The U.S. Navy plans to remove the Advanced Gun System (AGS) from its Zumwalt-class destroyers and replace them with four 87-inch tubes for hypersonic missiles. Three Common Hypersonic Glide Bodies (C-HGB) and their boosters could fit in each 87-inch tube – or 12 missiles per Zumwalt, USNI News understands. Richard Scott of Janes.com writes: The US Navy (USN) still plans to fast-track the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapon system into its DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers, with the aim to complete the first live-fire tests in 2025, according to … [Read more...]
Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Could Give Russia the Edge in Ukraine
The air defense systems currently operated by Ukraine cannot counter enemy ballistic missiles or anti-aircraft missiles that fly along ballistic trajectories, says Air Force Colonel Yuri Ignat. He was quoted as saying, “The main threat that hangs in the air and can still be implemented is, of course, Iranian missiles. Russia has not abandoned its intentions to receive from Iran kamikaze drones and, in a certain way, missiles, which were announced earlier – Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar. We understand that Russia also has ballistics in the form of those same Kinzhal missiles. This is actually a … [Read more...]
Tactical Laser Weapon Achieves “First Light”
A new weapon invisible to the naked eye will soon be outfitted on U.S. Army Stryker vehicles to combat UAVs, rotary-wing aircraft, rockets, artillery, and mortar rounds. In a recent test, Lockheed Martin was able to achieve what is known as “first light” from its Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System (DEIMOS). The successful test will allow Lockheed Martin to measure the expected beam quality of the system while testing the end-to-end performance of its game-changing, low-cost Spectral Beam Combination (SBC) architecture. Read the full press release … [Read more...]
Future Navy Destroyers Will Have Lasers and Hypersonic Weapons
The U.S. Navy has settled on the topline requirements for its future DDG(X) destroyer surface combat ships. Those requirements will include larger missile launchers, increased weapons capacity, the ability to deliver long-range hypersonic weapon strikes, an increase in the amount of directed energy weapons onboard, and greater use of sensor technology such as Raytheon’s SPY-6, an active electronically scanned array 3-D radar. Stew Magnuson writes (abridged): The Navy has settled on the topline requirements for its future DDG(X) surface combatant, a senior service official said Jan. 11. The … [Read more...]
EYE ON CHINA: U.S. Installs Advanced Radar in the Republic of Palau
The Department of Defense has been tight-lipped about the installation of a long-range over the horizon radar in the strategic Republic of Palau. The radar, known as the Tactical Mobile Over-the-Horizon Radar, or TACMOR, will be able to pick up space-based and terrestrial-based sensor and weapon systems for the potential cueing and early warning of incoming hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, enemy aircraft, and ships. Read the PAF 198127 TACMOR UTILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT release from Sam.gov: The work for this project includes the construction … [Read more...]
A Fraction of U.S. Defense Budget Hammering Russian Military
Ukraine is becoming a graveyard for Russian military personnel and hardware. It is reported that just 5% of the U.S. defense budget has destroyed about 50% of Russia’s military in Ukraine. Most of the weapons sent by the U.S. to Ukraine were second-tier systems headed to the junkyard or the international arms market before being rerouted, writes Stravros Atlamazoglou of 1945. He continues (abridged): Since the war started, the U.S. has sent or committed to sending more than $21 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, while the total sum of financial, military, and humanitarian aid is close … [Read more...]
Hellfire Missiles Replacement Gets a Boost in Range
Lockheed Martin successfully doubles the range of the Hellfire’s replacement, the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), which has a current range of 8km’s and can now reach 16km’s. The successful flight test demonstrated the new Joint Air-to-Ground Missile-Medium Range’s (JAGM-MR) increased range, tri-mode seeker incorporating a near infrared (NIR) sensor and an electromechanical control actuation system (EMCAS). Read more from Lockheed Martin: The successful execution of the JAGM-MR flight test demonstrated the 16 km range capability of the missile when ground launched — doubling the range of … [Read more...]
New Mission for the A-10 Warthog
The U.S. Airforce is dusting off it’s 50-year-old A-10 Warthog for another mission. In a November exercise in the Pacific, A-10’s were loaded up with ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy’s (MALD). The MALD has a range of 500 miles and weighs less than 300 pounds. Michael Peck of the Business Insider writes (abridged): The A-10 Warthog has made its reputation as a tank-killer, but now the Air Force is testing 50-year-old plane for another mission: launching decoys to protect other aircraft. During exercises in the Pacific in early November, A-10s were equipped with the ADM-160 Miniature Air … [Read more...]
Hypersonic Weapons Test Hits Its Mark!
The first full test of the AGM-183 hypersonic missile recently launched from a B-52 and it was a direct hit! The AMG-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) carried a warhead and reached speeds in excess of Mach 5 before successfully hitting its target. ARRW will hold fixed, high value, time-sensitive targets at risk in contested environments. Joseph Trevithick of the War Zone writes (abridged): The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin say that they have conducted the first successful end-to-end test of a complete prototype of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW. The … [Read more...]
US Navy’s P-8A Poseidons Now Have Flying Torpedoes
The U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft now have flying torpedoes in their arsenal. The addition is thanks to Boeing’s High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability, or HAAWC, which just satisfied all requirements for initial operational capability for the U.S. Navy. HAAWC is a modular air launch accessory kit that attaches to an MK54 torpedo and transforms it into a precision-guided glide weapon, allowing it to be deployed from near or below its cruising altitude. Read Boeing’s full press release below for more: Boeing [NYSE: BA]’s High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare … [Read more...]
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