Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System. Kongsberg Image
Raytheon was awarded a $208 million contract to arm Black Sea state and NATO member Romania with mobile coastal anti-ship missile batteries, the Pentagon announced in a Thursday contract statement. Read More
JS Maya (DDG-179) fires an SM-3 BlockIIA on Nov. 16, 2022. JMSDF Photo
Two Japanese Maya-class destroyers successfully test-fired SM-3 interceptors against ballistic missile targets off Hawaii last week, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) announced on Monday. Read More
An AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missile launches from the Surface-To-Surface Missile Module (SSMM) aboard Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Montgomery (LCS-8) on May 12, 2022. US Navy Photo
An Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship launched three Longbow Hellfire missiles that hit a land-based target in a demonstration last week, the Navy announced. Read More
AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 3 array in 2019. Northrop Grumman Photo
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. – With limited and costly ways for a surface warship to physically take out an incoming anti-ship missile, the Navy has been pursuing more ways a warship could use the power of electronic spectrum to splash threats. Read More
Artist’s concept of an MQ-9B-SeaGuardian. General Atomics Image
The State Department has given approval to a new arms sale package to Taiwan that includes four unmanned maritime patrol aircraft based on the MQ-9 Reaper platform, according to a Tuesday announcement from Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Read More
The Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Princeton successfully launches a Block II Harpoon in the Naval Air Systems Command Sea Test Range off the coast of southern California. US Navy Photo
The U.S. State Department has authorized a possible $2.37 billion sale of Harpoon missiles to Taiwan. Read More
Navy accepted delivery of the Navy’s AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar System at land-based test site Combat Systems Engineering Development Site (CSEDS) in Moorestown, N.J., Oct. 7., 2020. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s ground-based testing site for the Aegis combat systems on Wednesday took delivery of its new air and missile defense radar array that will go on the next iteration of guided-missile destroyers, the service announced. Read More
Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) flies for the first time on an EA-18G Growler, Aug. 7, over Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The NGJ-MB capability, forward pod located under the right wing of the aircraft, is a jamming technology that provides enhanced airborne electronic attack capabilities to the EA-18G Growler platform. US Navy photo.
The Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) pod began its first flight tests earlier this month and could move into production this fall. Read More
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), and U.S. Navy sailors aboard USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) successfully conducted a flight test Feb. 3 (Hawaii Standard Time), resulting in the first intercept of a ballistic missile target using the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA off the west coast of Hawaii. MDA photo.
This post has been updated to include additional context noting that any Standard Missile interceptor would cause the same safety concerns for the Japanese Aegis Ashore sites.
The U.S. military considers the development of the Standard Missile 3 Block IIA ballistic missile interceptor to be complete and the weapon ready for production, even as co-developer Japan has changed its mind about using the interceptor as part of a shore-based ballistic missile defense site. Read More
USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) pierside in Pearl Harbor during a port visit in 2019. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include additional information about second-in-class USS Michael Monsoor.
USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) was delivered to the fleet after completing its combat system activation and subsequent at-sea trials, two sources told USNI News. Read More
