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International Response: MTCR Changes Address Cruise Missile Proliferation By Mike Nartker The new definitions close a major loophole that “never should have been a loophole,” said Richard Speier, a former Pentagon official who helped negotiate the regime. They are “a great, great improvement.” The regime seeks to restrict the export of critical missile technologies by establishing common export controls among leading industrial nations. At a meeting last month in Warsaw, MTCR members agreed that range, as related to cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, would be the distance capable when flying at “range-maximizing” capability (see GSN, Oct. 2). This more explicit wording will help prevent cruise missile exporters from circumventing the MTCR by expressing a missile’s range as the distance capable when flying at sea level for stealth purposes, Speier said. Under the MTCR, the export of missile systems with a range greater than 300 kilometers and capable of carrying a payload greater than 500 kilograms is subject to a strong presumption of denial. In the late 1990s, controversy arose over a decision by the United Kingdom and France to sell Black Shaheen cruise missiles, which have a maximum range of 500 kilometers, to the United Arab Emirates. The two countries, both MTCR members, argued that the sale did not violate the regime because the missile’s range when flying at sea level was below 300 kilometers. Cruise missiles, however, do not have to continuously fly at sea level to avoid detection, according to Speier. Instead, the missile can fly at its range-maximizing altitude, extending its distance by a factor of three, until it approaches the target, Speier said. The new MTCR range definition will “make it doubly clear” which cruise missile and unmanned aerial vehicle exports will be covered by the regime, he said. During the Warsaw meeting, the MTCR members also agreed to a more explicitly worded definition of payload, which expands the term to cover support structures and countermeasures, as well as the warhead itself. This new definition addresses earlier ambiguity as to whether the 500-kilogram limit applied only to the warhead, Speier said. Some Regime Improvements Still Needed The changes to the MTCR control list did not address a small number of remaining technical issues, Speier said. For example, a better exploration of range-payload tradeoffs allowed under the MTCR is still needed, especially in relation to UAVs and cruise missiles, since these systems can be easily modified to lighten the warhead and add fuel, thereby increasing range, he said. For further information, see: Missile Technology Control Regime (U.S. State Department)
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