Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
September 8, 2008
IWG Report 2007
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Aegis Ship-Based BMD
| Country: | USA |
|---|---|
| Basing: | Sea |
Details
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis BMD) will provide an efficient and highly mobile sea-based defense against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in their midcourse phase.
The system will integrate the U.S. Navy’s existing fleet of Aegis cruisers (Ticonderoga class) and Aegis destroyers (Arleigh Burke class) with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor currently under development. The system will allow the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to move its defense capabilities close to enemy launch sites, thus providing a critical “layer” to the broader Ballistic Missile Defense System.
At present, each Aegis cruiser and destroyer is outfitted with the Aegis Weapon System—the heart of which is the AN/SPY-1 radar system. AN/SPY-1 sends out beams of electromagnetic energy in all directions, thus allowing Aegis ships to track up to 100 targets simultaneously, while still retaining the ability to counter other air, surface, and submarine threats. AN/SPY-1 will be able to detect ballistic missiles as they rise above the horizon.
Once a hostile missile has been detected, Aegis BMD will launch its Standard Missile-3 interceptor from its MK41 Vertical Launching System (currently deployed on Aegis cruisers and destroyers). An evolution of the SM-2 Block IV interceptor, the SM-3 is a hit-to-kill missile comprised of a three-stage booster with a kill vehicle. As the SM-3 burns through its three stages, its GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System will set it on an intercept trajectory with the hostile missile. SM-3 will also receive target updates from the Aegis destroyer.
Once close enough to the ballistic missile, the SM-3 will fire its kill vehicle, the Kinetic Warhead (KW), from its nosecone. The KW will immediately begin to search for its target. It will acquire the ballistic missile using a high-resolution seeker, and maintain an accurate trajectory using its internal navigational system. As it closes on its target, the KW will identify the missile’s payload, and shift its aimpoint to ensure a lethal hit. When the KW finally slams into the enemy warhead, the kinetic energy of the high velocity impact will ensure complete destruction of the threat.
Since 1999, MDA has conducted five SM-3 flight tests. Four have been successful. The most recent test was on December 11, 2003, when a SM-3 from the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie tracked, targeted, and destroyed a short-range target missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. Impact occurred at an altitude of 137 kilometers and a closing speed of approximately 3.7 kilometers per second. The entire operation, from detection to destruction, took four minutes.
President George W. Bush recently called on MDA to deploy a preliminary defense shield—including sea-based assets. In September 2004, the Navy will deploy an Aegis destroyer in the Sea of Japan capable of detecting and tracking missile launches from North Korea and China. In the event of a hostile launch, the destroyer will be able to transmit data to ten ground-based interceptors located in Fort Greely in Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (also scheduled for deployment in September 2004).
In 2005, the first fully operational Aegis BMD system will be deployed on an Aegis destroyer. MDA will conduct rigorous tests, using this initial deployment to integrate the AN/SPY-1 with SM-3 and improve the accuracy of the interceptor. In 2006, the Navy will deploy nine Aegis ships outfitted with SM-3 missiles and configured to carry out ballistic missile defense operations from almost anywhere in the world.
During this initial deployment phase, Aegis BMD will provide a cost effective means of countering emerging threats from rogue nations and terrorists. The United States has already invested $50 billion in its cruisers and destroyers alone, and the additional cost of outfitting these ships with SM-3s is relatively small compared with that of developing new air-based, land-based, and space-based systems. Although the Navy will eventually need more ships over time to handle its regular duties, in the interim Aegis BMD will serve as an excellent stopgap measure.
MDA’s long-term goal is to transform Aegis BMD into a comprehensive missile defense system capable of destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), possibly in their boost phase. As MDA improves its layered missile defense system, Aegis BMD will be able to integrate its tracking system with other new BMD tracking systems such as Space Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High) satellites, the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS), or the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX). Although many consider the SM-3 too slow to intercept ICBMs, some believe that these enhanced detection and tracking capabilities will allow Aegis BMD to launch its interceptors earlier, thus allowing the SM-3s to reach long-range targets.
MDA and the Navy are also considering the development of a larger and faster interceptor missile.
Sources
Arms Control Association.
England, Gordon R. Remarks at the National Missile Defense Conference. Ronald Reagan Center, Washington, D.C., 22 March 2004.
Erwin, Sandra I. “Navy Prepares to Put Aegis Ships ‘On Alert.’” National Defense Magazine, March 2004.
GlobalSecurity.org.
Missile Defense Agency.
Raytheon Company.
Selinger, Marc. “Aegis on Tract for 2004 Missile Defense, Company Says.” Aerospace Daily, 13 January 2004.
U.S. Department of Defense. “Aegis Miss Test Successful.” Press Release 938-03, 11 December 2003.
Navy to Field Terminal Phase SM-2 Interceptors on Aegis Ships
The U.S. Navy plans to modify its existing fleet of Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block IV missiles to defend against enemy ballistic missiles in the terminal phase, the final minute or so before the missiles strikes their targets. On May 24, the Navy conducted the first sea-based intercept of a ballistic missile in the terminal phase, using a modified SM-2 fired from the Aegis cruiser Lake Erie. Based on the success of this test, the Navy plans to modify approximately 100 SM-2 missiles and deploy them on three Aegis BMD-configured cruisers. According to Christopher Taylor, an MDA spokesman, this plan is still being generated and vetted by Naval Sea Systems Command, so detailed costs are not yet available.
» More stories on: Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Rubin Interview on Iranian Capabilities
IranWatch.org recently interviewed Uzi Rubin, former head of Israel’s Arrow missile defense program. Rubin described Iran’s latest effort to field a fleet of nuclear capable ballistic missiles, assessed the threat that Iran’s missiles present to Israel and U.S. forces, and evaluated the ability of missile defenses to block an Iranian attack. He noted that a robust combination of Israeli and U.S. defenses could be “quite effective” against the Iranian threat. For instance, Israel’s Arrow program, which was specifically designed to defend against the Shahab-3, was proven successful in multiple tests against simulated Shabab-3s. Likewise, the U.S. is deploying Standard Missile-3 interceptors on Aegis-equipped warships, which have also been proven successful in recent tests. The U.S. also operates Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors, which were battle-tested during the 2003 Iraq War and shot down all targets engaged. However, Rubin noted that “we never have enough” interceptors, and that Israel and the U.S. remain vulnerable should Iran choose to launch a large-scale attack.
» More stories on: Allies, Iran, Israel
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
New Third Stage Rocket Motor of SM-3 Interceptor Successfully Tested
A new third stage rocket motor for MDA’s Standard Missile-3 interceptor was successfully tested on Monday, reports UPI. The test was carried out at Edwards Air Force Base, California, inside a vacuum chamber designed to simulate the space environment the SM-3 would encounter if launched against an incoming warhead. The third stage motor is designed to boost the SM-3 out of the atmosphere and to carry its Mk142 kinetic warhead (kill vehicle) to its intended target. The test successfully demonstrated the extended time lapse between the end of the motor’s first pulse and the initiation of the second. The first pulse puts the third stage on an intercept trajectory while the second pulse makes any necessary last-minute course corrections.
The SM-3 is a joint initiative between the U.S. and Japan. Once operational, the interceptors will be deployed on Aegis destroyers and cruisers as a sea-based defense against medium and long-range missiles.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Spring on Need for Congress to Advance “Limited” Funding
Baker Spring of the Heritage Foundation argues that U.S. missile defense is “very thin and needs to be strengthened.” The current, limited, defensive shield of eleven Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptors in Alaska and California and less than ten Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors on Aegis warships are not enough to adequately defend against an attack from Iran or North Korea. Congress must make the following changes to its missile defense budget for FY 2007: (1) increase funding for the GMD system by $200 million to accelerate testing and deployment; (2) increase funding for the SM-3 by $100 million to support the deployment of 100 interceptors by 2011; (3) cut funding for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) program by 50 percent; (4) reduce funding for miscellaneous BMD projects by $100 million and redirect the funds to near-term deployment; and (5) reallocate resources to new technologies previously banned by the ABM Treaty, such as space-based interceptors.
Congress, as it undertakes the task of drafting the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Defense Authorization bill, must recognize that this defense is very thin and needs to be strengthened. It can do so by making several significant changes in the missile defense budget, such as adding funds to accelerate the concurrent testing and operation program for the long-range missile defense interceptors in Alaska and California and to improve and expand the sea-based interceptors on the Navy’s AEGIS ships. Looking to the future, Congress should direct the Agency to start serious work on placing missile defense interceptors in space.
…The Bush Administration must finally break the missile defense program free from the enduring effects of the ABM Treaty. This means giving the missile defense interceptors already in the field and those soon to be fielded as much operational capability as possible. It also means moving missile defenses where they will be most effective, space. By adjusting missile defense funding for FY 2007 and making clear its intentions for future years, Congress can prod the Administration in this direction.
» More stories on: Analysis, Space-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
German Frigates to Acquire Some Missile Defense Capability
The German Navy plans to develop a theater ballistic missile defense role for its Sachsen-class (F-124) anti-air warfare frigates, report Jane’s Missiles and Rockets. Rear Admiral Hubertus von Puttkamer, defense attaché at the German Embassy in the U.S., recently described the plans at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space symposium in Washington, DC. According to von Puttkamer, the German frigates already have the basic components necessary for such a system: Mk-41 vertical launchers, which could take Standard Missile-3 interceptor missiles, and the Thales SMART-L advanced radar system.
Standard Missile-3 interceptors are currently being developed by the U.S. and Japan for use on Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers.
» More stories on: Allies, Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Andrew on Chinese Missile and Defensive Buildup
Martin Andrew of the Jamestown Foundation argues that ballistic missile defense in Asia is reducing China’s strategic deterrence. As China deploys its theater-range missiles, other military powers in the region are investing in BMD systems, such as sea-based Aegis systems and ground-based THAAD systems. These new systems will be able to intercept Chinese missiles over Chinese airspace, thus putting China in what Andrew terms a “strategic quandary.” An excerpt:
BMD systems are being deployed in Northeast Asia because of the build-up in Chinese and North Korean ballistic missiles. Yet if it were to negotiate the removal of its ballistic missiles facing Taiwan it loses its key leverage over Taiwan—with Japan and South Korea still keeping their BMD systems in the face of North Korea’s arsenal. Yet by sustaining—and adding to—missile forces in Fujian, Beijing runs the risk of negating its strategic deterrence. If the Chinese leadership follows its doctrine of active defense and believed its nuclear deterrence was becoming neutralized or under threat, it could conceivably launch strikes against Taiwan and Japanese and U.S. ballistic defense missile forces, certainly leading to retaliatory economic and military action. With the acceleration of Chinese ballistic missile forces opposite Taiwan, this is becoming a matter of concern on both sides of the Asia-Pacific.
» More stories on: Analysis, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
U.S.-Japan SM-3 Interceptor Test Successful, Using Innovative Japanese Nosecone
The U.S. and Japan successfully test-launched a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) today from the Aegis-equipped cruiser USS Lake Erie near Hawaii. The SM-3 was equipped with an experimental nosecone, which is being jointly developed by the Missile Defense Agency and the Japanese Defense Agency.
The demonstration also tested prototypes for the rocket motor, but the primary test was of an innovative “clamshell” nosecone, designed by Japan to more quickly release the interceptor’s kill vehicle. In the standard configuration for previous tests, the SM-3 missile must maneuver to eject the barrel-shaped kill vehicle—a process known as “pitch and ditch.” The newer nosecone eliminates the need for such maneuvers, which in turn means the kinetic kill vehicle can collide with and destroy its target more quickly. The flight test did not involve an attempted intercept of a target missile, but simulated target data was instead fed into the computers of Aegis weapon system. Instead of a kill vehicle aboard the SM-3, its nosecone instead contained a camera and instruments to register temperature and shock readings during the flight. In today’s test, the nosecone was deployed at about 88 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean and 96 km northwest of the island of Kauai.
Japan has already decided to procure the SM-3 and the Aegis defense system for several of its Kongo class destroyers, as well as purchasing a number of Patriot (PAC-3) interceptors, and having received a license to produce others. Japan’s innovation in missile defense technologies is a further sign of growing international support for ballistic missile defense.
» MDA Photos of SM-3 interceptor launch
» More stories on: Allies, Japan, Testing - American, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Aegis Cruiser Shiloh to be Based Near Japan in 2006
The U.S. Navy will deploy its Aegis cruiser Shiloh to Japan later this year, reports Kyodo. According to Admiral Gary Roughead, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the 9,600-ton Shiloh will replace a similar ship already stationed in Japan, and will be armed with Standard Missile-3 interceptors. The move falls in line with the Defense Department’s plan for a greater military presence in the Pacific, outlined in its Quadrennial Defense Review issued earlier this month. In the QDR, the Pentagon singled out China as having the “greatest potential” to compete with the United States militarily, while keeping its eye on North Korea’s threat of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism in Southeast Asia.
» More stories on: Deployment, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Dinerman on Missile Defense Needs for 2006
Taylor Dinerman, writing for TheSpaceReview.com, contends that ballistic missile defense is necessary now more than ever, in light of the escalating world conflict with Iran. Dinerman points out that if the pronouncements of Iran’s leaders are any indication, they will be depending on their ballistic missiles to deliver the nuclear weapons they hope to build. If or when Iran decides to use such weapons, the first thing it would likely do is launch strikes against Israel and U.S. regional targets, perhaps followed by attacks on U.S. allies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Although the U.S. maintains surveillance satellites are capable of locating part of Iran’s missile force, Dinerman stresses that “it takes active weapons to either destroy a missile on the ground or after it has taken off.” Yet “little has been said about the potential for missile defense to blunt [the Iranian threat], or to make it easier for the U.S. launch an attack.” If, as so many western statesmen say, Iran’s nuclear weapons program is unacceptable, “then doing something about it is going to involve more than just diplomacy.”
Dinerman recommends that the U.S. should redeploy its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors that performed well against Iraq’s short-range Scud missiles during the 2003 war, positioning them to defend high value regional targets. The PAC-3 units should be joined by Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers armed with Standard Missile-2 and SM-3 interceptors. Both the PAC-3 and Aegis should be integrated with Israel’s Arrow system, which is operational and has proven itself in recent tests.
» More stories on: Analysis, Iran
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)
Japan to Buy 36 SM-3 Interceptors
Japan plans to purchase 36 sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors from the U.S. between 2007 and 2010 for deployment on Aegis-equipped destroyers. According to Japanese government sources quoted by Kyodo, Japan will buy approximately nine SM-3 interceptors a year during this period, although specific details have yet to be ironed out. Japan’s Defense Agency hopes to complete the deployment of its first SM-3 interceptors on the destroyer Kongo by the end of 2007, followed by deployment on three other warships: the Chokai, the Myoko, and the Kirishima. Japan will also consider installing the missile defense system on two new destroyers that are being built in Nagasaki.
» More stories on: Allies, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
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