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January 7, 2009
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Home :: Missile Defense Systems
Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
| Country: | USA |
|---|---|
| Basing: | Land |
| In Service: | 2004 |
Details
The Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) is a multi-stage silo-launched booster rocket and kill vehicle that will track and destroy high-speed ballistic missiles in their midcourse phase, i.e. while the missiles are still outside the atmosphere and at their highest trajectory. Once operational, the GBI will be a critical part of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which is scheduled for deployment in September 2004.
Although MDA developed many of GMD’s technologies during the 1980s and 1990s, the project officially began in 1998 with a $1.6 billion dollar initial contract to Boeing. Subcontractors include Orbital Sciences Corporation, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon. Boeing is in charge of GBI’s development, and the project is currently undergoing extensive ground and flight tests. As currently envisioned, each GBI missile will consist of two main components: a three-stage booster rocket and the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV).
MDA currently has two separate booster rockets in the works: Orbital Sciences Corporation is building the Orbital Boost Vehicle (OBV), while Lockheed Martin is designing the Boost Vehicle Plus (BV-Plus). The OBV can fly at 3.7 miles per second; the BV-Plus maxes out at 3.4 miles per second. MDA believes that deploying a variety of booster rockets will strengthen the overall GMD system. According to Army Major General John W. Holly, Director of GMD, “If you can match the right weapon with the target that you are going after, . . . you are much more efficient in your engagement.”
On top of either the OBV or the BV-Plus will sit Raytheon’s Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle. The EKV is designed to track and destroy ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, hence its “exoatmospheric” nature. Each kill vehicle costs between $20 and $25 million and will include a range of sophisticated devices: infrared sensors, an internal navigational system, antennas, thruster engines, a cryogenic cooling system, and a small computer, all designed to maximize the probability of a successful “kill.” Yet even with all its components, the entire EKV will fit comfortably on a kitchen table. It is only 55 inches long, 24 inches in diameter, and weighs 140 pounds.
Once deployed, the GBI interceptors will be located in underground silos and will be connected to a web of satellites and radars that will continuously scan the entire globe for threats. In the event that an enemy missile is detected, the GMD command center will relay its launch command, and the designated GBI missile will blast out of its silo and climb toward the target’s predicted location, receiving in-flight tracking updates from the satellites and radars along the way.
As it streaks through its three boost stages, the GBI will gain speed. Three minutes into its flight (approximately 1,400 miles from its target), the EKV will separate from the third-stage booster rocket. Dozens of cables will be blown off, and four springs will propel the small payload forward. The EKV will immediately bank sharply to either the right or the left to avoid being hit from behind by the booster rocket. From this point forward, the kill vehicle will proceed to the target on its own momentum.
As the EKV closes in, the combined velocity of the kill vehicle and the incoming missile will approach 15,000 miles per hour (four miles per second, or five times the speed of a bullet), leaving little room for last minute maneuvers. Approximately 100 seconds before impact, the EKV’s infrared sensors will switch on and begin tracking the incoming ballistic missile. To achieve complete threat neutralization, the EKV will collide with the warhead’s “sweet spot,” an area just a few centimeters wide where the missile’s payload is located. The impact from a precise hit will pulverize the warhead and destroy any nuclear, chemical, or biological agents it might be carrying.
Since 1999, MDA has conducted seven hit-to-kill tests. Five have been successful. The most recent was on October 14, 2002, when a GBI from the Reagan Test Site in the central Pacific Ocean tracked and destroyed a target vehicle launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at an altitude of 140 miles and a closing speed in excess of 15,000 miles per hour. MDA plans to perform approximately 17 more hit-to-kill intercepts over the next several years.
Due to these successes, the GBI program has received enthusiastic support from the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. MDA is currently installing six GBI missiles at Fort Greely in Alaska, and four at Vandenberg Air Force Base Over 20 interceptors are scheduled for deployment over the next two years.
Sources
“ATK Awarded $97 Million Contract to Supply Orion Rocket Motors to Orbital Sciences Corporation Rocket Motors Will Launch Orbital’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Orbital Boost Vehicle (OBV).” PR Newswire, 18 February 2004.
Federation of American Scientists.
Maas, Peter. “Get Ready, Here Comes The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle; Star Wars Missile Defense: The Sequel.” New York Times Magazine, 26 September 1999.
Missile Defense Agency.
Morris, Jefferson. “Lockheed Martin Developing Advanced Booster For Missile Defense.” Aerospace Daily, 8 August 2002.
Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Pae, Peter. “Kill Vehicle A Hit With Proponents Of Missile Defense.” Los Angeles Times, 28 March 2002.
Sirak, Michael C. “Year of the Missile.” Air Force Magazine, January 2004.
Raytheon Company.
Tuttle, Rich. “Aerojet Aims To Take Over THAAD, BV-Plus Motor Work.” Aerospace Daily, 12 April 2004.
U.S. Department of Defense.
Warwick, Graham. “Missile Tests Wait For New Boosters.” Flight International, 21 January 2003.
Major Missile Defense Test Successful
The Missile Defense Agency reports that today's test of the Ground Based Interceptor was fully successful, in the most operationally realistic and demanding test to date. This test required the interceptor to discriminate the target missile from deployed countermeasures.
A target missile was launched from Kodiak Island, in Alaska, toward the United States. Unlike previous tests, where the interceptor was launched from the primary fire control center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, uniformed military personnel at the alternate fire control location of Fort Greely, Alaska launched the interceptor from its silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California.
The interceptor went to the point in space where the incoming target missile was travelling, destroying it successfully.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
UAE to Purchase THAAD
GulfNews reports this week that the United States intends on selling three new THAAD, Theatre High Altitude Area Defense, systems to the United Arab Emirates. THAAD is a U.S. ballistic missile ground based defense system that is currently undergoing field testing. It has been deployed in very limited numbers to U.S. troops, but is already in demand.
The deal is also costly, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency quoting the price near $7 billion. The exchange includes PAC-3 Patriot Missiles and Blackhawk Helicopters in addition to other smaller missiles. The demand points to Emirate concern over the Iranian threat.
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
U.S. and Poland Come to BMD Agreement
Poland announced today that they have come to an agreement with the United States over the basing on Polish territory of ballistic missile defense interceptors. The historic agreement details include the positioning of ten ground based interceptors for the purpose of deterring a Middle Eastern ballistic missile threat, most specifically from Iran. In exchange for the installation, Warsaw has secured a guarantee that Poland will be protected by the United States in a more swift manner than required by NATO. Two aspect of the deal include that for a time American military will man the interceptor installations, and that in the case of attack against Poland the United States would be obliged to defend Poland with greater speed than normally required between NATO members. Both aspects tend to reinforce the security commitment in light of Russian threats.
The timing of the agreement has sparked Russian anger, given U.S. agreements with a former Warsaw Pact country. Russia has repeatedly attacked the project, making both veiled and acute threats to Poland, including nuclear threats. Given the recent Russian invasion of Georgia, the Russian Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Konstantin Kosachyov, has said that the deal deal will only intensify the stress on U.S.-Russian relations.
» More stories on: European Missile Defenses, NATO, Treaties and Agreements
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
Cooper, Pfaltzgraff, and Berman: Don't Ignore Sea- and Space-Based Missile Defense
An opinion piece by Henry Cooper, Robert Pfaltzgraff and Ilan Berman, calling for a new approach to missile defense, was featured in the October 22 edition of Defense News. Their article responds to comments by Missile Defense Agency head Lieutenant General Obering made July 23, which dismissed critics who advocate different operational concepts for American defense and appears to equate them with those who oppose missile defense entirely. The authors criticize the Missile Defense Agency's approach thus far which focuses on ground-based midcourse defenses, which unfortunately neglects sea and space assets which can better intercept missiles and better protect the country's vulnerabilities, often for less money.
For less than 10 percent of the MDA's $10 billion-per-year budget, the Navy has amassed an impressive test record: nine successful intercepts in 11 attempts with its SM-3 interceptor (10 for 12 if the Navy's successful test of its SM-2 Block 4 is also counted). Impressive indeed, compared with the five-for-10 record of the Alaska ground-based interceptor system...At a price tag of just $25 million for software fixes, investing in this expanded capability is something of a no-brainer...Then there is the matter of ship deployment. Of the 18 being given the SM-3 intercept capability, 16 are headed to the Pacific (the six already there are mostly protecting Japan). For just $62 million more, the Navy could begin outfitting another nine of the 80 Aegis ships around the world and deploy a contingent of 11 to defend against terrorists launching Scuds off our East Coast, as well as against Iranian ballistic missiles.
Space defenses are equally critical because they are best positioned to intercept missiles during their weak boost phase of launch, and because the U.S. is increasingly dependent on satellites of all kinds which are themselves susceptible to missile attacks.
As the anti-satellite test carried out by China in January amply demonstrated, a growing number of U.S. adversaries and strategic competitors are seeking to exploit, even dominate, space for military and commercial purposes. If the United States does not protect its interests in space--including through the deployment of missile defenses--we may soon find our security, which is critically dependent on our space systems, at the mercy of nations that have.
» More stories on: Analysis, Policy
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
Missile Defense Team Completes Flight Test and Intercepts Target Missile
On September 28 the Missile Defense Agency reported the successful test of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, including an intercept of a target missile. The Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska launched a long range ballistic missile target, traveling southward to resemble the trajectory of a North Korean missile. The upgraded Early Warning Radar at Beale Air Force Base in California located and tracked the target. Seventeen minutes later, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California launched an interceptor missile, which released its exoatmospheric kill vehicle, the component that collides directly with the target warhead in space, a "hit to kill" kinetic technology. The interceptor successfully destroyed the target warhead, marking the seventh successful intercept of the GMD system, and the second time an operationally configured interceptor has been used in the past thirteen months. The test was described as highly complex, and integrating a number of components, including the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) located in the northern Pacific and an Aegis ballistic missile defense ship using its onboard SPY-1 radar to track the target warhead.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX), Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Malfunction with Target Missile Postpones GBI Intercept Attempt
Technical problems with a target missile derailed a highly anticipated U.S. test of its missile defense system on Friday. The test missile, a former Polaris submarine launched ballistic missile, was launched at 7:00 PM from Kodiak Island in Alaska, but due to problems with the target missile's flight, the interceptor at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was never launched to intercept it, and is thus recorded as a "no test" of the Ground Based Interceptor system. “We were not able to get the target downrange far enough or high enough to present a threat to the system,” said agency Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering. “It fell well short of the intended area. The system itself never had a chance to recognize it as a threat, and so did not respond to the target.” “There is always a risk of this occurrence since we are flying old intercontinental ballistic missile motors in our targets,” Obering said in a Missile Defense Agency press release. “We have initiated a target modernization program, within our existing budget which should mitigate these risks for the future. … We will attempt to repeat this test this summer.”
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
MDA Promotes Head of Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
The Missile Defense Agency has recently promoted the head of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program to the agency’s number two position. Since mid-2005, Brigadier General Patrick O’Reilly has managed the GMD program as it struggled to get back on track following several test failures in late 2004 and 2005, when interceptor missiles failed to leave their silos. On September 1, 2006, the system successfully intercepted a test-target missile, winning O’Reilly praise from Capitol Hill for his focus and professionalism. He is slated to take up the Missile Defense Agency deputy post in January 2007, but will continue his role as program manager of GMD for the time being.
» More stories on: Policy
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
Congress Secures Additional $200 Million for Missile Defense
Congress has secured an additional $200 million for the U.S. missile defense system. The funding is in the annual defense spending bill that was approved by a U.S. House-Senate conference committee last week, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The additional funds will be spent on “test infrastructure, operations support and additional interceptors for ground-based missile defense.” The final defense spending bill calls for $9.4 billion for all missile defense programs except the Patriot system in the fiscal year beginning October 1. That amount is $110 million above President Bush’s request. Spending on comparable programs was $8.74 billion in the current fiscal year. Of the $9.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, $2.8 billion is earmarked for the ground-based system. The defense spending bill now heads to each congressional chamber for final passage. Amendments are not permitted.
Similar to last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee added language to the defense spending bill expressing dissatisfaction with the Missile Defense Agency’s direction: “The committee is concerned that MDA is investing too much funding in future systems and technology in advance of adequate testing and fielding of currently available technology.” Last year, the Committee’s defense panel, chaired by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), addressed the agency in similar terms. “Contrary to repeated Defense Department statements on spiral development and block upgrades for the missile defense program, MDA at best plans only marginal improvements to the capability of the GMD program’s ground-based interceptor,” it said then in its report.
» More stories on: Budget
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
Poland Wants U.S. Pact in Exchange for Missile Silos
Poland wants a bilateral pact and improved air defenses in exchange for becoming the first missile defense site outside the U.S., reports Reuters. According to Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who spoke today to a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Poland has to be persuaded that the benefits of hosting a U.S. missile defense site outweigh potential risks such as becoming a greater target. “I would need to go in front of parliament and say, well, why overall it’s a good package,” Sikorski said, noting that any such package would have to include a bilateral pact and improved air defenses. The U.S. has favored multilateral defense pacts in recent decades, although it maintains a few bilateral treaties, including with Japan and South Korea.
» More stories on: Allies
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
Bush: U.S. Had “Reasonable Chance” of Intercepting North Korean Missile
President Bush said today that the U.S. military had “a reasonable chance” of shooting down North Korea’s Taep’o-dong 2 long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday, had the missile not failed during its test launch. Speaking before reporters in Chicago, the President added that “our anti-ballistic systems are modest, they are new.” If the North Korean missile had continued to what is now believed to have been its intended target, an area off the coast of Hawaii, the Pentagon might have targeted the Taep’o-dong with any number of 11 ground-based interceptor missiles currently deployed at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
» More stories on: North Korea, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Tien Ma 1
» Missile system details for: Fort Greely, Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI)
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