Missile Defense Briefing Report: No. 317

RUSSIAN S-500 INTERCEPTORS TARGET 2017 IOC
Russia plans to deploy its long awaited state of the art air defense system, the S-500, in 2017. The system will reportedly have the ability to knock out supersonic aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles in near space, boasting a range of over 400 kilometers. The S-series missile defense family has been highly touted by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the “best in the world.” Once operational, the S-500 will join its earlier variants, the S-400 and S-300, as part of Russia's air and missile defense grid. (Defense News, August 30, 2013)

U.S.-ISRAELI CONTRACTORS PLAN PATRIOT MISSILE UPGRADE
Israel's Rafael and the U.S.-based Raytheon corporation are requesting $20 million in U.S. government funding to integrate Israeli Stunner missiles with Raytheon PAC-3s radars, launchers, and engagement equipment. The newly proposed Patriot Advanced Affordable Capability-4 system is projected to offer enhanced operational performance at 20 percent of the PAC-3 missiles $2 million per-unit cost. The Stunner is a “Mach-6 flying, highly maneuvering hit-to-kill interceptor,” experts say. This new feature is an outgrowth of the jointly-developed David Sling program, which is designed to counter growing threats from artillery rockets to longer range ballistic missiles. (Defense News, August 31, 2013)

NEW U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN PLAN TO COUNTER THE DPRK
The United States and South Korea have created a deterrence strategy to guard against the nuclear threat posed by the regime of Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. The strategy, which extends the U.S. nuclear umbrella over South Korea, was devised in the wake of heightened regional tensions following a new North Korean long-range missile test and nuclear detonation.The deterrence plan, set to be ratified this month, outlines countervailing actions that Washington and Seoul might take to respond to numerous North Korean provications, while at the same time fortifying America's role as a guarantor of the South's safety via extended nuclear deterrence. (Seoul Korea Herald, September 8, 2013)

EAST COAST SITE CLOSER TO FINDING A HOME
The list of possible locations for the potential East Coast missile defense system has been trimmed down to just five: New York, Vermont, Maine, Ohio, and Michigan. According to Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director Navy Vice Adm. James Syring, the scaled-down list helps the MDA begin to examine environmental impacts and conduct other necessary assessments assocated with installing the Ground based interceptors (GBIs). But it is still unclear if the project will move forward in Congress, because recent weeks have seen U.S. missile defense efforts suffer a series of setbacks, from a failed GBI intercept test to skepticism among policymakers that the site is unneeded. Proponents, however, have stressed that the site would serve as both deterrent and defense against the burgeoning strategic capabilities of Iran and North Korea. If approved by Congress, the East Coast site would cost approximately $3.5 billion over the next five years. (Defense News, September 12, 2013)

AN EYE TOWARD CHINA, INDIA WORKS ON LONG RANGE MISSILES
India continues to progress in its development of nuclear-capable long-range rockets. According to India’s Defense and Research Development Organization (DRD), New Delhi has successfully test-launched the indigenous Agni-V rocket, a missile capable of reaching most of Europe as well as China's capital, Beijing. With a range of some 5,000 kilometers, the Agni-V puts India in an elite club of global ballistic missile powers. The reasons behind India's push for ICBM capability are more than merely local, however; observers say that, in addition to ongoing concerns over regional rival Pakistan, India's efforts reflect growing worries in New Delhi over China's nuclear and ballistic missile advances. (Reuters, September 15, 2013)