Japan, South Korea and Australia urge US to boost BMD

Alarmed by the potential danger from an unpredictable Kim Jong-un, South Korea and Japan are upgrading their cooperation with the United States to counter ballistic missile threats.

In addition, “Australia has signed on to cooperate with American ballistic missile defense systems in north Asia, and has welcomed both the larger U.S. Marine presence in Darwin and the prospect of more joint naval cooperation in the region,” Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported.

Poland urges NATO

NATO’s 28 members decided in 2010 to create a missile shield based on US technology.

The project is due to be completed in 2020, with significant elements in Romania and Poland. But last monday Poland urged NATO’s new secretary general to push ahead with the missile shield system amid the West’s worst standoff with Russia since the Cold War.

Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, who chose Warsaw for his first foreign visit, said Poland is "a key contributor to our missile defence system.” Stoltenberg, who took over as NATO chief on 1st October, insisted that Russia must reverse course in Ukraine but stressed that the alliance remains open to a constructive relationship with Moscow.

Tension mounted further after Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted last month as saying that “if I wanted, Russian troops could not only be in Kiev in two days, but in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw or Bucharest, too.” The escalation of tensions with Russia since January over its role in the Ukraine crisis has sounded the alarm on NATO’s eastern flank in countries that were under Moscow’s thumb during the Soviet era.

The Western defence alliance insists the role of the planned shield is a “purely defensive” response to external threats, notably from so-called “rogue states”, and is in no way directed against Russia. “We firmly support the creation of this system as a pan-NATO one because only this makes deep sense both politically and in terms of defence,” Poland’s President Bronislaw Komorowski said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “Poland is determined to build its missile shield and air defence system — it’s important not only for Poland — and we uphold our obligations for the US portion of this project,” stated.

Growing US-Japan military ties

According to reports, Japan and the United States are revising their mutual defence guidelines to pursue a wider partnership. The US, in an interim report released on Wednesday, said that the new guidelines "are in response to new threats extant in the world and to a new willingness of Japan to embrace a greater role in the world".

US to supply FGM-148 Javelin to Estonia

Approved by the US State Department, the sale of 350 Javelin guided missiles, along with 120 command launch units with integrated day / thermal sight, 102 battery coolant units, 16 enhanced performance basic skills trainers and 102 missile simulation rounds, for an estimated amount of $55M, is expected to improve Estonia's capability to address existing and future threats, and also provide greater security for its critical infrastructure.

Equipped with an automatic self-guidance system, the FGM-148 Javelin is a portable, shoulder-fired anti-tank guided missile, suitable for operations against existing and future threats from armoured combat vehicles, in all environments. Fired from the shoulder or from a vehicle-mounted lightweight multiple launcher, the missile can also engage helicopters in direct-attack mode in theatre, and is armed with a top attack-dual warhead capability that can defeat all known enemy armour systems.

Han Min-koo, upbeat

During a parliamentary audit in the ministry building in Seoul, Defense Minister Han Min-gu said that he was looking at the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, a key element of the global U.S. missile defense program, from a standpoint of national security: "Given that the operational coverage of the THAAD is wide, should it be deployed here, it would help the defense of South Korea.”

In its parliamentary policy briefing, the ministry also said the number of North Korean summertime drills doubled this year, and that the North has gradually increased its strike capabilities: Over the last two years, the North has increased its number of multiple rocket launch systems by some 300. Currently the figure stands at 5,100, an increase from a 2012 estimate of 4,800, according to data from the ministry.

Seoul has been reluctant to openly talk about the issue of the THAAD deployment as it could cause diplomatic friction with Beijing and Moscow, which believe that the deployment could potentially target them in case of a crisis, but “While the assets that are available to cope with the North’s nuclear and missile threats are limited, the deployment of the THAAD would help ensure South Korea’s security and defense,” said Han during the audit.

Raytheon awarded USAF contract to develop 3DELRR

"As the U.S. and other countries look to replace aging battlefield radars with low-cost yet cutting edge and highly capable systems, Raytheon's 3DELRR can meet that growing demand," said Andrew Hajek, Raytheon's 3DELRR Program Director.

"By choosing Raytheon's 3DELRR solution, the Air Force is purchasing an affordable, exportable radar," said David Gulla, Vice President, Global Integrated Sensors at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "Raytheon's 3DELRR design is interoperable with coalition systems and capable of meeting the requirements of many international customers."

Raytheon's 3DELRR system is a Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based radar that operates in the C-band of the radio frequency spectrum. By using GaN, Raytheon was able to affordably increase the radar's range, sensitivity and search capabilities. C-band also offers the military increased flexibility because that portion of the spectrum is relatively uncongested.

The total contract, including all options, is currently estimated at $71.8 million and includes the procurement of an additional three radar systems, for a total of six radar systems and product support. The radar, called the Three Dimensional Expeditionary Long Range Radar, or 3DELRR, is one of the first programs under the DoD's Better Buying Power initiative to be designed for exportability, enabling U.S. forces, allies and security partners to benefit from the system.

3DELRR will replace radars, such as the Vietnam-era AN/TPS-75, which are no longer able to keep pace with current and emerging threats.

Brazil looks to Russia

Brazil needs to upgrade its ground-based air defenses, and has chosen Russian equipment to do so.

Protecting the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is very much on Brazil’s mind, and so is improving anti-aircraft defenses beyond the current stock of SA-18 Igla shoulder-fired missiles and Gepard mobile anti-aircraft guns.

What they’re buying won’t give them anything close to a comprehensive IADS system, but it will upgrade their mobile and short-range options.

Brazil’s Choices

SA-24 Igla-S: An upgraded version of the SA-18, with a proximity fuze and other enhancements. It can be carried and fired by troops in the field, or mounted on vehicles or helicopters using Strelets 4-missile launchers.

SA-22 Pantsir S1: Designed for mobile low-level air defense, it can be mounted on trucks, wheeled armored vehicles, and tracked vehicles. It combines twin 30 mm guns with 12 57E6 radar-guided surface-to-air missiles that reach out to 12 km/ 10 miles, and up to 10,000 m altitude. Sensors include targeting and tracking radars, with an electro-optical system for passive scanning.

57E6-E: A brief look

Description

The 57E6-E is a two-stage, solid-fuel, medium-range surface-to-air missile extremely flexible which allows for engagement of airborne threats at ranges from 1.2 to 20 kilometers and altitudes from 5 to 10,000 meters. It may engage both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and strike missiles/bombs flying near Mach 3 (1,000 m/s). The 57E6 has been integrated into the Pantsyr-S1 short-range mobile air defense system where 8 to 12 missiles are carried within. Typically, two of such missiles are directed against a single target to maximize kill probability.

Applications

Defense Systems Pantsyr-S1 and Pantsyr-SM

Specifications

Number of stages: 2

Max Range: 20,000 meter

Min Range: 1,200 meter

Target's Max Altitude: 10,000 meter (32,808 foot)

Target's Max Speed: 1,000 mps (3.01 mach)

Warhead: 20 kilogram

Weight: 75 kilogram

CFD Simulations on Missile Underground Launch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjP_ehKv7vU