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– Aviation Week reports that the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is preparing to launch billions of dollars worth of missile defense projects, even as the MDA deals with contractors building parts that don’t hold up.

– The MDA awarded U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin awarded a $69.8 million contract to develop land-based version of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.

– India seeks to develop laser-guided anti-ballistic missiles to combat incoming missiles. Earlier this year, India tested a missile interceptor defense shield, designed to detect and destroy incoming ballistic missiles, but the test failed after radar lost track of the Prithvi 2 target missile.

– Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly shared her opposition to the new START. An excerpt:

“The Russians are salivating at the thought that the New START proclaims their victory in their long-running battle to kill U.S. missile defenses. For decades, Russia’s primary goal was to stop the United States from building any anti-missile capability.

“Ronald Reagan’s adamant refusal to give up his Strategic Defense Initiative was the principal reason he won the Cold War (without firing a shot, as Margaret Thatcher said). But now Barack Obama is casually willing to abandon our right to build defensive weapons…New START doesn’t make nukes obsolete, it just tries to ensure that the U.S. and Russia have an equal capacity to destroy each other. Most important, New START does nothing whatever to protect us from a nuclear Iran or North Korea or Syria or even China.”

Israel and NATO seek to work together on missile defense. Though not a member of NATO, Israel would collaborate with the organization to address the Iranian threat.

“We have already been provided some information about the Israeli test-bed,” NATO’s Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense Program Office Alan Berry said. “We are happy to discuss things with Israel about our capabilities, and we are looking forward to future discussions in that area.” (Source)

Last year, Iran test-fired the long-range Sajjil-2 missile, capable of reaching Israel and Southern Europe. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) have a longer range than the Sajjil, and Iran may have ICBM capabilities in five years. Israel increased production of its Arrow missile interceptors “significantly.” (Source) Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, “We will need to expand our arsenal of Arrow interceptors” which are capable of intercepting Iranian, Syrian Shihab, and Scud missiles. Israel’s air force also is upgrading existing Arrow interceptors to the new Arrow II missile system.

Around the same time, Israel reported intercepting a ship that left Iran bound for Hezbollah carrying missiles, rockets, anti-tank weapons.

Israel and the U.S. conducted a joint missile defense exercise that simulated a response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah. Among the systems tested were the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3. The Iron Dome is an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets. The U.S. and Israel are working together to develop the Arrow III system to destroy multiple-warhead missiles and decoys.

U.S. defense contractor Kratos was awarded a $4.9 million task order to support the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense. Specifically, Kratos will evaluate the suitability of combining a surplus Pedro rocket with the Oriole rocket, assess other alternative rocket systems, and support four rocket launches. (Source)

“We are extremely pleased to continue our support of NSWC PHD Detachment White Sands to provide a low cost solution to meet AEGIS BMD test and other technology development requirements,” said President of Kratos’s Defense Engineering Solutions Division David Carter said.

Last year, Kratos was awarded a task order worth $1.25 million to provide services for the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense for the Japanese Flight Test Mission.

Israel, faced with missile threats from Iran, has increased production of Arrow missile interceptors “significantly.” (Source)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, “We will need to expand our arsenal of Arrow interceptors” which are capable of intercepting Iranian, Syrian Shihab, and Scud missiles. Israel’s air force also is upgrading existing Arrow interceptors to the new Arrow II missile system.

Earlier this month, Israel reported intercepting a ship that left Iran bound for Hezbollah carrying missiles, rockets, anti-tank weapons. Barak said the seizing was “another success against the relentless attempts to smuggle weapons to bolster terrorist elements threatening Israel’s security,” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons were “intended to hit Israeli cities.”

Israel and the U.S. recently conducted a joint missile defense exercise that simulated a response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah. Among the systems tested were the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3. The Iron Dome is an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets. The U.S. and Israel are working together to develop the Arrow III system to destroy multiple-warhead missiles and decoys.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced that the MDA and the U.S. Pacific Fleet successfully completed a series of exercises that tested the second-generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, which tracked and simulated engagements of ballistic missile targets. The targets were launched over several months at the Kauai Test Facility. (MDA)

The sea-based, midcourse Aegis is part of the Ballistic Missile Defense System.

In October, MDA successfully completed a Hardware-in-the-Looptheater-level ground test, conducted to integrate new capabilities into the BMDS architecture. From the release:

“Ground tests play a vital role in the development of new technologies for missile defense by providing program officials detailed information about emerging hardware and software system functionality, while reducing the cost and schedule demands that would be required to provide the same information through an extensive flight test program. These efforts enable actual flight test data to be reconstructed and injected into geographically distributed HWIL representations of BMDS sensors and weapon systems. They also support development and validation of BMDS simulations for component weapon and sensor performance, communications, and interoperability, as well as threat and environment simulations. In this test, FCE-C HWIL provided a demonstration of the ability to conduct a system-level, theater-centric defense of critical assets.”

 
Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is seeking funds for a missile defense project in Hawaii. He wants $68.5 million from last year’s budget to build an Aegis Ashore test facility, bypassing the defense authorizers. (Source)

One of the defense authorizers, Senator John McCain, tried to block Inouye’s request by introducing an amendment that would require formal approval. We’ve blogged about reports that North Korea possess a long-range missile capable of reaching Hawaii. The U.S. has been testing the Theater High-Altitude Area Defenses in Hawaii in preparation for a Taepodong-2 attack. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) seeks to use funds that were intended for missile defense shields in Poland and the Czech Republic for the project in Hawaii.

An excerpt:

“[MDA Lt. Gen. Patrick] O’Reilly called the establishment of the Aegis Ashore facility in Hawaii a ‘priority.’ The test facility could also provide an operational ballistic missile defense capability when needed, O’Reilly argued. The test launcher could provide continuous protection for the region, he added…Japanese intelligence officials have warned that North Korea could launch a long-range ballistic missile toward the Hawaiian islands, which are roughly 4,500 miles away, but U.S. intelligence analysts do not believe that North Korea has the ability to hit Hawaii.”

Israel reported intercepting a ship that left Iran bound for Hezbollah carrying missiles, rockets, anti-tank weapons.

The ship had the appearance of an aid vessel, and the crew and chartering company claimed not to know what was on board. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the seizing was “another success against the relentless attempts to smuggle weapons to bolster terrorist elements threatening Israel’s security,” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the weapons were “intended to hit Israeli cities.”

Almost eight years ago, Israel intercepted a ship carrying weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. and Israel recently conducted two joint missile drills, Juniper Cobra. The most recent drill was a simulated response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah. Among the systems tested were the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3. Israel’s Iron Dome is an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets and also serves as a major component in a multi-layered missile defense system. The U.S. and Israel are working together to develop Arrow III, designed to destroy multiple-warhead missiles and decoys.

Eli Shaked, former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, said this about Hamas and Hezbollah:

“The situation is becoming more and more complex because the weapons they are acquiring are more and more dangerous to civilian targets in Israel.”

(Story source: Associated Press – Image source: GlobalSecurity.org)

 
Israel reported that Palestinian rebels successfully test-fired an Iranian rocket that can reach Tel Aviv. Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin said the rocket’s range is 37 miles, eight miles longer than the Grad used by Hamas. This summer, Israel’s Iron Dome system intercepted and destroyed a short-range Grad rocket, similar to the Katyusha rocket used by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. (Source)

Israel is in Iran’s sights, and the rogue state’s development of short-range rockets, coupled with longer-range Shehab and Sajjil missiles, puts Israel in a dangerous position. As mentioned in the previous post, Israel has been testing the Arrow II, THAAD, Aegis, and PAC-3 and working to improve its Iron Dome anti-rocket shield.

Defense contractor Raytheon recently won two contracts worth over $100 million to develop Israel’s David’s Sling Weapons System. Mike Booen of Raytheon said, “Large-caliber rockets and short-range ballistic missile threats are inexpensive, plentiful, easily concealed and largely exempt from international arms control accords. Stunner [interceptor] offers a near-term and affordable solution to this asymmetric threat.” counter short-range ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets and cruise missiles in their terminal phase of flight.

 
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin was awarded a $1 billion contract to continue developing the Aegis ballistic missile defense system and create more Aegis-compatible warships. (Source)

Orlando Carvalho vice president and general manager of the company’s surface-sea based missile defense unit said: “This further supports the increasing demand for Aegis BMD capability worldwide, especially in light of the administration’s recent shift in policy in European Missile Defense.”

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. awarded defense contractor Raytheon two contracts worth over $100 million to design and develop the David’s Sling Weapon System, a joint program between the Missile Defense Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization. (Source)

The system is designed to defend against short-range ballistic missiles, high-caliber rockets, and cruise missiles in the terminal phase. Mike Booen of Raytheon said, “Large-caliber rockets and short-range ballistic missile threats are inexpensive, plentiful, easily concealed and largely exempt from international arms control accords. Stunner [interceptor] offers a near-term and affordable solution to this asymmetric threat.”

 
On the heels of conducing a joint missile defense exercise – which simulated a response to an attack by the Islamic Republic, Syria, and Hezbollah – Israel and the U.S. will conduct another today. (Source)

As part of a biennial exercise between the two countries, this drill, also called Juniper Cobra, is dubbed the “largest-ever” simulated attack on Israel. Testing air defenses, the drill will assess Arrow, THAAD, Aegis, Patriot, and Hawk defense systems. News source Yediot Aharonot noted that the “working assumption upon which the exercise is based is that the United States, in the event of a war, will provide Israel with missile defence systems that will operate alongside” the Arrow II.

The Arrow II is part of Israel’s Iron Dome, an anti-rocket shield designed to defend Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah rockets and also serves as a major component in a multi-layered missile defense system.