Category: Missiles

Holy Sh%$

2 Comments

Last weekend, the US Military lost control of a missile squadron:

President Obama was briefed this morning on an engineering power failure at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming that took 50 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), one-ninth of the U.S. missile stockpile, temporarily offline on Saturday.

The base is a main locus of the United States’ strategic nuclear forces. The 90th Missile Wing, headquartered there, controls 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles. They’re on full-time alert and are housed in a variety of bunkers across several states.

On Saturday morning, according to people briefed on what happened, a squadron of ICBMs suddenly dropped down into what’s known as “LF Down” status, meaning that the missileers in their bunkers could no longer communicate with the missiles themselves. LF Down status also means that various security protocols built into the missile delivery system, like intrusion alarms and warhead separation alarms, were offline. In LF Down status, the missiles are still technically launch-able, but they can only be controlled by an airborne command and control platform like the Boeing E-6 NAOC “Kneecap” aircraft, E-4B NAOC aircraft or perhaps the TACAMO fleet, which is primarily used to communicate with nuclear submarines. Had the country been placed on a higher state of nuclear alert, those platforms would be operating automatically because the frequencies used to transmit nuclear codes would be interfacing with separate systems, according to officials.

(strike-through original)

This is about 1⁄9 of our land based deterrent.

Great googly moogly.

Russia Will Not Sell S-300 to Iran

No Comments

President Medvedev has announced that the Sale of S-300 surface to air missiles to Iran.

Russia has always taken a minimalist approach to obeying UN sanctions regarding the Iranian nuclear, so this is a big deal, particularly since these missiles, with their 400+ km detection range, end up as a formidable area defense system against conventional aircraft, and a formidable point defense system against stealthy targets, at least to the degree that my wild assed guess regarding detection range are justified.

MBDA Proposes Compressed Carriage Meteor for F-35

No Comments
Click for full size


If you squint, you can see the Bobbetized fins

MDBA is looking at clipping the fins of the Meteor, as was done with the AIM-120 AMRAAM, so that it can be properly accommodated in the internal weapons bay of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

It makes sense, since by any reasonable measure, foreign sales of the F-35 will dominate the international sales.

This is not surprising. Among the active radar guided missiles, is the 2nd smallest, after the French MICA, the AIM-120 has the what appears to be the shortest range and end game kinematics, which makes a ready market for an extended range missile, particularly when used in the F-35, which, unlike the F-22, is not expected to be launching the missile at 20,000 m and mach 1.3+, which significantly improves range.

The USAF is aware of this, and is looking to develop a longer ranged, “dual-role air dominance missile,” to replace both the AMRAAM and the HARM missile.

It would probably make more sense for the USAF to go with an existing system like the Meteor under license production, with some modification to the software and seeker to meet their needs, but that would eliminate some 6 figure consulting gigs for the generals once they retire, which mitigates against this sort of solution.

BAE close to launch contract for APKWS rocket

2 Comments

BAE is looking to get its 1st contract to deliver APKWS guided 2.75 inch rocket.

The advantage to a system like this is that something like a Hellfire is sometimes too big, and always too expensive for smaller jobs, like taking out a room, a car, or a mortar fire team, and a helicopter can carry a lot more of these than it can Hellfires.

Rather unsurprisingly, it’s the Marines who are looking to take a buy.

Honestly, I’m waiting for them to cancel this, and move the money to the JSF or Osprey, which would both penny and pound foolish.

Prior posts on the various programs to add guidance to 2.75 inch rockets.

Meteor AAM Video Pr0n

No Comments

It highlights the better endgame kinematics and range available with a ramjet powered missile.

One of the things that surprises me is just how much smoke the initial booster puts out relative to the AMRAAM, which would increase launch platform visibility in visual range.

This implies to me that the European militaries planning to purchase this expect anticipate that its use in relative short range engagements, so I would expect that at least doctrinally, the minimum engagement distance for the missile would be a lot greater than that of the AMRAAM. (Reportedly 2km)

The music is a little bet better than most of these promotional videos:

Unbelievably F%$#ing Stupid

No Comments
Let’s look at the targets and paths, shall we?


Pakistan


North Korea


Iran

Well, we now have SecDef Robert Gates saying that the U.S. has conventionally ballistic missiles in deployment:

Responding to a question from NBC’s David Gregory on the ability to deter nuclear armed rogue states, Gates said: “We have, in addition to the nuclear deterrent today, a couple of things we didn’t have in the Soviet days… And we have prompt global strike affording us some conventional alternatives on long-range missiles that we didn’t have before.”

This is f%$#ing insane.

Incoming ballistic missiles, whether with nuclear, conventional explosive, or kinetic warheads, all look the same from launch until the moment of impact, and so are very likely to trigger a nuclear counterstrike.

I’m with Noah Shachtman on this one:

The Obama administration is poised to take up one of the more dangerous and hare-brained schemes of the Rumsfeld-era Pentagon. The New York Times is reporting that the Defense Department is once again looking to equip intercontinental ballistic missiles with conventional warheads. The missiles could then, in theory, destroy fleeing targets a half a world away — a no-notice “bolt from the blue,” striking in a matter of hours. There’s just one teeny-tiny problem: the launches could very well start World War III.

………

The Pentagon mumbled all kinds of assurances that Beijing or Moscow would never, ever, never misinterpret one kind of ICBM for the other. But the core of their argument essentially came down to this: Trust us, Vlad Putin! That ballistic missile we just launched in your direction isn’t nuclear. We swear!

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld couldn’t even muster that coherent of a defense. [Though the juxtaposition of, “Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld” and, “Coherent,” is generally a losing battle anyway.]

“Everyone in the world would know that [the missile] was conventional,” he said in a press conference, “after it hit within 30 minutes.”

(emphasis mine)

So, you will know after a missile hits the target whether or not it is a decapitating nuclear strike aimed at you.

Somehow, this is not reassuring, particularly since if we have a tool like this, we would likely use it on an at least annual basis.

I Call Bullsh%$ on Benyamin Netanyahu

No Comments

It appears that Israel is claiming that Syria transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah.

This would not make sense. While the Scud is mobile, and hard to detect when it is deployed, it is a liquid fueled missile that uses caustic fuels and oxidizers (Kerosene or UDMH as fuel and RFNA as an oxidizer) that requires a significant amount of infrastructure to maintain and keep at ready status.

Having something like this, as opposed to smaller solid fueled rockets that can be stored and maintained without a fixed base and fueling location, is akin to painting a big target on whatever facilities are used to maintain the missiles.

Honestly, I think that this something ginned up by Netanyahyu for either domestic political consumption, or as a way to push back against Obama on the housing units in Jerusalem.

Of course, I could be wrong, as I was on the Syrian nuclear facility.

I would note that the entire Jerusalem problem is one of Netanyahu’s own making. He has a history of doing this to Democratic presidents, so I do not buy that the timing of the construction permit announcement was just a “bureaucratic oversight” either.

Russian S-400 Triumf SAM Enters Service

2 Comments
Click for full size

It’s about 3 years behind schedule, which when compared to the Patriot Missile, which was entered design in 1969, but did not enter service until 1984, but the S-400 Triumf (NATO designation SA-21 Growler) has officially entered Russian army service.

It is arguably the most capable SAM in service, with a 400 km range, and a significant ATBM capability, as well as an active radar seeker, which was not present in the S-300 (SA-20 Gargoyle).

It claims to have a significant anti-stealth capability, and based on some numbers I ran a few years back, it would appear that the system could detect an F-22 at a range of at least 15 miles, perhaps more, if some of the advances in signal processing and computers work as advertised.

H/t ELP Defens(c)e Blog.

American Dynamics Flight Systems: LH Series Launchers

No Comments

One of the recent developments in air to ground munitions has been the addition of guidance to the 2.75 inch FFAR (Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket) in the form of the of the laser guided APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) and DAGR (Direct Attack Guided Rocket).

This venerable weapons system, originally developed as an air to air weapon in the 1940s, found its niche as an unguided air to ground weapon, but with the addition of laser guidance, this system has the very real ability to in precision strike roles that do not require the weight, and cost of an existing system.

Theoretically, this could allow for a rocket, now improved to “Hydra 70”, to be used in scenarios for which the Hellfire is, pardon the pun, overkill to take out a room, or a guy in a truck.


M260(r) and M261 rocket launchers

The problem is that many of the applications for Hellfire are for smaller UAVs, the launcher for the 2.75″ rocket, the M260 and M261 are too heavy and too draggy to be effectively carried.

As is clear from the photo, they have the aerodynamics of a garbage can.

Additionally, they are limited life items, with the aluminum missile tubes having a life of 32 firings.

The folks at ADFS have an improved variant geared toward the guided variant, which, unlike the unguided variant, does not require ripple firing in order to achieve a reasonable chance of hitting the target.

It has two aerodynamic caps on the front and rear of to provide greater streamlining, and there is a single door on both caps to provide for launching.

Both rotate in sync, and the door opens prior to firing, and then shut until the next round is to be fired.


LH Launcher firing sequence

Additionally, the launcher is made from high temperature composites, which allows for an essentially unlimited lifetime, as well as significant weight savings.


Comparison with existing systems

Interfaces between the aircraft and the launcher are supposed to be identical to the M260/M261 launchers.

Russian R-77 (AA-12 Adder) Upgrade Tests are Complete

No Comments
Blah, blah, blah!

It appears that the upgrades involve significant changes (paid subscription required):

The upgraded R-77 is both heavier and longer than the basic missile. It weighs 190 kg. (418 lb.) rather than 175 kg., and is 3.71 meters (12.17 ft.), rather than 3.6 meters, in length, according to company data.

The increased range is at least in part due to improved aerodynamics. A company executive says the radome shape has been refined, while a “boat-tail” configuration has been introduced at the rear to help drag reduction. Adapting the missile to fly lofted trajectories would also increase the maximum launch range. The executive adds that the active radar seeker has been improved. The manufacture of the RVV-SD seeker is believed to still be Istok.

It also looks like they may be moving away from the unique lattice fins, so as to improve range, at the cost of a slight loss of agility, and the need for larger actuators to move these surfaces.

Considering that the IR guided R-73 (AA-11 Archer) already out ranges the Sidewinder for dogfight applications, this may be a reasonable trade-off.

A further development of the basic R-77 design, previously associated with the Article 180 designation, is also underway, though manufacturer TRV remains unwilling to discuss the program. It is likely that the missile’s signature lattice fins have been replaced with a conventional design, with further range improvements included. This is possibly based on the introduction of a dual-, rather than a single-pulse, solid-rocket motor.

With a weight of 190 kg, as opposed to the 152 kg, physics would seem to dictate that it would have superior range and terminal energy to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, even with the “egg crate” fins.

The use of a lofted trajectory may very well be something that can be retro-fitted through software, which might allow for significant improvements in range for the existing inventory.

I will suggest that this story seems to indicate that reports of a ramjet powered R-77M1 on Wiki are premature.

Japan Developing Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile

2 Comments
Click for full size

A translation from the Japanese would be appreciated


French ASMP from Wiki

The missile is supposed to have a 200 km range and supersonic speed.

Looks like the French ASMP, which has a similar range, and a Mach 3 speed at altitude, and Mach 2 down low, so my guess would be similar performance, though it appears to have a solid fuel, rather than a liquid fuel ramjet motor.

I have no clue as to what the blue windows are.

JAGM Video Pr0n

No Comments

Intended as a replacement for the Hellfire, Maverick, and TOW missiles.

I’m still a bit dubious of replacing the Maverick with the missile, seeing as how the warhead for the Maverick is heavier than the whole JAGM, and so I cannot see how the JAGM won’t be at a disadvantage against fortifications and military naval vessels (i.e. bigger than drug-runner’s speed boats).

Spotted: China flies air-launched cruise missile – The DEW Line

No Comments
Click for full size

Shown here on an H-6M Badger

The Chinese Military Aviation blog (bottom of page) has reported that the PLAAF has fielded a cruise missile, the CJ-10K, which is based on the ground launched CJ-10, which in turn derived some of its technology from the Russian KH-55.

It appears to be very similar in size to the Tomawhawk and the KH-55, which is no surprise, and its range is in the 1,500-2,500 km range, which makes it roughly equivalent to the Tomahawk.

It should be noted that the H-6M Badger is significantly improved, significant avionics upgrades as well as modern turbofans replacing its thirsty turbojets, which give it a range in the 3,000-3,500 km range, which would allow the aircraft/missile combination to strike Alaska without refueling, and air to air refueling, which the Chinese are now doing routinely might allow a strike against Hawaii as well.

At about 9,000 km, a strike on the mainland US well out of range,though much of Europe would be in range.

H/t The DEW Line

Russians Adapt Cruise Missile to Conventional Warhead

No Comments
Click for full size


AS-18 Kazoo variant


AS-15 Kent Variant

We now have evidence that the Russians are modifying their cruise missiles to accommodate conventional warheads. (paid subscription required)

You can notice on both the Kazoo (top) and the Kent, forward surfaces have been added, probably to accommodate a center of gravity that has moved forward due to a heaver conventional warhead replacing the previous nuclear payload.

Additionally, the Kazoo appears to have some electro-optical sensors, which are likely used to improve terminal accuracy, reported to be 2-5 meters.

Considering their experience in Georgia, where they aircraft to anti-aircraft systems that they had designed, the renewed focus on stand off weaponry is not a surprise.

If It’s In The Weekly Standard, They Are Either Liars of Incompetent

No Comments

Well, the good folks at Defense Tech flag an article by John Noonan at The Weekly Standard suggesting that Iran’s new solid fuel multi-stage missile represents a quantum leap in missile capabilities:

I’m a little late coming in on the latest Iranian missile salvo, but there a few salient points still worth mentioning. First, the Sajjil-2 is a solid fuel rocket. That’s the type of power source that we use in our own Minuteman III rockets, as solid fuel is stable in flight and requires no preparation time ahead of a launch. Liquid fuel, which powers the Iranian Shahab-3 fleet, is highly corrosive and sloshes around in a rocket’s downstage, destabilizing flight and degrading accuracy. It’s so toxic that the fuel eats away at a missile’s internal tanks, and thus needs to be inserted right before launch. That prep time is important, as it gives us a little extra warning prior to a hostile missile launch, which could be used to kill Iranian birds before they fly. With this new Sajjil-2 system, Iran has the ability to keep their missiles hot and ready for execution, killing any chance of an advanced warning or neutralization actions prior to a launch.

………

(emphasis mine)

I understand that John Noonan, like most of the staff of The Weekly Standard, wants to bomb Iran, and wants Iran bombed, but this does not justify his not telling the truth, and in the two areas that I’ve highlighted, he’s not telling the truth:

  • The need to load the fuel immediately before launch.
    • Simply not true. The US and Russia started using storable liquid propellants, nitrogen tetroxide oxidiser and a hydrazine UDMH mix propellant in the both the Titan II, and SS-18, and had them in ready for immediate launch for years, perhaps 15 seconds from when the button is pushed until the missile exits the silo.
  • Fuel sloshing
    • Fuel tanks have baffles to prevent sloshing. The tanks are specifically designed to avoid this issues, and while it may be “rocket science”, it’s a problem that has been solved for years.
    • The numbers accuracy for both the Titan (900m), and the SS-18 (250m) show that these missiles accuracy, much like their solid fuel counterparts, is a function of the guidance system, not any fictional sloshing.

Let’s be clear, for ICBM’s, solid fuel is better. There are a whole bunch of problems, as exemplified by the Titan II silo explosion that resulted from a workman dropping a socket that punctured a tank.

Additionally, if you want to go with a mobile launcher, it’s somewhere between insane and impossible to transport a loaded liquid fueled rocket.

Additionally, the operational costs of a liquid fueled system are higher, with, for example routine replacement of seals and X-Rays of the tanks to verify fuel levels.

So, a solid fueled ICBM, or IRBM is marginally more capable, and much simpler to operate, but running around with your head on fire about it indicates that one is either incompetent, or dishonest.

Raytheon Looks to Adapt AIM-9X for Air to Ground Applications

No Comments

They have conducted tests, and have successfully intercepted a high-speed “cigarette boat”, which simulates a drug running boat.

The idea here is that if an aircraft encounters a ground target while only armed for air-to-air, it could use the Sidewinder to take out the target.

Me, I’m wondering why they don’t just use the cannon.

One interesting bit here is that the F-22 crash 9 months ago might have been a part of this test, as it was reported that the smaller side bay doors were open at the time of the incident.

Missile Defense Agency Looks to Liquid Fuel for Land Based Standard Interceptor

No Comments

The US Navy forbids hypergolic fuels, liquids where the fuel and oxidizer ignite on contact with each other, for shipboard use, but since the US MDA is looking at ground baseing, they are considering liquid fuels for these interceptors.

Basically, because you can throttle liquid fueled rocket motors, it means that you can, for example, shut down at some point in the intercept, and restart the motor for improved kinematics for the end game, or to extend range, etc.

I still see missile defense as a big hole that people are dumping money into, particularly hit to kill.

Israel Looking at Adapting ATBM to AAM Use

No Comments
Click for full size

Python 5 and Derby


Stunner with 2nd stage


Rafael’s video Pr0n, H/t ELP Defens(c)e Blog

Israel is looking at using its Stunner anti-missile interceptor as a starting point for follow-ons to their Python 5 and Derby missiles.

The Python is a 6″ diameter short range (20+ km) infrared guided dogfight missile, and the Derby is a slightly lengthened version active radar guided version with with an ogive nose, and other aerodynamic cleanups (and possibly a longer motor) to achieve a range of about 50km, so replacing both of these with one derivative of another missile is certainly in the realm of possibility.

On the basis of the pictures here, and not much else, it appears that the 2nd stage of the Stunner is about the same size as the Python/Derby.

I’m not sure how much would be gained by developing a Python replacement on this platform, the as the missile already has excellent kinematics, as shown by the marketing video, though marketing videos should always be taken with a bit of a grain of salt.

That being said, given the Stunner’s configuration, the 2nd stage has a dual pulse motor, the 1st stage that would not be carried in an air launched version, could give significant increases in range and lethality for any potential Derby successor.

Here is my earlier post on the Stunner missile.

No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Die

No Comments
Click for full size

Where is the White Persian Cat?

Well, it appears that some sharp-eyed satellite imagery analysts have spotted what they think is a China’s anti-satellite laser installation in Google™ Earth™ pictures.

This conclusion is actually somewhat controversial, as there are any number of non-hostile applications, such as astronomy and precision satellite tracking (which would involve a low power laser range finder) that could explain these installation

You can find larger pictures here, which include two other similar Chinese installations.

Ground-launched IRIS-T fired

No Comments
Click for Humongous Picture of IRIS-T SL Launch


MIM-72 Chaparral

Diehl BGT Defense has developed a ground launched derivative of its short range AAM IRIS-T.

The idea is that this system, IRIS-T SL, would be to the IRIS-T, as the Chaparral was to the Sidewinder.

One obvious difference here is that the IRIS-T has a lock after launch capability, and so does not need a trainable launcher, with the resulting savings in weight and complexity.

Additionally, the missile appears to be modified more than in the Chaparral, where the missile was basically a standard AIM-9D Sidewinder, while the IRIS-T SL uses a booster motor to get the missile out of the tube and up to speed, as well as an a shroud to protect it during the launch phase.

I’m kind of surprised that it’s not a vertical launch, but that may be a trade off of coverage versus complexity of the launcher.