Israeli F-35 Scores First Cruise Missile Kill

בימים האחרונים זוהה על ידי מערכות הבקרה והגילוי של חיל-האוויר, טיל שיוט, ששוגר מדרום מזרח אל עבר המרחב האווירי של מדינת ישראל. המערכות עקבו אחרי מסלולו של טיל השיוט והזניקו מטוסי קרב ממערך ה״אדיר״, אשר יירטו אותו בהצלחה. pic.twitter.com/6fP6TnlpTm

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) November 2, 2023

The Aviationist: In A First, Israeli F-35I Adir Shoots Down Cruise Missile 

The kill, scored against a missile likely launched from Yemen, is the first interception of this kind by the 5th gen fighter. 

The Israeli Air Force disclosed today that one of its F-35I Adir fighters recently shot down a cruise missile which was about to enter Israeli airspace from the southwest. 

The cruise missile, possibly launched from Yemen, was detected and tracked by the air defense as F-35Is were scrambled to intercept it, scoring the first cruise missile kill by the 5th generation fighter.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Israel Scores F-35’s First Cruise Missile Kill (Warzone)  

Update #2: Video: In A First, Israel's F-35 Fighter Shoots Down Cruise Missile (NDTV)  

WNU Editor: Expect a lot of firsts in the Israel - Hamas war.

After Being Threatened By Congress, Pentagon Pledges To Make A Decision On The Development Of Anti-Cruise Missile Systems

Politico: After lawmaker threat, Pentagon pledges to make cruise missile decision in July  

Proposed legislation would cut the deputy defense secretary's travel budget over the matter. 

The Pentagon says that by the end of July it will designate an agency to oversee the development of defenses against cruise missiles, after a House oversight panel threatened to cut the travel budget of the Pentagon’s No. 2 official over the issue.

“Cruise missile defense is critically important to our national security,” spokesperson Eric Pahon told POLITICO in a statement. 

“The Department is committed to designating the lead acquisition authority for cruise missile defense of the homeland by July 31, 2022.”  

Read more ....  

Update: Pentagon promises cruise missile defense lead after lawmakers threaten salary of DOD’s No. 2 (The Hill)  

WNU Editor: This should not have come to this. It looks like the Pentagon is being overwhelmed right now.

U.S. Navy Ships To Get Interceptors That Could Stop An ICBM

 

Bloomberg: U.S. Navy Ships Close to Getting Interceptors That Could Stop an ICBM 

 (Bloomberg) -- The Pentagon’s No. 2 official has ordered 11 missile interceptors transferred from research and development for possible deployment on Navy ships in the Pacific or European regions after a test in November indicated they could stop an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In the test, the USS John Finn intercepted a mock ICBM intended to simulate one that could be launched at Hawaii by North Korea. The destroyer, operating near Hawaii, fired off one of the Standard Missile-3 model Block IIA interceptors built by Raytheon Technologies Corp. at the target launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. 

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks informed Congress May 27 of her rationale for transferring the interceptors, although she didn’t disclose it publicly.

“The missiles have conducted successful intercept tests and their deployment is in the important interest of our national security,” Hicks spokesman Jamal Brown said in an email this month. The transfer to the Navy marks the first major missile defense initiative of the Biden administration.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Here is another US Navy program that may intercept hypersonic missiles .... Radar-Equipped Drones May Protect U.S. Navy Ships From Mach 10 Hypersonic Missiles (Forbes).

Improvements In The Aegis Radar Means Navy Warships Could Soon Kill A Hypersonic Or Nuclear Missile

Image: Reuters 

Kris Osborne, National Interest: How a Navy Warship Could Soon Kill a Hypersonic or Nuclear Missile 

The missile defense of many destroyers is about to get a whole lot better. 

Japanese and Canadian warships are evolving their maritime missile defense posture to expand the envelope at which it can detect and destroy incoming missiles, hypersonic weapons and even intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). To accomplish this, their warships are integrating a new high-powered, more sensitive ship-based radar system engineered to achieve longer ranges and greater precision. The concept is, among other things, to empower Navy ships with an ability to track and destroy enemy ICBMs from the ocean. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: It all come down tom improving the Aegis radar.

Does A Recent Successful U.S. Missile Intercept Test End The Era of Nuclear Stability?

Andreas Kluth, Bloomberg: A Successful U.S. Missile Intercept Ends the Era of Nuclear Stability

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- This month, an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired in the general direction of the Hawaiian islands. During its descent a few minutes later, still outside the earth’s atmosphere, it was struck by another missile that destroyed it. 

With that detonation, the world’s tenuous nuclear balance suddenly threatened to come out of kilter. The danger of atom bombs being used again was already increasing. Now it’s grown once more. 

The ICBM flying over the Pacific was an American dummy designed to test a new kind of interceptor technology. As it flew, satellites spotted it and alerted an Air Force base in Colorado, which in turn communicated with a Navy destroyer positioned northeast of Hawaii. This ship, the USS John Finn, fired its own missile which, in the jargon, hit and killed the incoming one. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: I lived through the Cold War. I have trouble accepting the above author's point of view that because both sides had the capability of destroying each other, this was an era of "nuclear stability". I also do not share his view that developments in anti-missile defenses will now usher in an era of nuclear instability. I see these developments as a God-send against rogue nations like Iran and North Korea. The above author also ignores the inconvenient truth that the US is not the only country developing such systems. Russia is already testing and deploying such systems .... Russia's Military Has Successfully Tested It's Modernized Anti-Ballistic Missile System (November 26, 2020).

U.S. Army Howitzer Just Shot Down A Cruise Missile

Forbes: ‘Sci-Fi Awesome’—A U.S. Army Howitzer Just Shot Down A Cruise Missile

A U.S. Army self-propelled howitzer firing a Mach-5 shell just shot down a cruise missile for the first time.

It’s a big deal. Imagine, in some future war, Army howitzers ringing a strategic air base in the western Pacific, swatting down incoming missiles so the base’s planes can take off and land unmolested.

The shoot-down took place at the White Sands missile range in New Mexico on Wednesday. An M-109A6 Paladin tracked howitzer fired a 155-millimeter-diameter hypervelocity shell at an incoming BQM-167 target drone, blasting it to pieces.

“Tanks shooting down cruise missiles is awesome—video-game, sci-fi awesome,” said Will Roper, the U.S. Air Force’s top scientist.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Wow!. That is impressive.

U.S. Air Force Wants A Self-Defense Missile System

Warzone/Drive: Tiny Missile Interceptor To Defend Aircraft Against Enemy Missile Attacks Moves Forward

These miniature weapons could provide a robust hard-kill defensive option for everything from stealth fighters to bombers to tankers.

Raytheon has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to build a "flight-test ready" mini-missile that an aircraft could use to shoot down incoming air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. This effort is one of a number of aircraft self-defense weapon concepts that the U.S. military as a whole has been exploring in recent years as potential opponents, especially Russia and China, continue to develop and field new and more advanced missiles of their own

The Pentagon announced the deal in its daily contracting notice on July 21, 2020. The first task order under the contract is worth just over $93 million, but it could eventually net Raytheon up to $375 million, in total. The announcement says that the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which is managing the project, expects the work to be completed by October 2023.

Read more ....

Update #1: Raytheon Wins $375M Contract For Miniature Self-Defense Missile For Jets (Forbes)
Update #2: U.S. Air Force selects Raytheon to develop aircraft self-defense missile (Defence Blog)

WNU Editor: This would be ideal for the bigger planes.

China's News Agency: Russia Has Obtained An Israeli Advanced Stunner Interceptor Missile

A Stunner missile blasts off. Photo: Ministry of Defense

Asia Times: Russia ‘given Israel’s top interceptor missile’

Missile technology could be used to defeat Raytheon’s state-of-the-art defense systems.

Russia has obtained Israel’s most advanced interceptor missile, which could be reverse engineered to crack the latest Israeli and US air defence systems, according to news reports.

China’s SINA news agency reported that an Israeli Stunner interceptor missile was captured by the Syrians and handed over to the Russians after Israel fired two Stunners at potentially threatening missiles.

“It’s certainly a concern. If I was at Rafael, I’d be nervous right now,” Ian Williams, deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic International Studies, told Business Insider. “If I was Israel, my big concern is that if Russia can get the intelligence to defeat the interceptor to Iran,” Williams added.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is a huge and potentially devastating loss if true.

U.S. Air Force Ground-Based Laser Successfully Downed Multiple Test Missiles Over New Mexico

An artist's conception of a future fight jet shooting down a threat with a laser. Lockheed Martin

Defense One: Fighter Jets with Missile-Killing Lasers Take Another Step Toward Reality

U.S. Air Force says a ground-based laser downed multiple test missiles over New Mexico.

A successful ground test has moved the U.S. military one big step closer to putting anti-missile lasers on its aircraft.

A ground-based laser shot down “several” missiles in flight during an April 23 test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Air Force officials said. Run by the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, the test was part of the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator, or SHiELD, a program intended to protect aircraft from incoming missiles.

AFRL officials said security reasons prevented them from saying how many missiles were downed in the test.

The laser that the Air Force lab used for the test was ground-based, and on the heavy side.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They admit that the laser used was ground-based, and on the "heavy side". Translation .... a lot more work is necessary before this can be deployed on aircraft.

More News On The US Air Force Successfully Downing Multiple Test Missiles Using A Ground-Based Laser

The Air Force Just Shot Down Multiple Missiles With A Laser Destined For Fighter Aircraft -- Warzone/The Drive
Raytheon shoots down drone with lasers, microwaves in Air Force test -- UPI
U.S. Air Force successfully shoots multiple air-launched missiles in laser weapon test -- Defense Blog
The US Air Force successfully tested a laser system to shoot down missiles -- Verge
The U.S. Military's Future: 6th Generation Fighters Firing Laser Weapons? -- National Interest

Should An ICBM-Killing Missile Be Developed For The F-35?

An F-35C Lightning II test aircraft conducts the first separation of a Joint Standoff Weapon C from an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. (U.S. Navy via Raytheon)

Defense News: Pentagon considers an ICBM-killing weapon for the F-35, but is it affordable?

WASHINGTON — Over the next six months, the Defense Department will weigh whether to develop a new weapon for the F-35 fighter jet that will enable it to strike down an intercontinental ballistic missile in the early stages of flight.

And it’s the Pentagon’s lead official for developmental technologies who is bullish on the prospect, telling reporters Jan. 17 that a new weapon could be both operationally effective and low cost.

"For certain regional geographies — North Korea comes to mind — we actually think it’s entirely possible and cost-effective to deploy what I will loosely call air-to-air interceptors, although possibly of new design, on advanced aircraft [and] using the aircraft as either sensor or weapons platforms to affect a missile intercept,” said Mike Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They are saying that such a missile would not be too costly to develop or deploy. Considering the history of the F-35, I am skeptical that it will be cheap or easy to deploy.

Can Russia's Anti-Missile Defense System Shoot Down U.S. Cruise Missiles Over Syria?

A Russian S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft system, nicknamed "Growler" by NATO, fires a missile in this photo shared April 8, 2018 by the Russian Ministry of Defense in commemoration of Air Defense Forces Day. Russian Ministry of Defense

Newsweek: Can Russia Defeat U.S. Missiles In Syria? Yes, But It Will Not Be Easy

Russia vowed Wednesday to shoot down any missiles President Donald Trump may launch against Syria. A defense expert said that Moscow was, in fact, able to block a U.S. attack—but it could prove difficult.

Moscow's military prowess may soon to be put to the test as Trump promised to respond "forcefully" to allegations that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, used chemical weapons in an attack on a rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma over the weekend.

Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace analyst at the U.K.-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Newsweek that "Russia’s Aerospace Forces and, before that, the Soviet Air Force, have long practiced attempting to locate and shoot down cruise missiles, but it is not an easy task."

Read more ....

Update: Missiles ‘will be coming,’ says Trump, but can Russia shoot them down? (Asia Times)

WNU Editor: These Russian systems will probably be very effective against U.S. warplanes .... but cruise missiles .... I am not sure. Either way .... I think we are going to find out in the next few days.

Did Saudi Arabia's U.S.-Made Patriot Missile Defense System Fail Spectacularly Last Night?

Haaretz: Saudi Arabia's U.S.-made Patriot Missile Defense System 'Malfunctions,' Crashes in Residential Area

Missile debris killed a man in what was the first death in the capital during the Saudi-led coalition's three-year military campaign in Yemen

Saudi air defenses shot down seven ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militia on Sunday, with debris killing a man in what was the first death in the capital during the Saudi-led coalition's three-year military campaign in Yemen.

Saudi forces destroyed three missiles over northeastern Riyadh shortly before midnight, as well as others fired at the southern cities of Najran, Jizan and Khamis Mushait, the coalition said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It is obvious from the above video that one of the missiles malfunctioned .... turning around and hitting the ground 10 seconds after it was launched.

More News On Saudi Arabia's U.S.-Made Patriot Missile Defense System Failing Spectacularly Last Night

Videos raise questions over Saudi missile intercept claims -- ABC News/AP
Doubt cast on Saudi claims of Houthi missile interception -- Al Jazeera
VIDEO Shows Alleged US Patriot Missile Mistakenly Falling on Residential Area -- Sputnik
Patriot missiles fail spectacularly during intercept of Yemeni ballistic missile -- Alert 5
Barrage of missiles on Saudi Arabia ramps up Yemen war -- Reuters
Saudi forces intercept seven Yemen rebel missiles over the capital, but shrapnel rains down, killing one person -- Daily Mail/AFP
Missile plunges into residential area as Yemen's Houthi rebels target Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh -- ABC News Online
Saudi Arabia: Houthi missile attack kills Egyptian in Riyadh -- Al Jazeera
With first death in Riyadh, the Saudi-led war in Yemen hits home -- Reuters

A New Way To Divert Surface-To-Air Missiles

An illustrative representation of ELL-8270 air defense system.. (photo credit: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES)

Jerusalem Post: Israel's IAI announces innovative aerial defense system

The ELL-8270 is a cheap, effective, "decoy" designed to protect aircraft from surface-to-air missiles.

Israel Aerospace Industries has introduced an innovative electronic warfare system designed to protect a variety of aircraft against surface-to-air missiles.

The ELL-8270, – which was developed by the ELTA division of IAI – utilizes a towed decoy as “bait” when an aircraft in flight is in danger of being struck by enemy missiles.

The decoy is towed at a safe distance from the aircraft. By means of a transponder, it diverts any incoming missile away from the plane to prevent the craft itself from being hit.

The device is a completely autonomous, lightweight system that requires minimal pilot control. The battery-operated decoy is dragged by a simple tether from the aircraft and can be reeled back into the plane after it has been deployed or discarded if necessary.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I do not know what the drag on the plane will be, but the concept is interesting.

Russia Tests A New, Upgraded Anti-Ballistic Missile

RT: Russia successfully tests new, upgraded anti-ballistic missile (VIDEO)

The Russian Air Force has successfully tested an upgraded version of a modernized anti-ballistic missile from a testing facility in Kazakhstan. Some sources claim it is a new version of the nuclear-tipped interceptors protecting Moscow.

The new missile was test-fired on Thursday from the Sary Shagan testing range located in the steppe of Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The statement did not disclose the type of missile, but the ministry released a spectacular video showing the projectile being transported in a container on a heavy truck, loaded into a silo and then fired.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Impressive video.

Putin: Russia Working On Penetrating Any Anti-Missile Shield

Vladimir Putin© Mikhail Metsel/TASS

Tass: Putin: Russia to develop strike systems capable of penetrating any missile defense shield

According to the Russian president, the true goal of the US missile defense shield is to neutralize Russia’s nuclear potential

SOCHI, November 10. /TASS/. Russia will be developing strike systems capable of penetrating any missile defense shield, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

"We’ll be working on the anti-missile defense system as well, but at the first stage, as we have said on many occasions, we’ll also be working on strike systems capable of penetrating any anti-missile defense shield," Putin said at a meeting on the development of the Russian Armed Forces.

Putin said the meeting would discuss the development of such weapon systems that would determine the outlook of the Russian Armed Forces for the next decade and will become a response to the challenges confronted by Russia.

More News On Russian President Putin's Remarks That Russia Will Be Deploying New Weapons To Counter The U.S. Missile Shield

Putin: US missile defense aimed at neutralizing Russia nukes, N. Korea & Iran just a cover -- RT
Putin: Russia to deploy new weapons to counter U.S. missile shield -- CBS/AP
Russia working to pierce 'any missile shield': Putin -- AFP

Japan To Develop Missile-Detecting Drones

The Ultimate Missile Defense: Drones? -- J. Michael Cole, The Diplomat

When back in April North Korea launched what the international community claimed was a ballistic missile, the country that had the most to fear from the launch — Japan — failed to track it, raising anxiety in Tokyo that its defenses against a missile attack by Pyongyang were insufficient.

Ironically, the reason why Japan’s ground radars and Aegis destroyers, backed by U.S. early-warning surveillance satellites, were unable to track the launch is because the launch was a failure: the object, which Pyongyang all along maintained was an orbiter, never reached high enough an altitude to allow for its detection.

Read more ....

More News On Japan To Develop Missile-Detecting Drones

Report: Japan To Develop Missile-Detecting Drone -- Defense News/AFP
Japan plans development of missile-tracking UAVs -- NextGov
Japan To Develop UAVs To Detect Nuclear Missiles -- Defense World
Japan developing unmanned drones to counter China, North Korea attacks -- Japan Daily Press
Missile-tracking drones may scan skies from FY20 -- Daily Yomiuri Online

Arrow 2 Missile Defense System Successfully Tested

Arrow air defence weapon system concept. Defpro

Arrow 2 Missile Defense Successfully Tested -- Jerusalem Post

Missile defense system tested off California coast, destroys simulated Iranian missile; Barak calls development a milestone.

Israel conducted a successful test of the Arrow 2 ballistic missile defense system off the coast of California early on Tuesday morning, when it destroyed a target simulating an Iranian ballistic missile.

It was the 18th test of the Arrow, and the second in which the modified Arrow 2 was tested in its entirety, along with the Green Pine radar manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.

Read more ....

More News On The Arrow 2 missile Test

Arrow Test Hits Target, Validates New Software -- Defense News
Israel tests Arrow 2 anti-missile system -- Ynet News
Joint U.S.-Israel Arrow Weapon System Intercepts Target During Successful Missile Defense Test -- Defpro News
Israeli Arrow Antimissile System Eliminates Target in Test -- Global Security Newswire
'Arrow' Tested Successfully on US West Coast -- Arutz Sheva
Israel and U.S. successfully test anti-missile system -- Haaretz

Is There Any Way To Defend Against A Ballistic Missile?

From New Scientist:

IS THERE any way to stop a ballistic missile? It's a question raised by a report criticising the US government's missile interceptor plan for Europe.

Ted Postol of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and George Lewis of Cornell University analysed publicly released videos of tests of the Standard Missile 3 (SM-3), which the US plans to deploy on ships in the Black Sea. The SM-3 is a surface-to-air missile with extra power and sensors. Though its low weight gives it the flexibility to be launched at sea, the researchers reckon only one or two of the 10 tests destroyed a warhead. The analysis was published in the May issue of Arms Control Today.

Read more ....

An Analysis On Ballistic Missile Defense From The CBO

CBO On Ballistic Missile Defense -- Information Dissemination

On Wednesday Matthew S. Goldberg, CBO’s Acting Assistant Director of the National Security Division, testified before the House Budget Committee regarding the long-term implications of the fiscal year 2010 budget submission for the Department of Defense (DoD). The statement released with his testimony is here (PDF), and below is the CBO cost projections of the ballistic missile defense decision.

DoD’s Plans to Change Ground-Based Missile Defense Systems. In April 2009 the Secretary of Defense announced plans to freeze the current number of ground-based interceptors in Alaska as part of the ground-based midcourse missile defense system that is intended to defend the United States against limited ballistic missile attacks from North Korea or Iran. The plan would continue funding for research and development to improve the nation’s ability to defend against long-range ballistic missiles. DoD also announced plans to upgrade six Navy Aegis warships to perform the ballistic missile defense mission at a total cost of $200 million.

Read more ....

My Comment: Another good review and analysis on the costs and logistics behind certain aspects of missile defense.

Russia Starting To Voice Their Concerns On US Missile Defense Plans

Russia Concerned By U.S. Missile Shield Talks With Non-NATO States -- RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is concerned by U.S. missile defense talks with countries outside NATO, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday.

The statement came following reports on talks between the United States and Ukraine on the possible use of the latter's radars or deployment of a new radar in the ex-Soviet state as part of the American missile defense program.

Read more ....

More News On Russia's Reaction To U.S. Missile Defense

Russia says concerned over U.S. missile defense talks -- Washington Post/Reuters
Reports: Russia warns US on missile defense -- AP
Russia says questions remain over U.S. missile-defense plans -- RIA Novosti
"Questions" Remain Over New U.S. Missile Defense Plan, Russia Says -- Global Security Newswire

My Comment: The Russian press has been acting as the bull horn for Russian government and military officials who are deeply concerned with the direction that U.S. missile defense is now taking in Europe and the Middle East .... and to say that they are concerned is an understatement.

Unlike the anti-missile defense system that was to be positioned in Poland, the Aegis system has been proven to work .... and U.S. intent is to now position this system (in large numbers) in the Middle East and neighboring states. The fact that the Ukraine has been approached for providing a base to assist in the radar/tracking aspects of this anti-missile defense system has only furthered increased anxieties in Moscow.

I expect a tipping point to be reached in which U.S. - Russian relations are going to be the following .... one side accommodating and friendly, and on the other side to be hostile and confrontational. Either way .... we are all heading into rough waters and a period of time in which doubts and a lack of trust will be the symbol of U.S. - Russian relations.