Japan Tests New SAM in Texas, with Anti-Cruise Missile Capability
December 1, 2006 :: AP :: News
Japan successfully tested a new surface-to-air missile system yesterday in a live training exercise, reports the AP. The system, known as the Chu-SAM, was test fired from Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where Japanese forces have been training on their defensive missile systems. It had been tested six times previously at nearby White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, although Thursday’s launch was its first live training exercise. The Chu-SAM, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electronics, has a range of 50 km (31 miles) and is capable of shooting down aircraft, air-to-surface missiles, and cruise missiles. Up to 10 missiles can be fired from a single launcher to destroy multiple threats. The Chu-SAM will replace the HAWK missiles that Japanese defense forces have used since 1965. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Allies, Cruise Missile Defenses, Japan, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: Japanese Ballistic Missile Defense
George Marshall Institute Hosts Roundtable on Cruise Missile Defense
September 30, 2006 :: Marshall Institute :: News
On Tuesday, September 26, the George C. Marshall Institute hosted a forum on cruise missile defense at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, gave the opening remarks, stressing the importance of defending the homeland and U.S. troops and allies overseas from the cruise missile threat. “Our enemy has the political will to cause death and destruction of catastrophic proportions to the United States, but they do not have the capacity to do it yet,” Franks said. “Americans have the capacity to defend ourselves; we just need to steel the will of the American people and of the Congress so that we can defend ourselves from these emerging threats.”
The Congressman’s speech was followed by a roundtable discussion with Captain Robert Barwis of the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Organization (JTAMDO); John Heidenrich, a senior policy analyst at Science Applications International Organization (SAIO); and Christopher Bolkcom, an analyst in national defense at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The discussion focused on the nature of the threat and the unique challenge of protecting the homeland against cruise missiles, which are difficult to identify and track and could be easily confused with commercial airliners. The participants also discussed possible strategies for deploying an effective cruise missile defense. (Link)
» Press Release for Congressman Trent Franks’ keynote address on cruise missile defense
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Cruise Missiles
Pentagon Finds Cruise Missile Defense “Gaps,” Warns of Ship-Launched Threat
August 17, 2006 :: Inside Defense :: News
A Pentagon assessment of the U.S. ability to defend the homeland against cruise missile attack has founds nine “credibility gaps” that may not be solved until 2015, reports Inside Defense. These “gaps” include an inability to get information on potential targets; insufficient surveillance coverage; an inability to detect small, low-altitude targets; an inability to create a common operating picture; an inability of sensor systems to provide adequate tracking information; an inability of sensors to determine or predict the intent of a cruise missile; an inability of sensors to provide senior military officials with enough information to make informed decisions; an inadequate supply of information from other government agencies; and a lack of defensive platforms able to cover the North American continent. The assessment adds that Pentagon officials are increasingly concerned with the threat of terrorists using a cargo ship stationed outside U.S. territorial waters as a platform from which to launch cruise missiles. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Cruise Missiles, Ship-Launched Threat
Cruise Missile Threat a “Front Burner Issue”
May 1, 2006 :: Defense News :: News
The threat of attack from cruise missiles launched from commercial ships is becoming a “front burner issue” in Washington, according to Ben Stubenberg, chief of analysis and scenarios at MDA. At a recent conference in Virginia, Stubenberg said that ship-launched cruise missiles offer potential adversaries “great strength at a low cost,” similar to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by insurgents in Iraq. Nearly 1,000 commercial vessels sail within 200 nautical miles of the U.S. coast every day, and the potential for a rogue vessel to slip in unnoticed remains “high.” Stubenberg offered a hypothetical example: A enemy ship could depart from a small port in Southeast Asia, one of nearly 11,000 ports not rigorously monitored, and head across the Pacific Ocean to Ensenada, a small port in Mexico. From there, the enemy ship would be in missile range of downtown Los Angeles, which currently has no means of defense against such an attack. Stubenberg offered three possible solutions: deploy of a coastal network of sensors and interceptors to shoot down missiles, strengthen intelligence to allow rogue vessels to be taken down before they reach U.S. shores, and expand U.S. missile defense capabilities.
The ship-launched cruise missile threat was first identified by the 1998 Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States, also known as the Rumsfeld Commission. The initiative was placed on the “back burner” for some time, but has now assumed greater importance with Congress requesting more studies and MDA showing greater interest. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Ship-Launched Threat
Russia Pechora Defense Passes Test Against Cruise Missiles
July 15, 2005 :: Interfax :: News
The Russian Pechora 2-M surface-to-air missile has completed its field testing, reports Interfax-AVN. The Pechora 2-M is an upgraded version of the older S-125 (SA-3) system, largely designed to appeal to the export market. Notably, the Pechora features an increased capability against cruise missiles, as witnessed in 2003 when the missile was tested against the medium-range Strizh-2 and the low-altitude Strizh-3 target missiles. According to a statement by Russia’s Oboronitelnyye Sistemy company, the Pechora 2-M is now “ready for series production as a complete set in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry and foreign customers.” The report specifies that over 70 missiles were launched during the test period, each allegedly hitting its target. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Russia
» Missile system details for: S-125 (SA-3 Goa)
Japan Suspects North Korea-Iran Link
June 30, 2005 :: News
Japan is worried that Iran has leaked high-tech cruise missile technology to North Korea, reports the Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun. At issue is a shipment of Kh-55 cruise missiles that Iran received from the Ukraine in 2001. The Kh-55, which was developed in the late 1970s in the former Soviet Union, has a range of 3,000 km (1,864 miles), enough to threaten all of Japan if deployed by North Korea. Japan is concerned that Iran has transferred the technology to North Korea, which might be able to arm the Kh-55 missiles with nuclear warheads. Sankei Shimbun quotes a Japanese Defense Ministry source as saying about Iran and North Korea, “They are linked by a network beneath the surface regarding the development of weapons of mass destruction.” (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Iran, North Korea, Proliferation
More on NATO-Russia TMD Continuing Cooperation
June 15, 2005 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
Russia and NATO continue to cooperate on short range, or “theater” ballistic missile defense, reports RIA-Novosti. Both sides will take part in a seminar on nuclear strategy doctrines in July 2005, followed by a nuclear emergency exercise in the UK in September, and then joint command-and-staff exercises in Russia in 2006. Speaking in Brussels at the Russia-NATO Council on June 9, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov stressed the need to boost cooperation, particularly in the area of cruise missile defense. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Russia
Cruise Missile Defenses Pursued
May 10, 2004 :: Global Security Newswire :: News
Global Security Newswire reports that the Army is planning to develop new cruise missile defenses by 2008 or 2010, in response to increased proliferation and technology available for such threats. (More »»»)
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses
