Aegis: ¿Sabes qué es?

En los últimos meses, los españoles estamos encontrando frecuentes referencias al sistema Aegis en los medios de comunicación. Vamos a tratar en este Post de ofrecer algunas nociones básicas sobre este sistema.

Aegis (del griego αἰγίς, aigís) corresponde a la denominación del componente marítimo del sistema defensivo contra misiles balísticos desarrollado por la MDA (Missile Defense Agency) en cooperación con la US Navy. Lo componen buques de guerra que poseen la capacidad de interceptar y destruir misiles balísticos de corto y medio alcance, lanzados desde posiciones enemigas.

¿Cómo se intercepta un misil enemigo?

La interceptación y destrucción de misiles balísticos es realizada a su vez por otros misiles lanzados desde un buque de guerra. Más concretamente:

• Misiles interceptores SM-3 (Standard Missile 3) para interceptar los misiles balísticos en su fase de vuelo intermedia; esto es, en su fase de vuelo fuera de la atmósfera. Los SM-3 se lanzan desde buques dotados de sistemas MK 41 de lanzamiento vertical, y durante su trayectoria reciben desde el buque datos en tiempo real sobre la posición, velocidad, aceleración y trayectoria del objetivo, cuya destrucción se realiza por pura energía cinética (más de 130 megajulios, para ser más exactos). Algo así como interceptar una bala disparándole otra bala.

• Misiles interceptores SM-2 Block-IV (Standard Missile 2 Block IV) para interceptar los misiles balísticos en su fase de vuelo terminal; esto es, en su fase de vuelo descendente una vez dentro de la atmósfera. La destrucción se realiza gracias a que el misil lleva una cabeza explosiva, que estalla tras interceptar el objetivo, destruyéndolo.

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Asesoría en Impresión 3D y Manufactura Aditiva

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Raytheon Wins $3 Billion Missile Systems Contract

Raytheon Company will be awarded a $3 billion contract to supply missile systems to the U.S. Defense Department.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency notified Raytheon that it will award the company, when funds are appropriated, a sole-source contract, because it is the "only source that currently possesses the in-depth technical knowledge of the system to satisfactorily perform the work."

The three-year contract will cover manufacture and integration of up to 216 Standard Missile-3 SM-3 Block IB missiles, or 72 per year, starting in 2015. It is part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program, the Missile Defense Agency was quoted as saying by Reuters. "We're confident in the SM-3 Block IB's readiness for production, and we remain on track to deliver this critical capability in support of phase two of the European Phased Adaptive Approach in 2015," Raytheon said in a statement.

S. Korea seeks multi-layered missile defense

South Korea will speed up building its own missile defense aimed at low-flying targets, while seeking ways to develop "multi-layered" deterrence against North Korea. 

Seoul has been gradually building an independent, low-tier missile shield called the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), with mid-term plans to acquire the latest Patriot missiles and long-range early warning radars.

In addition to the terminal phase system, the defense ministry said it is considering multi-layered defense to effectively strike ballistic missiles coming from different altitudes. "Our military is establishing a low-tier terminal-phase KAMD considering the range of North Korea's incoming ballistic missiles. It was reflected in the military acquisition plan and will be completed faster than expected," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing. "Our military is also looking into various measures to bolster the terminal phase, low-altitude defense to effectively counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threat."

Kim didn't specify weapons systems, but he excluded the Standard Missile-3, which intercepts missiles at an altitude over 400-500 kilometers, from the shopping list. Although there have been calls to adopt the long-range missile defense to establish a multi-layered shield against the North, Seoul's defense ministry has remained cautious over the American missile program as it could spur a regional arms race involving China and further contribute to mounting costs in the national missile program. Kim's remark raised speculation that Seoul is seeking to adopt systems like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) by Lockheed Martin as a possible next step. THAAD is designed to shoot down short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles in their terminal phase, using a hit-to-kill method.

Seoul has been pushing to bolster its defense against the communist rival after it successfully fired off a long-range rocket last December. Pyongyang claims the launch was aimed at putting a satellite into orbit, but Seoul and Washington consider it as a covert ballistic-missile technology test. Military experts say operating missile defense at different altitudes could provide enhanced protection against North Korea's mid- and long-range ballistic missiles.

Raytheon's Standard Missile-6 Exhibit Capabilities

The U.S. Navy fired two Raytheon Company Standard Missile-6 interceptors from the USS Chancellorsville, successfully engaging two cruise missile targets (BQM-74 drones) in the missile's first over-the-horizon test scenario at sea.

The SM-6 will provide U.S. Navy sailors and their vessels extended  range protection against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles as part of the Naval Integrated Fire Control - Counter Air (NIFC-CA) mission area. "The SM-6's ability to engage threats at significantly greater ranges than other missiles in its class is a game changer for the U.S. Navy," said Jim Normoyle, Raytheon Missile Systems' SM-6 program director.

In February, Raytheon delivered the first SM-6 from its new $75 million, 70,000 square-foot SM-6 and Standard Missile-3 all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. In May, a Defense Acquisition Board approved full-rate production of the SM-6 missile. "SM-6 combines the best of our SM-2, SM-3 and AMRAAM missiles, providing an enhanced anti-air warfare and over-the-horizon capability at a reduced cost," said Mike Campisi, Raytheon Missile Systems' senior director of Standard Missile-1, -2, and -6 programs. "We have delivered more than 50 missiles ahead of schedule and under cost, and we remain on track to reach initial operating capability in 2013."

 

About the SM-6

SM-6 delivers a proven over-the-horizon air defense capability by leveraging the time-tested advantages of the Standard Missile's airframe and propulsion.

• The SM-6 uses both active and semiactive guidance modes and advanced fuzing techniques.
• It incorporates the advanced signal processing and guidance control capabilities from Raytheon's Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

Raytheon Awarded $126M SM-3 Contract

 

Raytheon has won a $126 million contract modification to procure components for Standard Missile-3 missile production. (Read more)

Russia Tests ‘Missile Defense Killer’

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the defense industry, hailed Thursday’s tests as a success and dubbed the new ICBM a “missile defense killer.”: “Neither current nor future American missile defense systems will be able to prevent that missile from hitting a target dead on,” he said, during an event organized by the ruling United Russia party. (Read more)

Japan Plans More Aggressive Defense

 

Japan is considering several options to boost its BMD portfolio, consisting of four Kongo-class destroyers and two larger Atago-class Aegis cruisers, and PAC-3 units. While the 2009 version of the proposals specifically mentions purchasing THAAD and an “advanced” version of the PAC-3, the new version recommends strengthening land-based BMD, leaving Japan a choice between purchasing either THAAD or the Aegis Ashore land-based version of the Aegis system, and the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) system for last-ditch interdiction. Japanese defense planners see cruise missiles in general and China’s DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile in particular as growing threats. This means that on top of the planned upgrades to employ the SM-3 Block IIA Aegis system when it becomes available, Japan also is considering purchasing the extended-range anti-air warfare RIM-174 missile. (Read more)

 

 

La tecnología de la SDI sigue suscitando dudas

 

Tres décadas desde que Ronald Reagan lanzara su Iniciativa de Defensa Estratégica, el sistema defensivo antimisiles sigue en activo, y está basado en el uso de misiles interceptores SM-3 colocados a bordo de buques de guerra cuando no ocultos bajo tierra en silos de Alaska y California.

 

Si bien su tecnología es de última generación, este sistema defensivo antimisiles continúa paradójicamente suscitando algunas dudas basadas en la presunta vulnerabilidad de su tecnología, que vamos a ver a continuación.

 

1) En las pruebas efectuadas periódicamente, los interceptores SM-3 (los mismos que utiliza la OTAN para su escudo antimisiles) han alcanzado el blanco en 25 de 30 tests.

 

2) Por si este 20% de errores no fuera suficiente, algunos científicos han alertado ante la posibilidad de que ese porcentaje pudiera aumentar con facilidad, haciendo uso de técnicas de distracción tales como lanzar una batería de misiles, atacar y destruir los radares de control, o simplemente recurrir al lanzamiento de señuelos. Esta no es una posibilidad carente de fundamento, pues incluso los grandes defensores del programa, incluidos los oficiales navales que prestaron servicio en los buques de defensa antimisiles, dicen que los señuelos plantean un reto difícil de superar.

 

 

 

Russia: New ABM system S-500

 

The Russian military is developing and deploying an array of new and modernized anti-missile interceptors like an advanced S-500 missile defense system currently being built in addition to the already available, and very capable, S-400 and S-300 defenses.

 

Additionally, the Russians are upgrading the SH-08 nuclear-tipped anti-missile interceptors that have been deployed around Moscow for more than two decades. Other new Russian defenses with capabilities against both aircraft and missiles include SA-20 and SA-21 surface-to-air missiles, and a new advanced system called the SA-X-23, an advanced version of the S-300.

 

Thomas moore, a former strategic affairs specialist with the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said Russia plans to create a vast air and missile defense architecture in and among states of the former Soviet Union under the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

“Its recent announcement of the S-300 [air-missile defense] deployments to Belarus are an indicator of things to come,” Moore said, noting that open source reports indicated Moscow has developed a nuclear warhead for the S-300. (Read more)