Interceptor shield

Interceptor Shield Report
Nathan J Hunt

The Missile defense agency working along side with the navy on Wednesdays achieved a great success for the sea based missile defense program. The USS Lake Erie using a modified SM-2 achieved a successful intercept of a target missile; the SM-2 intercepted and hit the missile in the terminal phase of the targets missiles flight. This is a great achievement of the sea based missile defense program and a first; up to this point only land-based interceptors have achieved intercepts of a missile in the terminal phase of flight. Currently the only system that can do a terminal phase intercept is the Patriot system equipped with PAC-3 missiles.

The SM-2 used in yesterdays test used a warhead similar to the Israeli Arrow Missile.

In November the USS Lake Erie Archived a successful intercept of a “separating” target Where the target warhead had separated from its booster rocket.

Interceptor Shield Report
Nathan J Hunt

News sources have reported that Iran on Tuesday conducted a test of its Shihab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile the missile has a range that puts Israel in range and US forces deployed in the area. Iran has been working to extend the Shihab-3 range, last year Iran announced that it had succeeded in mastering construction of solid-state fuel motors for the missile. It is not currently known whether the test of the Shihab-3 missile that done Tuesday was to test out any new improvements in the missile range or abilities. But the test is bound to increase growing worries of the west of Iran and its nuclear program and its intentions of its missile program.

Interceptor Shield Report
Nathan J Hunt

On May 2, 2006 a new first stage rocket motor for the Minuteman III ICBM was fired in a test at Edwards AFB, California. The new design for the first stage motor currently in development is being designed to use lower cost more modern materials then the older model. Allowing the new rocket motor to be produced at a far less cost then the current Minuteman III motors and easier to maintain. Work on second, third and post boost motors for the ICBM are planned as part of the upgrade program.

On May 17, 2006 Lockheed Martin announced they had received a 28 million contract from Northrop Grumman Corporation to provide Hardware components for the full-rate production phase of the Minuteman III Safety Enhanced Reentry Vehicle (SERV) program, Part of the SERV program is in retrofitting the Minuteman III to carry a single Mark 21 reentry vehicles, theses where original deployed on the peacekeeper missiles. On September 5, 2005 the last Peacekeeper missile was deactivated and the Mark 21 reentry vehicles where placed in storage while work on converting the Minuteman III took place, the Mark 21 reentry vehicle is a newer design then the current warheads deployed on the Minuteman and has more safety features.

Interceptor Shield Report
Nathan J Hunt
May 12, 2006

Upgrades have been completed on the docking arms and clamshell doors of the interceptor silo at the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg Air Force.
Today Boeing corporation announced it had completed testing of the new docking and rapit release arms for the interceptor missile silo and the opening of the silo closure mechanism. The new arms and clamshell doors where tested at Boeings Huntsville, Alabama test site in a test silo, before being installed at the Vadenberg Air Force Missile Defense Site. The new upgrades and improvement follow the aborted test that happened last year when the arms in the silo did not release when they where supposed to durring a test.

With the installation of the new docking arms and door the way is paved for the site to take part in a test flight this summer.

Interceptor Shield Report
Nathan J Hunt
May 11, 2006

The MDA “Missile Defense Agency” today announced the successful testing of the THAAD “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense” System. The test took place at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The THAAD System is designed to engage short and intermediate range ballistic missiles, and to destroy them in the endoatmospheric “earth’s atmosphere” or exoatmospheric “above the atmosphere” in the terminal phase of the incoming missiles flight.
The system like the patriot system is maneuverable and can be deployed and moved about to locations where it is most needed to protect forward deployed troops and allies. The system consists of a fire control, radar and missile tubes. The test that was conducted included all parts of the THAAD system including the testing of the Radar the Fire control and tub launcher. Although a target missile was not used in the test a THAAD Missile was launched and and direct using a virtual target for testing the targeting system on the ground and to test the missiles maneuvering motors. The THAAD system is the first to provide exoatmospheric and endoatmospheric protection. A THAAD test using a dummy target missile is planned for later this year.

Interceptor Shield Report: World Report
Nathan J Hunt
May 10, 2005

Raytheon Surveillance Radar Program (SRP) has completed a two-day review of a new air defense radar system in development for Taiwan, the test conducted by the U.S Air Defense Electronic Systems Center that oversees the contract for the Taiwanese Air Force. The test was for validating of the system and to review whether it met the contracts performance and costs expectations.

The new radar system will increase Taiwan’s ability to track short and long-range missiles. In the last few years’ relations between China and Taiwan has been strained, the current government of Taiwan has been working to increase its early warning and defense capability in recent years following China’s continued missile build up on its coast aimed at Taiwan.

In Europe NATO has completed a study on the feasibility of a NATO based missile defense system to protect NATO countries, the report has been in the making for the last four years the report outlined that missile defense to cover cities and Nato states was technically and financially feasible. The report comes at the head of growing worries by NATO countries of the threat of and vulnerability of cities to long-range missile and the growing tension between Iran and the west, Iran already has developed a few missiles that have ranges that could hit some parts of Europe. NATO will later this year be conducting a test in the fall with Russia of theater based missile defense.

Interceptor Shield Report
Nathan J Hunt
May 1, 2005

Deployment of the Missile Defense Agency X-Band Radar has been delayed; The X-Band radar left from Hawaii on March 31 and was traveling to its home destination of Adak when it was discovered that water was leaking in through ballast piping. It was decided that the Radar would return to Hawaii to do the repairs. The repairs are expected to take a week to complete and will proceed to its destination once completed.

Once the sea based X-Band Radar reaches its homeport off of Adak Alaska, it will be integrated with interceptors deployed at Fort Greely Alaska and the rest of the missile defense program.