DEFCON 5

There are currently no imminent nuclear threats against the United States at this time, but let us go summarize the today-and-now status quo regarding the main actors on the main stages of a possible WW3

UNITED STATES vs RUSSIA

As the United States continues to consider withdrawing from the intermediate range nuclear weapon treaty, Russia has warned of an “efficient response” if the United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, implicity threatening any country that hosts U.S. nuclear weapons.

INDIA vs PAKISTAN and CHINA

• India’s first domestically built nuclear-powered submarine has completed its first patrol in a signal to both Pakistan and China and now says its nuclear triad is complete.
• China has begun construction on third aircraft carrier

IRAN

Iran has test-fired a medium range ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads.

NORTH KOREA vs UNITED STATES and SOUTH KOREA

• North Korea has threatens to restart nuclear weapons programme if U.S. does not provide sanctions relief.
• It must be noted that North Korea has continued to expand operations at its main nuclear site and that South Korea spy agency have reported that North Korea is continuing to miniaturize nuclear warheads.
• United States say it may resume large-scale joint military exercises with South Korea if there continues to be no tangible progress on the denuclearization of North Korea.

RUSSIA vs UKRAINE

• Russia has attacked and captured Ukraine vessels in the Sea of Azov.
• While Ukraine makes noises of war, no other country seems to be moving in that direction.
• The United States has stated that the current crises is an European problem, indicating that the U.S. will not get involved.
• Additionally, Germany has refused a request to get involved.
• This does not mean that escalation is not possible.
• This is highly dependent on what Russia will do and how NATO will respond. 

Additive Manufacturing for Hypersonic Missile Warheads

Designing a warhead for high velocities is dramatically different than designing a normal warhead, as it needs to be shaped differently to ensure the fragmentation occurs as intended against the target.

Using decades of experience in developing and fielding advanced warheads, Orbital ATK has designed, built and validated a new missile warhead for hypersonic speeds in less than 60 days.

In words of Pat Nolan -Vice President and General Manager of Missile Products at Orbital ATK- “Successfully completing an R&D program in less than 60 days does not happen by accident. There are very few companies that can offer a similar combination of technical expertise and schedule responsiveness, and our deep heritage in high speed systems as well as warheads, fuzes and rocket motors, enables our team to develop innovative technologies that will ultimately help the warfighter be ready for challenges on the battlefield and able to execute their missions reliably, precisely and safely.”

Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier.

Its main products include:

• Advanced aerospace structures
• Launch vehicles and related propulsion systems
• Missile products, subsystems and defense electronics
• Precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition
• Satellites and associated space components and services

Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 14,000 people across the U.S. and in several international locations. 

Additive Manufacturing with SiOC, key for hypersonic missiles

Scientists at the Aerospace Systems Directorate (ASD) searching for new thermocouple radiation shields, are very interested in the Silicon OxyCarbide (SiOC) because of its potential for building missiles capable to flight at continuous hypersonic speed.

Specifically, the refractory qualities of the SiOC, its ability to maintain strength and form at high temperatures, and the geometric complexity offered by Additive Manufacturing have a wide range of Air Force applications. This is the reason why nowadays, the ASD is researching into applications for the 3D printed SiOC under a Collaborative Research and Development – Material Transfer Agreement (CRADA-MTA) between the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Aerospace Systems Directorate and HRL Laboratories, a research center owned by Boeing and  General Motors Corporation.

Additive manufacturing to develop advanced warheads

In words of Richard Truitt -Orbital ATK’s program manager for warhead development programs- “Additive Manufacturing allows us to make complicated geometries, which would benefit a hypersonics application, without the nasty, long schedule,” .

And beyond building warheads rapidly for testing, manufacturing them using 3D Printing capabilities would likely drive down the cost because instead of a machinist starting with a solid chunk of steel or aluminum, which is expensive, and throwing away 99 percent of it, there is no waste. “It’s an enabling technology for us to design and deliver weapons or warheads and get them to the warfighter,” Truitt said.

In what is a major first for the company, Orbital ATK announced the successful test of a partially-3D printed warhead designed for hypersonic weapons. Taking place on March 29, the testing comes just sixty days after conception, with three out of five of the warhead’s major components made using Additive Manufacturing. Speaking to Defense News, Orbital said the test aimed to examine what effects the fragmentation will have on various targets.

Orbital ATK’s efforts are among many initiatives both within U.S. industry and the Defense Department to stay ahead of peer competitors Russia and China, who are both heavily engaged in developing hypersonic weapons. Orbital decided to try Additive Manufacturing on a warhead design for hypersonic applications because the Defense Department is moving full speed ahead with hypersonic technology development in the coming years as it decides how it will employ such weapons.

The company has developed its LEO (Lethality Enhanced Ordnance) warhead capability and some modeling techniques to help look at fragmentation design on certain target sets. In words of Pat Nolan -vice president and general manager of Orbital ATK’s missile products division- “Now we’re coupling our rocket motor hypersonic experience with our warhead design experience to design a warhead that can survive at high speeds, high temperatures, when you’re going that fast,”. The company wants to be ready with the right modeling when hypersonic weapons prototypes and testing begin to ramp up, and the data obtained in the test will be used to measure up against what the engineers believed would happen based on modeling and simulation. The test itself was conducted in a traditional arena where the warhead is hung from above and metal panels surround it in a half circle that are designed to measure how the fragmentation from the warhead disperses upon detonation. High-speed cameras are rigged to measure the velocity of the fragmentation. Another two panels that consist of layers of material -in this case housing insulation- are designed to capture shrapnel in order for the pieces to be measured as well as the depth of perforation.

The 50 lb (22 Kg) warhead went from conception to test in 60 days, according to Truitt. The team began designing the warhead at the start of February, he said, and using Additive Manufacturing to build a large portion of the components cut out at least a month and a half to manufacture the warhead. “If you walk around it, you will see it’s not a cylinder, it’s got some really complicated dimensions. Getting that part in that dimension in a very short time is nearly impossible,” Truitt said. Orbital received the hardware to build the warhead in less than two weeks, he added. “We are really happy to do this test with additive manufactured parts because it is going to tell us, does that actually function the way a normal component would,” Truitt said prior to the test. 

Aegis Ashore deployment in Japan will affect ties of Moscow and Tokyo

The deployment of U.S.-made Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense systems in Japan will affect ties of Moscow and Tokyo, including the dialogue on a peace treaty, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday 28.

She mentioned that the systems are equipped with universal launchers that are also capable of using attack weapons. "In practice, this will mean a new violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by the U.S. with practical assistance from Japan," Zakharova stressed.

On December 19, the Japanese government made the decision to deploy two Aegis Ashore missile defense systems in the north and southwest of the country’s main island of Honshu, tentatively in 2023. Japan maintains that they are aimed at securing the country against ballistic and maybe cruise missiles. These systems will be bought from the U.S. and will cost Japan an equivalent of about $889 million each.

"Once again we are calling on the Japanese counterparts to consider whether it is in their interests to become involved in violating the INF Treaty. The U.S. has been deploying them at the military bases in Romania and Poland, which is next to our western border, thus violating the INF Treaty of 1987, which outlaws use of such systems ashore." Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also stressed.

U.S., Japan to reinforce deployment of guided missile destroyers

Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun reported today ballistic missile defense, built around the Aegis Combat System, is being "doubled" with the deployment of eight Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

The reinforcements of U.S. warships follow the May 14 launch of a new North Korean mid range ballistic missile. KCNA had stated at the time the missile could carry a heavy nuclear warhead. The two countries are expected to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral security measures in an upcoming "2+2" ministerial meeting of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee, on July 14.

Tokyo recently decided to deploy a land-based component of a missile interceptor system, the Aegis Ashore, to enhance the country's ability to respond to the launch of North Korean ballistic missiles.

THAAD seen as capable of intercepting N.K. mid-range missile

The advanced U.S. missile defense system THAAD is believed to be capable of intercepting North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missiles if it is deployed in South Korea, Seoul's defense chief said Friday.

North Korea claimed Thursday that it has succeeded in test-firing its mid-range missile, boasting of its capacity to hit U.S. forces in the Pacific region. "The deployment of THAAD will help South Korea's move to counter the North's missile threats," Defense Minister Han Min-koo told reporters.

The minister said that more information is needed to check THAAD's capability to intercept the North's mid-range missiles, but generally, the system is believed to be up to the task. Seoul and Washington have been discussing the potential deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in South Korea, where about 28,500 American troops are stationed.

The allies' move is aimed at countering the North's evolving missile threats amid concerns about the technical progress of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. On Wednesday, the North fired off what is believed to be two Musudan mid-range missiles, marking its fifth and sixth launches since April. The Musudan missile, with an estimated range of some 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers, could theoretically reach any target in Japan and fly as far as the U.S. territory of Guam.

The North's first five attempts to test-fire the missile failed, but the sixth one flew about 400 kilometers after being launched at a higher angle Wednesday. The North's latest move raises concerns about advances made in the country's nuclear and missile capabilities. Pyongyang is seeking to develop a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland. South Korea's military said that it is too early to conclude the North's test was a total success, but experts said that if the North did not launch the missile at a higher angle, it could have traversed on a normal trajectory.

Han said that North Korea could test-fire an ICBM or a submarine-launched missile in a bid to show off its military prowess. "We do not rule out the possibility of an additional nuclear test by North Korea," he said. South Korea is speeding up the development of the indigenous Korea Air and Missile Defense system. A pre-emptive missile destruction system, the so-called Kill Chain, is also under development to detect and strike North Korea's missile and nuclear facilities. The North conducted its fourth nuke test in January and launched a long-range rocket in the following month, drawing international condemnation. The country is banned from using ballistic missile technology under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.