proposed eastern U.S. Ground Based Midcourse (GMD)...
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Update on Future Ground-Based Midcourse (GMD) Flight Tests (April 12, 2015)
An updated description of planned GMD flight tests (last update was post of April 17, 2013) as best as I can figure them out: FY 2016: GM CTV-02+ (1Q FY 2016). This test replaces FTG-09, which was...
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The Long Range Discrimination Radar at S-Band? (April 20, 2015)
It appears likely that the Ground-Based Midcourse (GMD) Defense’s new Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) will operate at S-band instead of at X-band. This raises the question of whether the...
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EKVs, RKVs, CKVs, MOKVs and More. (April 26, 2014)
There have been at least as many acronyms and designations assigned to current, past and future kill vehicles of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) national missile defense system as there have...
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When is “Fly Before You Buy,” Actually “Buy Before You Fly”? When it’s the...
Everyone seems to agree that “fly before you buy,” is a good idea, particularly for complex military systems. The failure to follow such an approach by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is now widely...
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What Is a Robust National Missile Defense Capability? (May 20, 2015)
In looking back at a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from last July, I was struck by its statement that, as part of its Ground Based Midcourse (GMD) national missile defense system, the...
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Can the GMD System Defend Against a Chinese Attack? Three Answers (sort of)....
The most interesting information to come out of a Congressional Hearing sometimes is contained in the responses to written questions submitted by members of the Congressional Committee. Usually you...
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