Back to news

January 17, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Space-based interceptors and drones with lasers: the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Review wish-list revealed

By:

WASHINGTON — The long-delayed Missile Defense Review, which will be formally introduced by President Donald Trump at the Pentagon Thursday, will call for research and investments to ensure America's security for the next several decades: laser technology, the F-35 as an ICBM killer, and potentially putting interceptors in space.

Trump will roll out the report at 11 a.m. Thursday as part of his third visit to the Pentagon since taking office.

Expected to attend the rollout is a who's who of national security officials, including vice president Mike Pence, national security adviser John Bolton; Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan; Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson; Army Secretary Mark Esper; Pentagon policy head John Rood; Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord; Pentagon technology head Mike Griffin; and Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, a leading advocate for missile defense.

A senior administration official, speaking to reporters ahead of the report's release, confirmed a number of new technologies that Defense News has learned are highlighted in the report. The official told reporters that overall, the review looks at “the comprehensive environment the United States faces, and our allies and partners face. It does posture forces to be prepared for capabilities that currently exist and that we anticipate in the future.”

It's been a long road for the MDR to finally emerge. Pentagon officials originally said the document would be released in late 2017 — then February, then mid-May and then late in the summer. In September, Rood, who as undersecretary of defense for policy is the point man for the MDR, indicated the report could come out in a matter of weeks. And in October, Shanahan, then the deputy secretary of defense, said the document had been done “for some time.”

There is also widespread speculation in the missile defense community that the review has been delayed, at least in part, because of the warmed relations between the Trump administration and North Korea. Notably, the mid-May time frame for release, which was floated by Shanahan in April, lined up President Donald Trump's planned meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While that meeting was canceled and then eventually happened in June, there was a sense the Pentagon did not want to do anything that could jeopardize those talks, such as releasing a report discussing how the U.S. could counter North Korean capabilities.

Ironically, Trump will be rolling the report out just hours before a high-level North Korean delegation is expected to arrive in Washington for talks with the administration. However, Sung-Yoon Lee, a Korean expert with Tufts University‘s Fletcher School, doesn't expect that to impact any negotiations.

“North Korea has the upper hand and is playing hard to get,” Lee said, and so won't make a big deal out of the MDR's statements on North Korea.

“Their propaganda machinery at home may issue a statement a couple of days later, but [lead North Korean official Kim Yong Chol] would be foolish to address it while he's in D.C," he added.

Technological changes

Much of the technology discussed in the MDR will require many years of development, and in some cases will never come to fruition. But the following points give a good sense of the let's-try-everything approach the Pentagon is putting forth with the report:

Turn the SM-3 and F-35 into ICBM killers: The SM-3 Block IIA ship-launched interceptor is designed for dealing with regional threats. But the Pentagon intends to test the weapon as a counter-ICBM system in 2020, as part of a goal of creating an extra layer of protection for the homeland. In essence, the department wants to offer as many options as possible, scattered around the globe, for making sure nothing gets through the safety net.

The department has previously said the F-35 could be used in some capacity for missile defense, but the MDR calls for the testing and development of a new or modified interceptor which could shoot down a ballistic missile in the boost phase; expect early R&D funding for such a weapon to be in the FY20 budget request. There is also the possibility of using the F-35, equipped with its array of sensors, to hunt and track mobile missile units, which is a key part of North Korea's doctrine.

Lasers on drones: The idea of using directed energy weapons, more commonly known as lasers, to take out a missile in the boost phase is not new, but it has received a boost in the past year in comments from technological leaders inside the building. In theory, putting a drone equipped with a laser high in the air at around 60,000 feet would keep it safe from any missile defense systems, while providing overwatch on potential launch sites. However, this idea feels more far-flung than others, in part because both the scaled up laser that would be needed for such capabilities has yet to be invented, let alone paired with a system that would be able to stay that high for long periods of time.

In the meantime, DoD is developing a low-power laser demonstrator to evaluate and test what technologies would be needed to make such a system a reality, despite the fact that airborne laser weapons are perhaps the hardest directed energy system to develop.

Space-based sensors: In the FY19 defense authorization bill, Congress required the missile defense agency to fully study and prototype ways to increase the space-based sensor layer. It's been another focus area for Griffin during his time in the Pentagon.

“A space-based layer of sensors is something we are looking at to help give early warning, tracking and discrimination of missiles when they are launched,” the administration official said. “We see space as an area that's very important as far as advanced, next-level capabilities that will help us stay ahead of the threat.”

Just what that layer looks like, however, remains to be seen. Expect some form of disaggregated architecture, relying on many smaller systems rather than the expensive, highly-capable systems that the U.S. has traditionally relied upon. Hosting sensor payloads on commercial satellites could also be in play.

The hope is to demo some form of space-based sensor layer by early in the 2020s.

Space-based interceptors: Perhaps the most controversial of the ideas being considered in the document comes from the idea of having interceptors placed in orbit to take out ballistic missiles. Picture a satellite equipped with 10 rockets that, when triggered by the sensor net, can target and launch against an incoming missile.

The MDR does not call for investment in space-based interceptors at this point. Instead, the department will launch a study, lasting perhaps six months, to look into the most promising technologies and come up with estimates for cost and time; after the study is done, the department will look to move forward if it makes sense.

But don't expect lasers in space anytime soon, with the administration official saying nothing has been determined, only that “we're going to study it and we'll see whether or not it's feasible.”

Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2019/01/17/space-based-interceptors-and-drones-with-lasers-the-pentagons-missile-defense-review-wish-list-revealed

On the same subject

  • Calling all weapons makers: Pentagon seeks new ideas to arm Ukraine

    May 2, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

    Calling all weapons makers: Pentagon seeks new ideas to arm Ukraine

    In its effort to quickly arm Ukraine against Russia, the Pentagon has announced the equivalent of an open casting call for companies to offer weapons and commercial systems that can be rushed to the fight.

  • UK: Shipbuilding firms chosen for Fleet Solid Support competition

    December 7, 2018 | International, Naval

    UK: Shipbuilding firms chosen for Fleet Solid Support competition

    Four shipbuilding firms and a British consortium have been selected to compete for the Fleet Solid Support ships contract A syndicate of British firms, along with four international shipbuilding companies, have been selected to compete for the Fleet Solid Support ships contract, Defence Minister Stuart Andrew has announced. The crucial vessels, which will deliver ammunition, food and supplies to UK forces across the globe, will work alongside the Royal Navy's fleet of warships and will be an important part of the UK Maritime Task Group. The British consortium is made up of leading manufacturing and engineering companies Babcock, BAE Systems, Cammell Laird and Rolls-Royce. They join Italian firm Fincantieri, Spanish company Navantia, Japan Marine United Corporation, and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering of South Korea as the five successful firms who have been invited to submit a tender for the competition. Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said: The widespread interest in this competition shows that our Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary remain among the most prestigious in the world. These support ships will be vital for supporting our formidable Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and will ensure our warships can deploy in a range of challenging environments and across huge distances, wherever they are in the world. The five companies, which were selected from eight interested firms, will now develop bids before a final decision is made regarding the winning bidder in 2020. The Fleet Solid Support ships, up to three of which will be procured through international competition as they are not warships, will be fitted with specialist and classified equipment at a British shipyard before entering service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 2026. Shipyards across the United Kingdom will be able to bid for this work in 2022. As part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the vessels will be civilian-manned and carry self-defence weapons only. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/shipbuilding-firms-chosen-for-fleet-solid-support-competition

  • Les employés du DDPS sommés de refuser les invitations

    March 29, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    Les employés du DDPS sommés de refuser les invitations

    Les employés du DDPS ne peuvent plus accepter d'invitations d'entreprises actives dans le domaine de la défense, a décrété la conseillère fédérale Viola Amherd. Cette mesure vise à contrer des accusations de conflits d'intérêts dans le cadre du projet Air2030. Le projet Air2030 comprend l'acquisition de nouveaux avions de combat et d'un nouveau système de défense sol-air. En décembre, les médias avaient parlé d'officiers suisses participant à un buffet suédois dans un hôtel à Berne. Concrètement, la directive de la ministre de la défense Viola Amherd stipule que les employés de son département ne doivent pas participer à des manifestations organisées ou sponsorisées par des entreprises impliquées dans le projet Air2030, a déclaré jeudi le porte-parole du DDPS, Lorenz Frischknecht, confirmant une information des journaux CH-Media. Les contrevenants pourront être sanctionnés. Cela est également valable pour les invitations d'Etats impliqués dans l'acquisition d'avions de chasse, a dit M. Frischknecht. Il s'agit notamment de l'Allemagne, de la France, de la Suède, d'Israël et des Etats-Unis. Il peut s'agir de réceptions à l'occasion de fêtes nationales ou d'autres événements, tels que des conférences ou des expositions. Cinq avionneurs présentent leurs appareils dans le cadre du projet Air2030. L'Eurofighter (Airbus, Allemagne), le F/A-18 Super Hornet (Boeing, Etats-Unis), le Rafale (Dassault, France), le F-35A (Lockheed-Martin, Etats-Unis) et le Gripen E (Saab, Suède) seront testés au sol et dans les airs en Suisse de mi-avril à fin juin. https://www.rfj.ch/rfj/Actualite/Suisse/Les-employes-du-DDPS-sommes-de-refuser-les-invitations.html

All news