Navy Radar Efforts Solidify BMD Commitment

Contractors vying for the U.S. Navy’s proposed Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) say they can deliver the system for much less than the government’s cost estimate because of their extensive experience building similar radar programs in recent years.

US-Russian use of Azeri radar is not on agenda

Azeri Radar

BAKU – Joint use of the radar station in Azerbaijan by the United States and Russia is not on the agenda, the US Ambassador in Baku Matthew Bryza said Friday.

Vondra: Czechs do not want US “consolation prize” in defence area

Czech Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra made it clear in Brussels Wednesday that the Czech Republic is not satisfied with the U.S. offer to host an early warning centre within NATO’s planned missile defence and said Prague does not seek a mere “consolation prize” from the USA.

Raytheon Conducts Key Customer Review for Air and Missile Defense Radar

Raytheon Company conducted its system requirements review (SRR) for Phase II of the U.S. Navy’s Air and Missile Defense Radar program. This review marks a major milestone for AMDR, for which Raytheon is currently developing a technology demonstrator for the system’s S-band radar and radar suite controller.

U.S. Navy’s AMDR Program Sets Big Goals

Aviation Week reports:

Northrop Grumman and Raytheon see the U.S. Navy’s Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) program as a way to break the stranglehold Lockheed Martin’s Aegis system has on naval integrated ship and ballistic missile defense (BMD). But Lockheed Martin believes the five-decade-long Aegis pedigree should make the company the front-runner for AMDR.

MDAA Defender of the Month, April 2011 – Captain Kirby Atwell

Dear Members and Friends,

On behalf of all of our members, we are proud to announce the April 2011 Defender of the Month, Captain Kirby Atwell, United States Army. CPT Atwell is currently the Commander, 10th Missile Defense Detachment, 100th Missile Defense Brigade (GMD) / 94th AAMDC (FWD) in Shariki, Japan. He is the first Commander of the forward-based AN/TPY-2 Radar stationed there.

Captain Atwell is the National Guard’s 1st Quarter selection for MDAA’s Defender of the Month.

Click Here to View Our One-on-One Interview with Captain Atwell

Click Here to View Past MDAA Defender of the Month Recipients

Respectfully,

Riki Ellison
Chairman & Founder
Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance

MDAA Alert: Lift Off – Video of SBIRS GEO-1 Launch

Atlas-V with SBIRS GEO-1 Payload

Dear Members and Friends,

The first satellite of the next generation of the Defense Support Program (DSP) was launched into space at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This new satellite can detect and process a diverse variety of heat sources, including missile launches, defining and distinguishing the type of missile and where these missiles are heading in an extremely short period of time.

Cobra Dane Contract Given to Raytheon

Cobra Dane Radar

Virginia’s Raytheon Technical Services Co. has won a U.S. Air Force Cobra Dane radar systems contract valued up to $65 million.

The contract provides for maintenance operations, radar sustainment, systems engineering and integrated logistics support, the company said.

MDA Drops Target-Acquisition From Next Sats

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will not include a target-acquisition sensor in its forthcoming missile-tracking satellites, as part of an effort to streamline the system and control costs.

The agency’s new design for its next space-based missile-tracking system will be simpler than the two Northrop Grumman Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites now conducting a demonstration in space, according to MDA and industry officials.

Sea-based Missile Defense Flight Test Results in Successful Intercept

SM-3 Block IA Missile Launch

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Navy sailors aboard the Aegis destroyer USS O’KANE (DDG 77), and Soldiers from the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command operating from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) element of the nation’s Ballistic Missile Defense System, resulting in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean. This successful test demonstrated the capability of the first phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) announced by the President in September, 2009.