Monthly Archives: June 2021

30 Jun 2021

Israel unveils long-range autonomous missile system

Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Wednesday unveiled Sea Breaker, a fifth-generation, precision-guided autonomous missile system capable of striking a range of marine and land targets.

According to Rafael, the “highly subsonic” missile can hit a fixed or moving target up to 300 kilometers (186 miles).

The missile’s advanced Imaging Infrared (IIR) researcher even allows it to strike targets in “advanced area anti-access / denial (A2 / AD) arenas,” Rafael says.

Jam proof

The Sea Breaker can engage targets in “coastal or brown water, including the archipelago, as well as engagements in which previous generation RF homing missiles are not effective”.

Additional features include the missile’s resistance to electronic countermeasures and jamming due to its ability to fly near the surface of water.

The system can launch missiles from a variety of naval platforms, including fast missile boats, corvettes, and frigates. The land version of the missile uses Rafael’s “highly mobile” SPYDER launchers.

250 pound warhead

The Sea Breaker carries a 113 kg (250 lb) “penetrating, exploding and fragmentation warhead” which the developer claims can destroy a frigate-sized ship with a single strike.

The all-weather missile uses artificial intelligence to engage in deep learning and “big data-based scene matching” for target acquisition and recognition.



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By: Category: Missile system

30 Jun 2021

Long-range autonomous missile system will detonate targets 186 miles away

The system uses a wide range of technological advancements including electro-optics, artificial intelligence, computer vision and decision making. Designed to “meet the complex challenges of modern warfare”, Sea Breaker delivers precise strikes at ranges of up to 300 km against targets.

Even if the targets are not stationary or if they are located in low visibility areas, the system can still locate them using an advanced infrared imaging (IRR) finder. As the name suggests, the missile can be launched from a variety of warships, including attack boats, frigates, and even small ships like corvettes, in coastal and blue waters, as well. than in archipelago environments.

Its characteristics also allow it to be launched on land. Designed for coastal defense, the system uses Rafael’s Spyder launchers, which allow for selected hits and controlled damage. The battery architecture allows independent launchers as well as integrated solutions with a command and control unit (CCU) and numerous sensors.

Sea Breaker uses AI to perform deep learning and data-driven scene matching, enabling Automatic Target Acquisition (ATA) and Automatic Target Recognition (ATR). Therefore, in areas where the signal is weak or unavailable, the system is always fully operational. The missile is immune to devices designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, and it is also jam resistant.

Capable of zipping at high subsonic speeds, Sea Breaker achieves low altitude flight. This, combined with its multidirectional synchronized attack capabilities based on predefined attack plans, allows it to launch surprise attacks. With a penetration of 250 lbs (113 kg), it makes a single blow powerful enough to take out a frigate.

To top it off, the missile’s data link enables real-time decision making and tactical updates. The Sea Breaker also features a mid-flight abort capability and combat damage rating that allows operators to see the target after the missile is fired.


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By: Category: Missile system

28 Jun 2021

Israel’s Iron Dome – Is It The Best Anti-Missile System In The World?

Israel Air Defense System – Iron Dome. Copyright Israel Defense Forces

What is the Iron Dome of Israel?

Iron Dome is an air defense system that intercepts rockets entering Israeli airspace.

The system was developed by the country’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with support from the United States. It is designed to counter short-range rockets and artillery shells, with limits of up to 70 km like those commonly fired from Gaza.

Rockets heading towards populated areas are intercepted and knocked out in the air before they have a chance to land and cause damage.

Israel has 10 batteries deployed across the country. They are towed by truck and operate in all weather conditions. Each has three to four launchers that can fire 20 interceptor missiles.

How effective is the iron dome?

First deployed in March 2011, after 14 years of development, it has since changed the nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Dome can intercept 90 percent of short-range rockets fired by militant groups from Gaza, while Palestinians have no air defense against their neighbor.

The Iron Dome is one of the most advanced rocket defense systems in the world. However, it has important limitations. During the most recent conflict, Sderot and Ashkelon were two of the Israeli cities hardest hit by rockets from Gaza due to their proximity to the Strip. Mayors of both cities criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ending the conflict too soon, saying he should have eliminated Hamas.

Iron Dome can intercept nine out of ten rockets.

However, it is possible that if the quality and number of rockets increases significantly in the future, the Dome will not be able to cope.

Cover images: Explosions following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City (Photo: Yasser Qudih / Xinhua / Alamy Live News).

Is Israel’s Iron Dome one of the best anti-missile systems in the world?

The Iron Dome is a cutting-edge technological marvel that has been credited with defending Israeli lives for the past decade.

It is very effective at what it is designed to do, which is to intercept rockets at close range. For this unique purpose, it is considered to be one of the best technologies currently in use all over the world.

Importantly, the Iron Dome can only intercept unsophisticated rockets fired from a relatively close range. He’s very good at what he does, but he’s limited in what he can do.

The Qassam rockets designed and used by Hamas are simple steel artillery rockets that are fired in a discriminatory manner, which means they cannot be fired at specific locations. Therefore, they target both civilians and military objectives. This, combined with the fact that they are cheap to produce, makes them both dangerous and easy to intercept. The danger comes from the numbers that Hamas can create. However, rockets are straightforward and easy to intercept.

Of course, we cannot put a price on the cost of saving human lives. However, the Iron Dome is an expensive and highly sophisticated technology that effectively protects against simple and inexpensive threats at close range. It wouldn’t protect against something slightly more technologically advanced than a £ 200-600 Qassam rocket.

The Iron Dome is not designed to intercept ballistic missiles or precision guided weapons, leaving Israel vulnerable to more sophisticated attacks, possibly from Iran.

How it works?

The Iron Dome is a missile interception system that can be broken down into three components:

1) A radar which detects an incoming short-range rocket.

2) Command and control system operated by soldiers in the field, where the risk is analyzed, then a decision is made whether or not to activate the third step.

3) Interceptor – the last step of the operation is to fire a missile which intercepts the enemy rocket and destroys it in the sky without any damage to the civilians below.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel 180521 CREDIT REUTERS, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Iron Dome at Night PA

Was Iron Dome co-developed with the United States?

Israel began to develop a missile defense system after the war with Lebanon in 2006.

The Dome was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries with financial support from the United States.

The United States and Israel have worked together on air defense since the 1980s, so it was natural for them to work closely together to deter Israel’s biggest threat to civilian lives.

A Senate report from the US Government Publishing Office calculated that since 2011, US funding for the Dome has exceeded $ 1 billion.

President Joe Biden praised Prime Minister Netanjahu for ending hostilities in less than 11 days. He also praised the Iron Dome for preventing the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of cities, pledging to continue to support the air defense system the United States helped develop. The president gave his “full support to rebuilding Israel’s iron dome system to ensure its defenses and security in the future.”

In August 2019, the US military acquired two Iron Dome systems from Israel. The second battery was delivered to the United States in January of this year.

How much does the iron dome cost to counter Palestinian rockets?

It has been estimated that each interceptor missile costs between £ 72,000 and £ 108,000 each.

According to the IDF, 4,340 rockets have been fired at Israel since May 10, 2021. If we assume that only missiles that target populated areas are destroyed, it remains costly.

Conversely, according to missile expert Uzi Rubin, rockets fired by Hamas are cheap to make, costing between £ 200 and £ 600.


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By: Category: Missile system

25 Jun 2021

Moscow considers the deployment of an anti-missile system by the United States in Poland as part of its military planning

SOCHI, June 25. / TASS /. Russia will consider in its military planning the deployment by the United States of components of the land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system near the Polish community of Redzikowo, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Friday.

He referred to these actions as further confirmation that Washington’s initial arguments about establishing a missile defense system to defuse the danger in the Middle East and the Far East “are in fact being overlooked. now”. “The installation in Poland, as in Romania and many other places, will become an element of the global missile defense system, which is constantly improved, and whose possibilities, including in terms of potential, of equal adversaries, are also expanding, “Ryabkov said, adding that Moscow” will take this into account in its military planning. “

The senior Russian diplomat also noted that not only for the United States and Poland, but for NATO in general, there is now a “good opportunity” to rethink Russia’s proposal on mutually verifiable moratoria on the non-deployment of medium-range percussion complexes in Europe. . “The installation of Redzikowo [settlement] should be examined in case such a mechanism is developed, we believe, if we are to be sure that there is no threat of deployment of US-produced intermediate-range ground-type missiles, ”he said. he adds.


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By: Category: Missile system

24 Jun 2021

Russian military fired warning shots at British warship in Black Sea

Russian military forces fired warning shots at a British warship during a clash in the Black Sea near the Crimean coast, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The UK did not deny that the ship was crossing Crimean territorial waters on the route from Ukraine to Georgia, but insisted that it did not pass through Russian territory, because the country still does not recognize the annexed region of Crimea as part of the Russian Federation. This incident marks the first time that the manifestation of the West’s solidarity with Ukraine has resulted in an act of confrontation.

Russian warships and planes opened warning fire on the British Navy destroyer HMS Defender. According to reports from Novaya Gazeta, the incident took place on June 23 in the Black Sea near Cape Fiolent in Crimea.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the British ship violated the Russian state border and as a result an SU-24M bomber fired several warning shots and four highly explosive cluster bombs were dropped towards the destroyer. .

In addition, border patrol vessels opened the warning light.

The British ship “did not react to the warning”, however, after the warning shots, the Defender left Russian territorial waters, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The British military attaché in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Defense Ministry due to the incident.

The UK Ministry of Defense said the Defender crossed Ukraine’s territorial waters in accordance with international law. He was not bombarded, there was no bombardment in his direction.

Video released by the Russian Defense Ministry:

Conscious movement

BBC Air Force correspondent Jonathan Beale, who was aboard the Defender at the time of the incident, provided his own account of the events. According to him, the ship that sailed from the port of Odessa to Georgia was to sail off the coast of Crimea, which Moscow considers part of Russian territory, while the rest of the world thinks it belongs to Ukraine.

“We have just finished crossing the territorial waters of Russian-occupied Crimea. This was a deliberate decision by the Royal Navy Defender ship, which was heading for Georgia. The command says it was following an internationally recognized sea route.

Sometimes the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender was accompanied by more than 20 Russian planes, and warnings were issued by Russian Coast Guard ships. We heard gunshots too, but I think they were out of range.

The Defender continued to navigate in territorial waters near Crimea, within 12 miles – the coast was seen – and did not change course. We entered international waters but Russian planes were still flying over us, ”the journalist said.

According to him, throughout the passage, the Defender crew were on maximum alert, at their posts, and at one point, they donned protective gear in the event of a firefight.

British Royal Navy Destroyer Defender in Odessa, Ukraine. June 18, 2021. REUTERS / Sergei Smolentsev

Expert commentary

“The British Royal Navy is to be congratulated for its support for the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters,” said retired General Ben Hodges, former commander of NATO forces in Europe, on the BBC’s Russian service. News. “Russian encroachments on Crimea are illegal and no one else recognizes them.”

When asked if such an action could be dangerous for the British ship, Hodges said: “I am sure the Royal Navy and other NATO allies have thought of everything and made a plan in the event of the circumstances. different. This is part of an adequate response to Russia’s actions ”.

“According to international law, Crimea, of course, is not Russian, since its annexation has not been recognized. The fact that ships continue to cross its waters without provoking the Russians too much is an important way of showing that the law is above the forced seizure of land (and seas), ”Russia expert at the British Royal Institute for Defense Research Mark Galeotti stated.

Galeotti notes that the action of HMS Defender in the Black Sea was only a demonstration of support for Ukraine and a protest against the annexation of Crimea.

In turn, independent Russian military observer Pavel Felgenhauer believes that the Russian army, which does not like regular international Sea Breeze exercises in the Black Sea and the presence of Western warships in the region, have carried out a planned provocation against the British warship.

“There is a right of free passage, which the British destroyer followed. It is possible to bypass Cape Fiolent without crossing the 12-mile limit and to take a direct course in territorial and international waters. This is permitted by the 1982 Convention, which the Soviet Union and, by definition, Russia, ratified. It was therefore a provocation from Moscow. Although, perhaps, the British are not entirely innocent either, ”the military observer told Voice of America.

Tensions in the Black Sea

The Defender incident is not the first case of close contact between the Russian military and NATO member states in the Black Sea. Since 2014, when Russia announced the annexation of Crimea, not a single international exercise involving US or NATO warships near the peninsula has taken place without an active response from the Russian military.

The Ukrainian-American international exercise Sea Breeze has been held since 1997. This year, a total of 21 exercises will be held between June 28 and July 10, with the participation of military personnel from 32 countries.


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By: Category: Military forces

18 Jun 2021

Lockheed Martin wins contract for Trident missile system

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, prime contractor for the Navy’s Trident missile, developed and produced the missile and supporting equipment. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin won a contract to provide support and production services for the Trident missile system.

Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, has been awarded a contract to provide support and production services for the Trident SSI Increment 8 by the governments of the United Kingdom and United States.

The contract is worth more than $ 191 million and an expected completion date of February 28, 2028.

Lockheed Martin is responsible for supplying the Trident SSI Increment 8 strategic weapons system, production of inertial navigation systems and associated inertial spare parts for shallow-water submersible platforms of the ballistic missile submarines of the ‘Ohio and Columbia.

The work will be carried out at sites across the United States, including Ohio, California, New York and Virginia.

The Trident II D5 is the latest generation of ballistic missiles from the USN’s submarine fleet. First deployed in 1990, the Trident II D5 missile is currently on board the United States Ohio-to classify and british nurse Avant-garde-to classify submarines.

According to Shephard’s defense overview, the UGM-133 Trident II, or Trident-D5, is a submarine-launched ballistic missile designed to launch nuclear charges.


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By: Category: Missile system

2 Jun 2021

Turkey to activate S-400 missile system and send Russian missile experts home

Turkey has said it will send Russian missile experts home overseeing S-400 air defense technology that has strained ties with the United States, addressing one of Washington’s concerns with the system.

These remarks, which precede a scheduled meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his American counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels in mid-June, signal Ankara’s willingness to compromise on one element American concerns.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the system would be under Turkish control when the experts left.

However, he reiterated that Ankara would not budge in the face of Washington’s broader demand to drop missiles so that related US sanctions are lifted.

“The S-400s will be under our 100% control. We have sent many technicians for training. Russian military experts will not stay in Turkey, ”Cavusoglu said during a visit to Greece.

But he rejected US calls on Turkey not to activate the missiles. “It is not possible to accept calls from another country so as not to use them,” he stressed.

Ankara has submitted a roadmap to Washington in order to resolve outstanding bilateral issues, he said, noting that it is currently under review.

“There are outstanding issues between Washington and Ankara, overcome by Russian S-400 missiles, US support for Kurdish people protection units in Syria and Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet (service) movement, as well as recognition by Biden of the Armenian Genocide.

The US administration is ready to establish good relations with Turkey through dialogue and joint cooperation, either within the framework of NATO or bilaterally, Cavusoglu said.

Two US delegations visited Ankara, during which intelligence, military and political figures from both sides held talks.

Ankara and Washington disagree on issues such as Syrian policy, human rights, and the acquisition of S-400 air defense, for which the United States has sanctioned Turkey and removed it from its position. F-35 fighter program.

In March, Cavusoglu and Antony Blinken held their first face-to-face meeting since the US Secretary of State took office.

“We can discuss the differences with Washington and the future steps to be taken on strategic matters by creating a bilateral working group,” he said at the time. “We have to work on a road map.



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By: Category: Missile system