U.S. Plans:  Officials Might Expand Airborne Laser Mission

U.S. Defense Department officials are considering using the developing Airborne Laser system to defend against a broad spectrum of missiles, Space & Missile reported today (see GSN, July 24).

The Airborne Laser is currently being developed to defend against theater ballistic missiles, but it could be used against intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to Air Force Col. Ellen Pawlikowski.

“With the ABM [Antiballistic Missile] Treaty going away, we are looking now at the full spectrum of missiles, not just the theater class, and how we best fit in with other members of the ballistic missile defense system,” she said.

However, Pawlikowski said the program will require some minor improvements.

“There will be certain things that will be redesigned, smaller pieces and components, but we’re sticking with the same basic design,” she said (Ray Nelson, Space & Missile, Aug. 4).

Back to top

U.S. Plans:  Defense Department Suspends Space-Based Kinetic Interceptor

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has suspended plans to develop a space-based kinetic weapon to intercept ballistic missiles in their boost phases, Defense Daily reported today (see GSN, July 15).

The agency is still developing plans for a ground-based version of the program, but officials decided the technology for a space-based weapon was not mature enough to move forward.  The Pentagon has cancelled planned industry days on the space-based program.

“With the funding constraints and anticipated cuts to the boost-phase accounts in the FY ’04 defense bill, the space-based boost just does not fit,” an industry official said (see GSN, July 3).  The program, however, has not been shelved completely, Defense Daily reported (Kerry Gildea, Defense Daily, Aug. 1).

Back to top

U.S. Plans I:  Air Force Will Launch Ballistic Missile Targets From Aircraft

U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft will begin launching ballistic missile targets over the Pacific Ocean in November, Space & Missile reported today (see GSN, July 9).

“They wanted to do a lot of tests and evaluations at some locations where we just can’t provide the targets,” said Air Force Col. Nat Thongchua, director of the Rocket Systems Launch Program.  “We had to come up with a way of launching a target from anywhere.  The concept came up and it was called the Air Launched Target,” he added.

The air-launched missiles can be used to test any form of interceptor and the cost is the same as a ground-launched target, Thongchua said.  The first test of the new target is scheduled to take place at Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands (Ray Nelson, Space & Missile, July 28).

Back to top

U.S.-Russia:  Mistrust Could Hamper Missile Defense Cooperation, Russian General Says

Lingering mistrust between the United States and Russia could jeopardize the two countries’ efforts to cooperate on missile defense development, Russian Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said today (see GSN, July 16).

Baluyevsky said there was concern over the U.S. decision to upgrade radar stations located in Greenland (see GSN, March 6) and the United Kingdom as part of missile defense efforts (see GSN, Feb. 6).  Those stations would be ineffective in tracking a ballistic missile launched from the Middle East or North Korea, he said.

“That means that the theorists and pragmatists in Washington fear that the threat is coming from Russia — for example in the form of an unsanctioned rocket launch,” Baluyevsky said (Agence France-Presse, July 28).

Back to top

U.S. Plans II:  Miniature Kill Vehicle Development Plans Advance

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Army have decided to choose a single defense contractor to develop miniature kill vehicles for U.S. missile defenses, Defense Daily reported today (see GSN, April 10, 2002).

The agency and the Army have decided, after months of debate, to award three concept definition contracts and then choose one contractor to proceed with the development of the vehicles, a program official said.  Previously, there had been discussion of choosing two concepts, instead of only one, for further development, Defense Daily reported (Kerry Gildea, Defense Daily, July 28)

Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP