The Missile Defense Agency this week announced the agency had carried out the first successful live intercept of a ballistic missile target as part of the missile defense system on Guam.
Also on Tuesday, Australia announced that destroyer HMAS Brisbane (DDG-41) conducted a successful first firing of an RGM-109E Tomahawk cruise missile off the U.S. West Coast.For Flight Experiment Mission-02 a Vertical Launching System on Guam fired a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA that intercepted an air-launched Medium Range Ballistic Missile target off the coast of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The AN/TPY-6 radar tracked the target shortly after launch to intercept in the first end-to-end tracking use of the radar during a live ballistic missile flight test, according to the release.
The trial was designated and the release stated that Tuesday’s event marks a key step for the future Guam Defense System (GDS) and protecting forces from any potential regional missile threats.
“This is a tremendous group effort and provides a glimpse of how organizations within the Department of Defense have come together to defend our homeland Guam now and in the future,” said MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins in the release, “Collectively, we will use this to build upon and validate joint tracking architecture and integrated air and missile defense capabilities for Guam.”
FEM-02 is the first demonstration from Guam as part of the long-term GDS initiative. The system will be comprised of a combination of DoD service components working together to provide an Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense system.
“Today’s flight test is a critical milestone in the defense of Guam and the region,” Commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia Rear Adm. Greg Huffman said in the release, “It confirmed our ability to detect, track, and engage a target missile in flight, increasing our readiness to defend against evolving adversary threats. The event’s success is a testament to the incredible work of the team both within the DoD and the Government of Guam.
Lockheed Martin said on Wednesday in partnership with the MDA, Lockheed Martin went from contract award to intercept flight test in less than two years while Japan’s JSO issued a release on Wednesday stating that the U.S. and Japan conducted a joint drill on Tuesday at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and the sea and air space surrounding the island with the aim of practicing a series of ballistic missile countermeasures using a destroyer, to exchange views with the US on integrated air and missile defense, strengthening Japan-US cooperation and maintaining and improving integrated air and missile defense capabilities.
JMSDF destroyer JS Haguro (DDG-180) and destroyer USS Milius (DDG-69) carried out Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) acquisition and tracking training with a U.S. Air Force (USAF) C-17 transport also involved in the drill.
Guam is key base and hub for the U.S. military’s operations in the Indo-Pacific, in the past the base was considered secure from attacks from adversaries but the increased long range strike capabilities of China’s military coupled with the Russian Navy mounting hypersonic long range strike missiles on its surface ships and deploying advanced attack submarines equipped with cruise missiles to the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet, the U.S. is now looking to provide Guam with a defense against such capabilities.
On the offensive side, the U.S. is also seeking to improve its long-rank strike capabilities such as fitting the Zumwalt class destroyers with hypersonic missiles while its partners such as Australia and Japan are also bolstering their long-range strike capabilities. On Tuesday Australia said it fired a Tomahawk cruise missile for the first time, marking a year where the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has conducted firings of three different missile systems that will progressively enter service and enhance its fleet capabilities, namely the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) surface to surface missile, the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) surface to air missile and the Tomahawk cruise missile.
“The enhanced lethality of Navy’s surface combatant fleet is vital to ensuring the ADF is equipped to meet our strategic circumstances and keep Australians safe,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in a release by Australia’s Department of Defence (Defence), “The successful test firing of the Tomahawk missile demonstrates the strength of our alliance and defense cooperation with the United States, in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.”
Tuesday’s release stated that Brisbane successfully fired a Tomahawk missile during a test and evaluation activity conducted off the West Coast of the United States though it did not give the date of the firing though imagery released by Defence states the filing date of the images as Dec. 3 and also showed the Tomahawk striking a ground based target. Defense also released a video showing the firing of all three missile types that were carried out this year.
Australia is one of only three nations alongside the United States and United Kingdom to acquire and fire the Tomahawk cruise missile. Australia will acquire more than 200 Tomahawk missiles, which will be deployed in its Hobart class destroyers and future Navy platforms including Virginia-class submarines and, subject to feasibility studies, the Hunter class frigates,
“This Tomahawk firing follows the firings of the Naval Strike Missile and Standard Missile 6 earlier this year and is a practical demonstration of the speed at which the Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to enhance the lethality of Navy’s surface combatant fleet,” reads the statement.
The U.S and the U.K. are currently the only countries operating the Tomahawk cruise missiles with Australia and Japan to join them. The Tomahawk entered service with the Royal Navy (RN) in 1998 with the RN deploying them from its submarines. Australia has yet to announce a formal contract signing to procure the missiles though the release stated that the Australian government is investing AUD $1.3 billion to acquire the capability for the RAN, which is being introduced into service several years faster than originally planned, according to the release.
A Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) release in March 2023 stated that Australia had requested and was approved to buy up to 200 Tomahawk Block V missiles and up to 20 Tomahawk Block IV missiles along with support for all three segments of Australia’s Tomahawk Weapon System (TWS) to include the missiles, the Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control System (TTWCS) and the Theater Mission Planning Center (TMPC) with an estimated total cost of $895 million. The DSCA issued a release in January this year stating that Australia requested and was approved to buy services to support the Tomahawk Weapon System with an estimated total cost of $250 million.
Japan signed a contract for 400 Tomahawks in January this year with deliveries scheduled from April 2025 to March 2028. Japan has not conducted a test firing yet though Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) began training on the system under the U.S. Navy in March this year. Japan plans to install the Tomahawks on its eight Aegis destroyers: four Kongō class, two Atago class and two Maya class, and on the two new Aegis system-equipped vessels destroyers to be commissioned in 2027 and 2028. Like Australia, Japan accelerated its Tomahawk acquisition with Japan pushing forward the acquisition date a year ahead than originally planned.
Brisbane’s sister ship, HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) fired an NSM during the Rim of the Pacific 2024 exercise held in Hawaii from June-August and fired an SM-6 during the Pacific Dragon 2024 Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) exercise held around Hawaii from July-August.
Brisbane is currently finishing up a five month interchangeability deployment to San Diego, having arrived there in September and expected to be home in Australia before Christmas.
