MISSILE, BALLISTICS AND SOLDIER SYSTEMS UPDATE

Sponsored by Arnold Defense www.arnolddefense.com

————————————————————————

03 Apr 20. South Korea deploys PAC-3 missile battery to Cheongju Air Base. The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) has deployed a battery of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missiles to Cheongju Air Base, which hosts the service’s fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and is believed to be within range of North Korea’s newly developed short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) systems.

RoKAF officials told Jane’s that the deployment took place on 1 April but was not related to Pyongyang’s revelation in 2019 of four new road-mobile SRBM systems, which include an SRBM referred to as the KN-23 (South Korean/US Forces Korea designation), an SRBM similar in appearance to some of the missiles used by the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS); a ‘large-calibre multiple-launch guided rocket system’; and a ‘super-large multiple rocket launcher’. (Source: Jane’s)

02 Apr 20. Missile Defense Agency to inject competition into homeland missile defense contract. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to hold a competition that could split up the work among contractors to modernize and sustain America’s missile defense system, which is designed to destroy intercontinental ballistic missile threats.

Boeing has held the development and sustainment contract for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense systems in place at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Boeing’s contract is set to expire in 2023.

The GMD system is made up of more than 44 Ground-Based Interceptors buried in silos in the ground along with ground control stations, detection and fire control systems, and other support infrastructure.

Boeing received a sole-source $6.6bn award in 2018 to build a new silo and 20 more GBIs, as well as to sustain the system.

But Vice Adm. Jon Hill, the MDA’s director, told an audience in March at an Association of the U.S. Army event that “we know that contract is not giving us everything that we need for the future, so we are going to compete that contract downstream.”

The agency is working to develop a Next-Generation Interceptor that would replace the current GBIs with more capable interceptors. Its plan to upgrade the GBI’s exoatmospheric kill vehicle with a redesigned version was canceled in 2019 due to technical problems. Rather than rework that program, the agency decided to design an entirely new interceptor and stop building new GBIs.

A request for proposals for the NGI is due imminently.

But along with a new NGI, “we are going to make sure that ground systems, sensors and fire control, all the rest of the system, we have the opportunity to inject that competition because I think that is very important,” Hill said.

The MDA previously considered splitting up the contract several times, believing that would reduce cost and create efficiency in the program, but nothing materialized toward that goal.

This time, the MDA has released two requests for information with the possibility of splitting up the contract. The most recent RFI was posted on Beta.Sam.Gov in March.

“I will tell you that our lead system integrator does a great job today and the partnerships with industry within that construct do a great job, but we think that it’s so large and complex we should be doing everybody a favor by being able to split that up without losing the integration among all those pieces,” Hill said, “so our intent is to move in that direction.”

The agency “is exploring different approaches for fulfilling the GMD Program Element requirements. Acquisition approaches under consideration range from an award of multiple contracts to execute segments/missions of the program scope to a single contract to execute the entirety of the program scope,” the RFI states. “Essential to all of the acquisition approaches under consideration is the establishment of an enduring arrangement strategy for the execution of the [Weapon Systems Integration (WSI)] functions across the program lifecycle, either under a single prime contract, or as one of the multiple contracts.”

The RFI lays out a possible plan to split up the contract into five pieces. One contractor would provide the NGI, which is being addressed through a separate request for proposals. Another would be responsible for legacy and future ground systems, and another for sustaining the existing GBIs.

And a company would operate the weapon system along with military operators and would run fleet maintenance scheduling and deconfliction, site operations, test support, and depot and parts management, the RFI lays out.

Lastly, a contractor would serve as the weapon systems integrator, making it responsible for overall GMD integration “including physical and logical integration of the GMD components, GMD system and MDA enterprise level integration, planning and execution of all necessary testing to verify and validate overall requirements compliance,” the RFI states.

Responses to the RFI are due April 10. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)

03 Apr 20. Ukraine test fires Neptune cruise missile. The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine has confirmed that the Armed Forces have carried out a successful test of the Neptune ground-based cruise missile system.

State Enterprise “Luch” Kyiv State Design Bureau conducted the launch on 2 April at the Alibey landfill site in the Odessa region.

Neptune is designed to enhance the cruise missile combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy in the Black Sea and Azov Sea with the ability to destroy corvettes, cruisers, frigates and destroyers.

It has been a key priority for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Armed Forces to develop an indigenously designed cruise missile system. (Source: Shephard)

02 Apr 20. US delivers 128 anti-tank Javelin missiles to Estonia. The United States says it has delivered 128 anti-tank Javelin missiles to Estonia as part of a larger contract with the Baltic NATO member and the U.S. Defense Department. The U.S. Embassy in Tallinn said in a statement on Thursday that “the shipment will continue to build upon Estonia’s defensive capabilities and further strengthens our nations’ strategic integration” within NATO, of which Estonia has been a member since 2004. The U.S. has provided Estonia, a staunch military ally, with more than $100m in joint defense cooperation over the past few years, the U.S. embassy said. The FGM-148 Javelin is an infrared-guided anti-tank missile that can be carried and launched by a single person. It is manufactured by a joint venture between Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. In December, the Estonian Defence Ministry said the United States has allocated $175m in military aid to the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for 2020. The three countries are all NATO members and all of them border Russia. (Source: Defense News)

02 Apr 20. SCEPS power plant in the frame for next Mk 54 torpedo upgrade. The US Navy (USN) is returning to a stored chemical energy propulsion system (SCEPS) to power an improved variant of the Mk 54 lightweight torpedo. The Mk 54 Mod 2 – also known as the Advanced Lightweight Torpedo (ALWT) – will additionally feature upgrades to guidance and control, and introduce a new warhead. Achieving initial operational capability in 2004, the Mk 54 Mod 0 lightweight torpedo equips USN surface ships, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters. The enhanced Mod 1 variant – incorporating a new high-resolution sonar array and improved software – is currently in test and scheduled to enter frontline service in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. (Source: Jane’s)

01 Apr 20. US trials maritime strike role for Apache helo in Persian Gulf. The US military has trialled the use of the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter in the maritime anti-surface warfare (ASuW) role in the Middle East. The US Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) announced on 2 April that it has conducted joint naval and air integration operations with US Army AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters assigned to US Army Central Command’s (USARCENT) Task Force Saber. As noted by USNAVCENT, on 27 March Expeditionary Landing Base ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) served as a landing base platform for the Apaches, while Cyclone class Patrol Coastal (PC) ships select simulated targets for them to engage. The guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) also participated in the joint operations.

News of the maritime-integration trials of the US Army’s Apache helicopters came two weeks after the US Air Force (USAF) trialled the use of the Lockheed Martin AC-130W Stinger II gunship in the ASuW role in the Middle East.

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 15 March that US Navy (USN) Cyclone-class patrol coastal ships and Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) assigned to NAVCENT had conducted “a first-of-its-kind” joint exercise with AC-130W gunships assigned to Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) on 8 and 9 March. According to the DoD, the exercises were designed to enhance the capabilities of US forces to respond to surface threats and involved P-8 aircraft performing long-range reconnaissance ahead of PCs selecting simulated surface targets for the AC-130W to engage.

Both the Apache and Stinger II joint exercises are in support of the USN’s Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50/Combined Task Force (CTF) 55, which conducts maritime security operations in support of regional security and stability in the 5th Fleet’s area of responsibility (AoR) that encompasses about 6.5 million km2 across the Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean. (Source: Jane’s)

01 Apr 20. Turkey deploys HAWK to Idlib. The Turkish Armed Forces have deployed at least one MIM-23 HAWK surface-to-air missile system to Syria’s Idlib province. Video clips began to circulate on 27 March showing a convoy of Turkish military vehicles that included MAN trucks towing HAWK components, purportedly near the Kafrlusin (Bab al-Hawa) border crossing in northern Idlib.

At least two trucks towed launchers that were covered up, a third had the loading vehicle for the system on its bed and towed what was probably the system’s High Power Illuminator Radar (HPIR). Another truck towed a Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar (CWR), while a Humvee towed what was probably a Sentinel radar.

A second video showed one of the same trucks towing a launcher at a different location where shop signs written in Arabic rather than Turkish could be seen.

This might not be the first Turkish HAWK to be deployed to Syria. Photographs emerged in January 2018 that purportedly showed a battery that had been set up in Daraat Izza in Aleppo province. There has been no confirmation of that deployment.

Turkey received surplus Improved HAWK systems from the United States in the 2000s. It subsequently initiated programmes to develop indigenous air defence systems, with the low- and medium-altitude ones designated the Hisar-A and Hisar-O respectively. (Source: Jane’s)

30 Mar 20. China’s Norinco announces first export of HJ-12E ATGW system. The China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) announced on 25 March that it has completed deliveries of its Red Arrow 12E (‘Hongjian-12E’, or HJ-12E) man-portable anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) system to a foreign customer. The company said via its WeChat account that the move marked the first export of its third-generation ATGW but did not provide any details about the contract value, the identity of the customer, or the number of systems exported.

The HJ-12E is the export variant of the HJ-12, which is presumed to be in service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Ground Force.

A full-scale mock-up of the system was first shown at the 2014 Airshow China, with a company spokesperson telling Jane’s at the time that the HJ-12, which weighs up to 22 kg and uses a 1.25 m-long launch tube, is the first man-portable ATGW system to be fully developed in China.

The spokesperson claimed that it is also the first Chinese ATGW system to feature a fire-and-forget capability, enabling operators to withdraw swiftly after a missile launch and improve their survivability. The system also has a soft-launch capability that allows for the missile to be launched within confined spaces such as within a building or a bunker.

According to Jane’s Land Warfare Platforms: Firepower, Survivability & Mobility the HJ-12 has similar capabilities to the widely deployed and combat-proven US Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin man-portable ATGW system.

The missile of the HJ-12 system has a diameter of 140 mm and is fitted with a tandem, high-explosive, anti-tank (HEAT) warhead that is claimed to be able to penetrate up to 1,100 mm of rolled homogenous armour (RHA) protected by explosive reactive armour (ERA). (Source: Jane’s)

30 Mar 20. Polish Army seeks disposable anti-tank weapons. The Polish Armament Inspectorate (AI) on 26 March announced that it is to begin a technical dialogue with industry on 2-3 April for the provision of a lightweight disposable anti-tank weapon to replace the Polish Army’s RPG-7.

The AI will assess the initial technical requirements, the delivery schedule, and the price, including logistic support and training over 20 years of use. Key characteristics of the weapon such as weight, dimensions, minimum and maximum effective range would also be analysed.

The weapon is to be fitted with various types of high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high explosive squash head (HESH) rounds that would be able to penetrate both armoured vehicles and reinforced concrete structures. (Source: Jane’s)

31 Mar 20. NAVAIR to award AARGM-ER LRIP 1 contract. The US Navy (USN) issued a sole-source contract notification for the commencement of low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Northrop Grumman AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) on 31 March.

The notification, posted by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on the beta.sam.gov website, says that it is to award the LRIP 1 contract for the AARGM-ER air-to-surface missile to Alliant TechSystems Operations LLC, also referred to as Northrop Grumman Defense Systems (NGDS).

“NAVAIR intends to award a sole source Fixed-Price-Incentive Fee (FPIF) contract […] for the procurement of all tasks required to manufacture, fabricate, assemble, inspect, test, integrate and deliver the AGM-88G AARGM-ER All-Up Rounds (AUR), AGM-88G Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), spares, support equipment, and Special Test Equipment (STE); and to provide programme management, systems engineering, system safety, configuration management, quality assurance, and integrated logistics support,” the command said. (Source: Jane’s)

29 Mar 20. Australia to supply additional Silvershield C-IED systems for ANDSF. The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) announced on 29 March that more than 15,000 additional units of the Silvershield counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) system will be delivered to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) this year.

Minister for Defence Industry Linda Reynolds said that final assembly of these units will take place in Brisbane at the L3 Micreo facility, adding that the systems are comprised of component parts sourced from companies across Australia, including Axiom Precision Manufacturing, SRX Global, ZCG Scalar, and Lintek.

No details were provided about the value of the contract.

The Silvershield system is part of the Redwing programme under which L-3 Micreo and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology developed “low-cost, robust, and lightweight” C-IEDs to jam radio signals that can set off IEDs, said the DoD. (Source: Jane’s)

30 Mar 20. UVZ upgrades STANAG-compatible 2S19M1-155 155 mm howitzer. Russia’s Uralvagonzavod (UVZ: a subsidiary of state corporation Rostec) has upgraded its STANAG-compatible 2S19M1-155 Msta-S 155 mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH), a spokesperson for Rostec told Jane’s on 25 March.

“The modernised 2S19M1-155 has received a fully automated fire-control system, which can receive target data from an Orlan-10 tactical unmanned aerial vehicle. The organic 840hp engine has been replaced by an engine with a power output of 1,000hp,” the spokesperson said, adding that the modernisation has brought the SPH’s manoeuvrability “to the level of a main battle tank”.

The upgraded artillery system has received a satellite navigation unit, improved ballistic computer, and thermal imager coupled to a laser rangefinder. (Source: Jane’s)

30 Mar 20. Russian Baltic Fleet receives new Smerch MLRS. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported on 30 March that the Baltic Fleet had received new Smerch multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). Multiple variants of Smerch have been used by the Russian military since 1987 and the MLRS has also been delivered to allies of Russia such as Belarus, Syria and Venezuela. Smerch is a long-Range 300mm MLRS with a range of 20km to 90km. New armaments are being delivered to the Baltic Fleet as part of a wider modernisation and rearmament programme. This modification will increase the maximum range to 120km. The Baltic Fleet is deployed in the Kaliningrad Region bordering NATO member states Lithuania and Poland. (Source: Shephard)

30 Mar 20. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will produce and deliver SM-3® Block IB interceptors under a $2.1bn, multi-year U.S. Missile Defense Agency contract. It is the first multi-year contract for the SM-3 program, and covers fiscal years 2019–2023. SM-3 is the only ballistic missile interceptor that can be launched on land and at sea. It is deployed worldwide and has achieved more than 30 exoatmospheric intercepts against ballistic missile targets.

“This procurement deal is a win-win for government and industry,” said Dr. Mitch Stevison, Raytheon Strategic and Naval Systems vice president. “Efficiencies gained from this contract will allow us to reduce costs, continue to improve the SM-3 and deliver an important capability to our military.”

The Block IB variant achieved full-rate production in 2017. The company has delivered more than 400 SM-3 rounds over the lifetime of the program.

30 Mar 20. HENSOLDT delivers sixth lot for German Army’s Future Soldier Programme “Infanterist der Zukunft – Erweitertes System.” The sixth batch of the Bundeswehr order is worth around €1m. This comprises of more than one hundred IRV 600 A1 thermal sight

attachments. The uncooled attachment is noiseless and ready for use after only five seconds. The IRV 600 A1 was developed especially for long ranges. It is characterised by its simple operating concept and its central control panel. The infrared attachment is equipped with a video

connection for an external monitor. Its additional picatinny rail offers space for optional accessories. A battery pack allows the user to easily replace the battery without having to use tools. In addition to the IRV 600 A1 infrared attachment, HENSOLDT also supplies the NSV 600 night

sight attachment, the ZO 4×30 targeting optic, the RSA-S reflex sight, the Spotter 60 spotting scope, the ZF 6-24×72 riflescope and other accessories for the German Army’s modernisation program “Infantryman of the Future – Enhanced System” (IdZ-ES).

29 Mar 20. North Korea says it conducted successful test of multiple rocket launchers. North Korea’s latest test of super-large multiple rocket launchers a day earlier was a success, state media said on Monday. North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, the latest in a flurry of launches that South Korea decried as “inappropriate” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The North’s official KCNA news agency said the launch was aimed at examining the strategic and technical features of the “super-large multiple rocket launchers,” which has been tested multiple times since last August overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, ahead of deployment.

KCNA did not mention Kim’s attendance at the latest test, led by ruling party vice chairman Ri Pyong Chol and conducted at the Academy of National Defense Science.

“The operational deployment of the weapon system of super-large multiple rocket launchers is a crucial work of very great significance in realising the party’s new strategic intention for national defence,” Ri was quoted as saying during the test, without elaborating.

“The test-fire was conducted successfully,” KCNA added.

It marked the fourth round of tests this month since North Korea staged military drills and resumed missile launches following a three-month break. The move indicated the progress of Pyongyang’s weapons development while denuclearisation negotiations with the United States remain in limbo. (Source: Reuters)

27 Mar 20. Joint Team Ensures Hypersonic Test Success. A flight test of the joint Army-Navy hypersonic glide vehicle across the Pacific Ocean was a success, thanks to a dedicated team who managed complexity and change, officials said.

“We had a great team executing this,” Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood said of the March 19 test. Thurgood, the Army’s director of hypersonics, directed energy, space and rapid acquisition, thanked the joint team for their “phenomenal job” in a March 23 interview.

A joint team of soldiers, sailors, Defense Department civilians, contractors, national labs, and industry partners spent months preparing for the launch at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii.

Flight tests are highly complex endeavors, officials said. For this test, personnel began traveling to the site weeks in advance to get everything in place — from assembling the missile and putting monitoring equipment in place to running safety drills and developing detailed countdown procedures.

A large number of the support personnel in Kauai had worked on hypersonic technologies for years and applied their previous flight test experiences to this event.

This time, there were some differences from usual flight test operations, though. Some travel restrictions were put in place in the final days leading up to the test in response to COVID-19, according to Joel Shady, flight test director. “With the COVID virus, there were activities that didn’t go according to the way we had initially planned out,” he said.

Some of the tasks had to be accomplished through video teleconferences and phone calls, Shady said. “That made it very challenging,” he said, “but it’s very rewarding when, after everything was said and done, we did everything we were supposed to do.”

Shady, who works for the Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, had spent about 40 days on Kauai preparing for the flight test.

“It was tough being away from family, knowing a certain amount of crazy was going on in the world and you’re not there to help them,” he said.

As flight director, his job was to “choreograph” the entire operation, he said, overseeing everything from environmental compliance to safety and launch procedures.

“We take the program’s objectives, turn those into measurable requirements, and then assign all the test resources that are going to ensure we collect the information,” he said.

The rapport among all the team members was outstanding, he said, with team members from Navy, Army and industry partners working well together.

The common hypersonic glide body will be used by both the Navy and the Army, so the two services continue to work closely every step of the way. The Navy is the lead service for the design of the weapon system, and the Army will lead production.

About 60 percent of the military members at the Kauai test facility worked for the Navy, Shady said. In addition, naval vessels were deployed across the Pacific to observe the trajectory of the hypersonic glide vehicle, said Navy Capt. John Lowery, program manager, Conventional Prompt Strike, U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs.

Dr. Sidney Beck, chief engineer of the Naval Ordnance Test Unit, was the overall mission director in charge of the test. He was at Kauai and oversaw the assembly, integration, testing and countdown of the missile that carried the payload downrange.

Both Beck and Lowery said the common hypersonic glide body in last week’s test will be upgraded for the next hypersonic test.

A new booster, currently being developed by the Navy, will be demonstrated within future tests, as well, they said.

“We’re building at stages and maturing the design,” Lowery said. “So, this was a natural step in the progression of this technology, regardless of whether you were launching this off an Army vehicle or a submarine.”

The common hypersonic glide body tested Thursday was produced at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in collaboration with government researchers.

The common hypersonic glide body is actually government-owned technology produced over the years, Thurgood pointed out.

“Lots of government agencies had a hand in developing this technology,” he stressed.

The common hypersonic glide body for later tests and fielded prototypes, however, will be built by Dynetics in Huntsville, Alabama, Thurgood said.

Dynetics was awarded a competitive contract to become the first industry producer of the hypersonic glide vehicle, he said.

“The [science and technology] community that developed this technology is now … transitioning to industry so that we can build these at a much higher rate and a much faster speed,” Thurgood explained.

“It’s pretty unique that, as we build the weapons system, we’re also building an industrial base to go along with it,” he said.

Every test builds upon the past, he said. “So, we try to go further, we try to go faster, we try to put it in a more stressful environment,” he added.

“The data we collect goes to what modifications we make to the system, and it also helps [the Missile Defense Agency] as they inform their development of the capabilities for the defense of hypersonic weapons,” Thurgood said.

He explained that agency employees attended the test to collect information on how enemy hypersonic weapons might be stopped.

“We try not to leave any stone unturned in terms of sharing data across the community,” Thurgood said, “because missile test data can be used for lots of outcomes.”

The Army plans to field a long-range hypersonic battery in 2023, he said. The unit will use M983 prime-mover trucks and revamped M870 trailers to haul the hypersonic glide vehicles from one launch site to another.

The strategy is to reuse as much as possible, he said. “That way we reduce our logistics burden, reduce our training burden and we actually use the equipment our soldiers are familiar with.” (Source: US DoD)

26 Mar 20. Brazil to receive Bofors 40 Mk4 weapon systems. Two 40mm BAE Systems Bofors 40 Mk4 naval gun systems are scheduled to be shipped to Brazil in August, the Brazilian Navy told Jane’s. The weapon systems, together with special tools, spares, and training, were purchased in 2013 worth EUR8.3m by the Navy Weapons Systems Directorate through Brazilian Naval Commission in Europe. They will be installed on the Macaé-class NPa Maracanã (P72) and NPa Mangaratiba (P73) patrol boats, which are being constructed and completed at the state-controlled shipyard Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ). However, the schedule for the installation of the gun into the ships has yet to be defined, the navy said. (Source: Jane’s)

26 Mar 20. USMC solicits industry to provide mobile air-defence system for JLTV vehicles. The US Marine Corps (USMC) has formally begun its search for a ground-based air-defence system (GBADS) for integration aboard its Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs).

A request for information (RFI) issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) on 26 March called for the means to effectively defeat fixed- and rotary-winged (FW/RW), manned and unmanned aerial threats in support of the Marine Air/Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander’s scheme-of-manoeuvre.

“The purpose of this RFI is to solicit potential solutions from industry on a FW/RW defeat capability that can be integrated onto the Marine Air Defense Integrated System [MADIS],” the RFO posted on the beta.sam.gov website said.

As noted in the solicitation, which was issued about 27 months after the corps first revealed its MADIS initiative to help field a near-term counter unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capability, the FW/RW air-defence requirement is to be broken down into separate increments. MADIS Increment (Inc) 1, which is the subject of this current RFI, is to comprise a pair of JLTV vehicles (one Mk1 and one Mk2) to provide a short-range ability to detect, track, identify, and defeat aerial threats. MADIS Inc 1 focuses on the integration of command-and-control (C2) software onto the JLTV Heavy Guns Carrier (HGC) variant. The Mk1 vehicle will include a counter-FW/RW and a non-kinetic C-UAS capability, while the Mk2 vehicle will include a detection, kinetic, and non-kinetic C-UAS capability.

The effective range of the systems will be no less than the FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missile system (noted by Jane’s Land Warfare Platforms: Artillery & Air Defence as being an envelope between 200m and 4km). It shall have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 9 (most mature) and not require new development. It should also be able to support delivery of two engineering development models during Q3 of fiscal year (FY) 2021, and manufacture of 13 low-rate initial production (LRIP) units during Q3 2022. (Source: Jane’s)

Joint Team Ensures Hypersonic Test Success

A flight test of the joint Army-Navy hypersonic glide vehicle across the Pacific Ocean was a success, thanks to a dedicated team who managed complexity and change, officials said.

A large number of the support personnel in Kauai had worked on hypersonic technologies for years and applied their previous flight test