08 Aug 11. Negotiations regarding the sale of the Owning The Night event to Clarion Events will not proceed. The announcement in the Clarion Events pre-DSEI Publication that Owning The Night formed part of the Clarion Defence portfolio of events is inaccurate. More details will follow.
10 Aug 11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully completed the first test to demonstrate real-time cueing of the Airborne Infrared (ABIR) sensor for the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) with the Integrated Sensor Manager (ISM). The company’s ISM completed the early intercept proof-of-concept exercise by participating as an associated operation in the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) FTX-17 test on July 8.
ISM is a prototype capability Northrop Grumman is developing for the MDA to enable more accurate tracking and threat identification for intercepting a missile earlier in flight. These improvements are required for the MDA’s Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) that will integrate incremental capabilities over several years to enhance defense against emerging ballistic missile threats. During the test, ISM received 2-D measurements received from space-based sensors observing the FTX-17 target, which was drop-launched from the rear of a C-17 cargo aircraft over the Pacific Ocean Test Range off the California coast. ISM formed and provided 3-D tracks to MDA’s Experimentation Laboratory (X-Lab). After receiving a tasking command from the X-Lab, ISM sent a cue to the ABIR sensor at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and continued to provide cue updates as new measurement data was received. MDA’s current operational concept envisions the ABIR platform and sensors forward in theater for early detection and surveillance of the threat. The ISM FTX-17 exercise utilized a ground-based ABIR sensor. Future experiments will progress with multiple, airborne sensors and more complex scenarios over the next two years. ISM is being developed under an MDA Joint National Integration Center Research and Development Contract task order.
16 Aug 11. The Indian Army has conducted the 25th user trials of a supersonic guided missile, the BrahMos Block III, in Pokhran, near the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan, India. The BrahMos missile is capable of engaging targets in mountainous terrain and hillocks, according to defence officials. The supersonic cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, can hit ground targets from a very low altitude and can reach a speed of Mach 2.8. The 290km range missile is powered by a solid propellant rocket, a liquid-fuelled ramjet to sustain supersonic cruise, and features a very low radar signature. The BrahMos missile is expected to be deployed in the mountainous terrain along the Pakistani and Chinese border. (Source: airforcetechnology.com)
09 Aug 11. The Indian Army will conduct flight tests of Agni I and Agni II in the next 45 days from the launching complex IV of the integrated test range (ITR) on Wheeler’s Island, off the Dhamra coast, Orissa, India. The 700km range Agni I missile is planned to be tested in the third week of September, while the 2,000km range Agni II will be tested in the last week of August. The tests have been aimed to determine the performance and effectiveness of the weapons in real time conditions and to allow military personnel to explore the capabilities of the weapon. The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) will launch the missiles with logistic support from the defence research development organisation (DRDO), according to IBNLive.com. The 12 ton Agni I missile is powered by both solid and liquid propellants and can carry both conventional and nuclear payloads. The 21m-long two staged solid propelled Agni II weighs 17 tons and is considered a key weapon system of the country’s nuclear deterrence doctrine. (Source: armytechnology.com)
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