Latest news with #SM-6
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Uncertainty Over AN/TPY-6 Guam Missile Defense Radar Emerges
In January, the U.S. military moved to halt work on the new AN/TPY-6 radar, one of seven key elements of the huge new air and missile defense architecture taking shape on Guam, and its current status is now unclear. This underscores other important, but still unanswered questions about the plans to better protect the extremely strategic U.S. island territory in the Western Pacific, including the total personnel required and which services they will come from. In a memo to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on January 7, then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks directed the termination of all further development of AN/TPY-6, according to a report the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, published last week. Hicks left the post President Donald Trump took office later that month, being succeeded first by Robert Salesses (in an acting capacity) and then by Stephen Feinberg. At least as of December 2024, what is currently being called the Guam Defense System (GDS) was expected to eventually consist of seven core components. In addition to the AN/TPY-6, these included: an array of ground-based missile launchers based on the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors to go in those launchers, Mk 99 fire control systems (which includes AN/SPG-62 radar 'illuminators'), a Guam-specific version of the Aegis Ashore command and control system (the Aegis Guam System), and the Guam Command Center (GCC) facility. A single prototype AN/TPY-6, a Lockheed Martin design derived from that company's AN/SPY-7 Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) in Alaska. Other components, including smaller radars and shorter-range interceptors, could also be part of the final GDS configuration. However, 'other than system experimentation efforts, further development of the AN/TPY-6 radar shall be terminated,' Hicks' memo said, per GAO's report. 'The MDA shall prioritize remaining Aegis Guam System development funds toward delivering minimum viable Aegis C2 [command and control] and datalink capabilities to enable Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) engagements off remote tracks from AN/TPY-2 and LTAMDS over the JTMC [Joint Track Management Capability] bridge.' The AN/TPY-2 is an existing ground-based air and missile defense radar primarily associated with the U.S. Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system, but that can also be used as a stand-alone sensor. The LTAMDS (Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor) is a new radar that the Army is working to field now, primarily as an upgrade for the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. 'The Joint Track Management Capability (JTMC) bridge' refers to command and control upgrades intended 'to address the full set of PRC [People's Republic of China] missile threats to Guam and to achieve a Joint Tactical Integrated Fire Control (JTIFC) capability for coordinated battle management, combat identification, and electronic protection,' the GAO report said, also citing Hicks' January memo. Hicks also called on MDA to 'retain the single AN/TPY-6 panel currently on-island, with all associated flight test equipment, and maintain it in its current form as an experimental asset, with potential to develop for operational use within the GDS architecture in the future,' according to GAO. GAO's report does note that 'a DOD official told us these changes in the then-deputy secretary's classified memorandum are not binding on the new administration,' but does not say whether or not Hicks' directive with regard to the AN/TPY-6 was subsequently reversed. No further details about what may have prompted the move to terminate work on the radar are provided, which does not appear to have been previously disclosed. The AN/TPY-6 was used, without any reported issues, during the GDS' first live intercept of a surrogate ballistic missile last December. That test also marked the first time the radar had supported an end-to-end live-fire engagement. TWZ has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, MDA, and Lockheed Martin for more information about the current status of the AN/TPY-6. Even if the immediate decision to axe the AN/TPY-6 as part of the GDS has been reversed, the fact that the U.S. military had moved to cancel it still raises questions about its future and the broader plans for vastly expanding air and missile defenses on Guam. The overall focus of GAO's recently published report was to highlight serious ongoing uncertainty around personnel and other infrastructure requirements for the new defensive architecture, which is set to make the skies over and around the U.S. island territory some of the most heavily defended airspace on Earth. 'DOD has established organizations to manage the deployment of GDS and designated lead services for sustainment and operations,' GAO's report noted. 'However, DOD lacks a strategy to transfer responsibilities to their lead organizations. As a result, DOD risks schedule delays for the deployment of GDS elements and incomplete plans for organization, training, personnel levels, and facilities, among other things,' according to GAO. 'Moreover, although the Army officially joined JRM [the Joint Region Marianas] in February 2024, the Army has not identified its long-term strategy to advocate for construction priorities and installation support from the other military services. Without a strategy, the Army may continue to face delays in approval of construction projects and risks deploying additional personnel without installation support services in place.' MDA has projected in the past that the 805 personnel will be needed to support GDS by 2027, and that the figure will grow to 1,044 by 2031, but 'senior military officials told us the draft statement is just a benchmark for the military services, because the services still need to validate and fund those requirements,' per GAO. 'Since planning for GDS began in fiscal year 2022, DOD has not fully identified the required number of personnel or completed a deployment schedule for GDS units.' GAO said disputes between the Army and Navy over roles and responsibilities for certain components of the GDS that were resolved late last year had been a factor. The table below shows the lead entities that have been in charge of developing each of the system's seven core components, as well as Army recommendations for managing the operation and sustainment of those elements in 2023, and the final decisions that then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks made in November 2024. All of this has cascading impacts on work to build new infrastructure to support the GDS. The recently published GAO report also highlighted the still seriously limited infrastructure currently available to the Army's Task Force Talon on Guam, which operates and maintains a THAAD battery on the island now, despite those forces having been in place since 2013. As it stands now, GAO says the goal is for the first elements of the GDS to be deployed by Fiscal Year 2027, which aligns with previous statements from U.S. officials, and the complete system is scheduled to be in place by Fiscal Year 2032. Any significant delays to that timeline could have larger ramifications. Since 2021, expanding air and missile defenses on Guam has been a centerpiece of larger U.S. military efforts to reorient itself to preparing for future large-scale conflicts, especially a potential high-end fight with China in the Pacific. Guam is a vital hub for U.S. air and naval operations in the Western Pacific. It is also an important location for staging ground forces for onward movement across the region. In turn, being able to adequately protect key facilities on the island, including Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam, and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, especially from a growing array of Chinese ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic threats, is seen as critical. Various tiers of drones are also a real and still evolving threat. Guam could be a target for other adversaries, as well. Concerns about increasingly longer-range North Korean ballistic missiles prompted Task Force Talon's initial deployment more than a decade ago. The GDS plans also reflect the U.S. military's persistent preference to focus on expanding active air and missile defenses, together with new distributed concepts of operations, over improved passive defenses, such as building new hardened aircraft shelters. Critics, including members of Congress, have been increasingly warning that not investing in additional hardened infrastructure puts American forces at significant risk, particularly if a high-end conflict in the Pacific with China were to break out. U.S. officials have made clear that they do expect to have to fight from places like Guam while under attack in any such scenario. You can read more about this heated debate, which TWZ has been following closely, here. Whatever the fate of AN/TPY-6 radar might be now, the U.S. military still clearly has significant work to do in finalizing its plans for ensuring Guam is as shielded as possible from growing air and missile threats. Contact the author: joe@
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Videos Show US Destroyers Training To Intercept Ballistic Missiles
The United States demonstrated its naval power as a pair of destroyers intercepted ballistic missiles during live-fire drills in Europe, showcasing its combat credibility to potential adversaries. "The two destroyers' successful missile intercepts demonstrated the lethality of U.S. Navy systems and the ability to operate seamlessly with Allied nations to maintain a stable security environment," the Europe-headquartered U.S. Sixth Fleet announced on Thursday. U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers equipped with Aegis weapons systems to provide "integrated air and missile defense," regularly conduct missile tests. As of December 2023, a total of 49 Aegis-equipped ships capable of ballistic missile defense were in service. The missile intercept drills come as President Donald Trump revealed details of the $175 billion Golden Dome initiative, which aims at "forever ending the missile threat to the [U.S.] homeland" by building a multi-layered defense grid that includes space-based interceptors. The drills were part of Exercise At Sea Demonstration/Formidable Shield 25 (ASD/FS 25), which has been taking place in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean since May 3. It features air and missile defense drills against a range of threats. The three-week exercise aims to strengthen NATO interoperability in "a joint, live-fire, Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment," using the alliance's command and control reporting structures, according to Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO. Destroyer USS Thomas Hudner launched a Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) at a short-range ballistic missile target on May 15. Five days later, it and its sister ship, USS Bulkeley, intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target and a simulated target using a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor. Targets in both drills were "successfully engaged." According to U.S. major defense contractor Raytheon, the SM-3 is designed to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, while the SM-6 is described as "three missiles in one," capable of conducting anti-air, anti-surface, and ballistic missile defense missions. Depending on its variant, the SM-3 has an estimated range of 434 to 1,550 miles, while the multifunctional SM-6 has a reported range of up to 290 miles, according to specialist outlets Naval News and Breaking Defense. The actual ranges of these missiles remain classified. As of last October, five U.S. Navy anti-ballistic missile destroyers were homeported in Spain, providing "full coverage and protection" for NATO European countries against the threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. The U.S. Sixth Fleet said: "ASD/FS 25 includes a series of live-fire events against unmanned air and surface systems, subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets, incorporating multiple Allied ships, multi-nation/multi-service ground-based air defenses, and aviation forces working across battlespaces to deliver lethal effects, accomplish exercise objectives, and hone warfighting skills." Captain Michael Dwan, commander of the Task Group 154.64 and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO)'s U.S. Maritime Ballistic Missile Defense Assets Adviser, said: "Exercises like ASD/FS are critical for refining our collective integrated air and missile defense capabilities, ensuring we can respond effectively to any threat from any direction and maintain a credible deterrent posture." The U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported that a sixth destroyer based in Spain is scheduled to arrive at its new home port next year. These forward-deployed warships are intended to defend Europe against ballistic missile attacks from countries such as Iran. Related Articles India Ready to Raise US Oil Imports in Boost for TrumpMinuteman III vs Yars: US ICBM Passes Test Days After Russian Launch FlopsChinese Satellites Capture US Bombers and Jets at Island Air BaseNew US-Iran Nuclear Talks as Tensions Rise 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Videos Show US Destroyers Training To Intercept Ballistic Missiles
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States demonstrated its naval power as a pair of destroyers intercepted ballistic missiles during live-fire drills in Europe, showcasing its combat credibility to potential adversaries. "The two destroyers' successful missile intercepts demonstrated the lethality of U.S. Navy systems and the ability to operate seamlessly with Allied nations to maintain a stable security environment," the Europe-headquartered U.S. Sixth Fleet announced on Thursday. Why It Matters U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers equipped with Aegis weapons systems to provide "integrated air and missile defense," regularly conduct missile tests. As of December 2023, a total of 49 Aegis-equipped ships capable of ballistic missile defense were in service. The United States Navy destroyer USS Bulkeley launches a Standard Missile-3 interceptor to intercept a ballistic missile target in the North Atlantic on May 20, 2025. The United States Navy destroyer USS Bulkeley launches a Standard Missile-3 interceptor to intercept a ballistic missile target in the North Atlantic on May 20, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan Nye/U.S. Navy The missile intercept drills come as President Donald Trump revealed details of the $175 billion Golden Dome initiative, which aims at "forever ending the missile threat to the [U.S.] homeland" by building a multi-layered defense grid that includes space-based interceptors. What To Know The drills were part of Exercise At Sea Demonstration/Formidable Shield 25 (ASD/FS 25), which has been taking place in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean since May 3. It features air and missile defense drills against a range of threats. The three-week exercise aims to strengthen NATO interoperability in "a joint, live-fire, Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment," using the alliance's command and control reporting structures, according to Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO. Destroyer USS Thomas Hudner launched a Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) at a short-range ballistic missile target on May 15. Five days later, it and its sister ship, USS Bulkeley, intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target and a simulated target using a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor. Targets in both drills were "successfully engaged." According to U.S. major defense contractor Raytheon, the SM-3 is designed to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, while the SM-6 is described as "three missiles in one," capable of conducting anti-air, anti-surface, and ballistic missile defense missions. Depending on its variant, the SM-3 has an estimated range of 434 to 1,550 miles, while the multifunctional SM-6 has a reported range of up to 290 miles, according to specialist outlets Naval News and Breaking Defense. The actual ranges of these missiles remain classified. As of last October, five U.S. Navy anti-ballistic missile destroyers were homeported in Spain, providing "full coverage and protection" for NATO European countries against the threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. What People Are Saying The U.S. Sixth Fleet said: "ASD/FS 25 includes a series of live-fire events against unmanned air and surface systems, subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets, incorporating multiple Allied ships, multi-nation/multi-service ground-based air defenses, and aviation forces working across battlespaces to deliver lethal effects, accomplish exercise objectives, and hone warfighting skills." Captain Michael Dwan, commander of the Task Group 154.64 and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO)'s U.S. Maritime Ballistic Missile Defense Assets Adviser, said: "Exercises like ASD/FS are critical for refining our collective integrated air and missile defense capabilities, ensuring we can respond effectively to any threat from any direction and maintain a credible deterrent posture." What Happens Next The U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported that a sixth destroyer based in Spain is scheduled to arrive at its new home port next year. These forward-deployed warships are intended to defend Europe against ballistic missile attacks from countries such as Iran.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Shows Off New Missile Made for China Air War
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States showcased its airpower by displaying advanced air-to-air missiles in Japan, which are capable of defending a valuable aircraft carrier fleet from China's threats. A U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesperson told Newsweek that the AIM-174B missile, also known as the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Air-Launched Configuration (ALC), was operationally deployed. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment. Why It Matters The AIM-174B is the air-launched variant of the SM-6 missile, which was initially designed for deployment on surface warships. It is capable of executing missions for antiair and anti-surface warfare, as well as ballistic missile defense, with an estimated range of 290 miles. The introduction of this new air-to-air missile, which is equipped on U.S. Navy fighter jets, comes as China has been pursuing the development of anti-access/area denial capabilities, which seek to prevent American aircraft carriers from approaching the first island chain. The island chain is a naval blockade formed by Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, which are allies and partners of Washington, under a U.S. maritime containment strategy. It seeks to restrict China's military access to the wider Pacific Ocean using U.S.-aligned territories. What To Know On Sunday, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, an air base in the southwestern region of Japan's Honshu Island that's operated jointly by American and Japanese forces, hosted an opening event known as Friendship Day, highlighting the mutual support between the allies. A number of U.S. military aircraft were on display during the event, including a U.S. Navy F/A-18F fighter jet. An official released photo shows the aircraft carried two missiles under its left and right wings, which were identified by local visitors as the AIM-174B missiles. United States Navy aviators posing with an F/A-18F fighter jet during Friendship Day at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan on May 4. United States Navy aviators posing with an F/A-18F fighter jet during Friendship Day at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan on May 4. Lance Cpl. Rylan Adcock/U.S. Marine Corps The fighter aircraft, commonly known as the Super Hornet, is assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 102. The unit is attached to the Carrier Air Wing 5, an operational naval aviation organization that embarked aboard the Japan-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington. The aircraft carrier is homeported at Yokosuka naval base near Japan's capital city of Tokyo. It returned to its home port in November following maintenance work in Virginia. The specialist outlet the War Zone wrote that the AIM-174B missile would be able to intercept Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles, which pose a great threat to American aircraft carriers, if it retains the SM-6's ballistic missile defense capability, extending the fleet's defense layer. The new American missile would also make China's critical surveillance aircraft vulnerable, which provide and update targeting data to ship-sinking missiles, the War Zone said, making Chinese long-range weapons unusable or usable in a "highly degraded state." What People Are Saying A spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet told Newsweek: "The SM-6 ALC integrated advanced technology into weapon systems will be executed incrementally to balance today's readiness with tomorrow's capabilities." The specialist outlet the War Zone reported: "China poses a major threat to carrier strike groups unlike any we have seen, ever. The height of the Soviet-era cruise missile threat was quite remarkable, but Beijing's ability to layer in many types of anti-ship weapons, including anti-ship ballistic missiles of various types, especially those with very-long range, is a uniquely vexing problem." The specialist outlet Naval News reported: "With the induction of AIM-174B into service, the U.S. Navy joins allies and adversaries in fielding an extra long range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM)." What Happens Next It remains to be seen when the AIM-174B missile will be deployed aboard the George Washington. The aircraft carrier remained at its home port as of Wednesday, according to a Kanagawa prefecture government website that tracks port visits by U.S. nuclear-powered warships.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reduced funding slows MDA's hypersonic interceptor development
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways The Missile Defense Agency is facing a roughly three-year delay in its plan to deliver an interceptor capable of defeating a hypersonic weapon in the glide phase of flight, according to its director. In an attempt to mitigate the delay, the agency truncated a competitive development effort years' early, choosing one team to go it alone to design and build the Glide Phase Interceptor. But the program's reduced funding levels have still slowed down the program, MDA confirmed in a May 6 statement to Defense News. 'The glide phase interceptor program (delay) was due to priorities and resourcing decisions,' Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, MDA director, said in testimony before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee on April 30. 'Last year, we were driven to make an earlier selection and a down-select years earlier than planned,' he said. MDA chose Northrop Grumman to design the interceptor last fall, prior to even reaching a preliminary design review. Ideally, major programs remain competitive through critical design review in order to motivate competitors to deliver high levels of capability at appealing price points. Each design review phase can typically take between a year and a year and a half. In the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress mandated MDA move more quickly by requiring the agency to reach full operational capability by the end of 2032 and provide no fewer than 12 GPIs for tests by the end of 2029. The funding the agency has received for the program 'will actually push that delivery to 2035,' Collins said. 'It's primarily a resourcing at this point. There are some technology things that need to happen in the next three to five years, but then there is a resourcing alignment issues that could accelerate that,' he added. 'We believe we could recover to 2032 with no increased level of programmatic risk across the program, but that's about the fastest we could do today.' In the meantime, Collins said MDA is exploring other alternatives or options that could fill a partial or residual capability from other systems. 'But as it stands today, the only hypersonic maneuvering target defense capability we have is in the fleet with the SM-6 [missile] and the Sea-Based Terminal [radar] capability,' he said. MDA is also delayed by about 18 months in fielding its Next-Generation Interceptor that will replace the Ground-Based Interceptors making up the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, designed to defend the continental U.S. from intercontinental ballistic missiles that could come from Iran and North Korea. Again, the service chose a winner over a year earlier than planned, selecting Lockheed Martin and its partner L3Harris' Aerojet Rocketdyne in April 2024 to continue the development of NGI. 'Due to a funding decision and priorities, we did downselect to a single contractor last year, a year and a half earlier than expected,' Collins said in testimony. The NGI will play a big role in the Trump administration's Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect the U.S. homeland from air and missile defense threats from a wide variety of adversaries. Golden Dome would likely call for an increase of NGIs well beyond the 44 GBIs already in place, although the official plans for the architecture have yet to be revealed. 'Our No. 1 risk issue and risk going forward with either the vendors at that time was the solid rocket motor effort and development,' Collins said. 'This is a new booster, a new development, and we have experienced delays and issues with that development and are expecting 18 month or more delay in the delivery of that initial capability.' The agency said the previous schedule supported an initial operational capability for NGI no later than the fourth quarter of fiscal 2028. MDA has 'taken actions to shore up that development as well as bring in an additional source to help buy down the schedule risk of the development as we move forward,' Collins added. The Army operates the GMD system, and the service's Space and Missile Defense Command commander, Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, told reporters in a May 2 briefing that any delay to capability that would address advanced threats 'is obviously concerning.' But, he added, 'we'll continue to work with Missile Defense Agency to mitigate from an upgrade of the current GBIs, an upgrade of the software as necessary to be able to fight the fight with the capability that we have right now.' 'It is still the foundation for the future of ballistic ICBM protection of the homeland and we are 100% committed and focused on that program,' Collins said.
