Christian Science Monitor (csmonitor.com)
April 20, 2012
Missiles have been prominent in the news lately, with India’s successful test, North Korea’s failed one, and much talk of missile defense systems in Europe and the Persian Gulf. Here are six noteworthy missile-technology advances – three offensive, three defensive – revealed in recent weeks.
1. India’s Agni-V
In a display that Indian officials said put their country “among the world’s most powerful and scientifically advanced nations,” India tested its first ballistic missile capable of reaching major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. The missile, the Agni-V, has a 3,000 mile range, can carry a 1.5 ton nuclear warhead, and is made almost entirely domestically, reports Reuters.
The Agni-V is seen as a deterrent to China’s growing strength in the region. Though it has a nuclear arsenal, India has not previously been able to target key sites in China like the capital, weakening its military and political leverage.
The Chinese government’s response has been staid, reports the BBC, with the foreign minister’s office calling India a “partner and not a rival.” The Chinese press has openly mocked the missile test however, calling the Agni-V a “dwarf” and representative of “the backwardness of Indian missiles.”
2. North Korea’s Unha-3
Less than a week before the Indian missile test, North Korea unsuccessfully tested one of its own rockets, the Unha-3, in an attempted show of strength as new leader Kim Jong-un secures his throne. Foreign observers believe the rocket was a long-range missile, though Pyongyang claimed it was a vehicle for a communications satellite. The rocket crashed into the Yellow Sea soon after launch.
The test was condemned even before the launch by most of the major Western governments as well as Russia. Although the test’s failure means that North Korea remains far from being a threat beyond its immediate region, it has set back the already tepid diplomatic negotiations between North Korea and the US. The Obama administration withdrew its offer of food aid to the North in exchange for a rollback of its nuclear program.
Experts believe that Mr. Kim may stage a nuclear test in the coming months to offset the perceived loss of face from the failed missile test.
3. South Korea’s Hyunmoo
In the aftermath of the North Korean test, South Korea announced yesterday that it was deploying a new cruise missile capable of striking anywhere in the North. The new missile, which the military did not name but experts say is known as the Hyunmoo, has a range of 930 miles and consists of entirely homegrown technology, according to Voice of America.
The new cruise missile, which the South Korean military introduced with video of successful firing tests, makes a strong contrast with the North’s earlier failure. The timing of the announcement is not accidental; The New York Times reports that South Korean officials said it was meant to be a message to the North that Seoul is not intimidated by Pyongyang’s recent saber-rattling.
Voice of America notes that South Korea is bound by treaty with the US to not deploy ballistic missiles with a range of more than 180 miles. But cruise missiles, which travel more slowly and close to the ground, are exempted from the treaty.
4. US missile interceptors
With the increasing prevalence of missiles, ballistic and otherwise, around the world, there has been a corresponding interest in missile-defense systems. The foremost proponent of such technology has been the United States.
As far back as the George W. Bush administration, US and NATO officials advocated a European missile-defense system to defend against Iranian launches. But the plan – which the Obama administration also supports, albeit in modified form – has irked Russia. The Kremlin says that the proposed system targets Russia and its large ballistic arsenal. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen recently reiterated that the system “does not threaten Russia,” reports Radio Free Europe.
And late last month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Arab leaders to set in motion the creation of a Persian Gulf missile shield, also set against Iranian launches, reports The Washington Post. The US is planning the shield’s creation with several oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, which all already have US-made Patriot missile systems. The new shield would more closely coordinate the various countries’ defenses.
5. Iran’s S-300 missile defense
Perhaps because so many nations are looking to counter Iranian missiles, Tehran decided to develop its own missile-defense shield. Its initial plans called for the purchase and import of Russian S-300 missile batteries, but those plans were stymied by Western-implemented sanctions that Russia is complying with. Now, the Iranians claim to be “making progress” on their own version of the S-300, according to state-owned PressTV.
Iran also recently denounced the planned US missile system in the Persian Gulf to be an attempt by the US to justify its ongoing “illegal” presence in the region by using the “phony pretext” of an Iranian missile threat, reports the semi-offical FARS News Agency.
6. Israel’s Iron Dome
Perhaps the most advanced existing missile shield is Israel’s Iron Dome, a network of missile batteries around southern Israel and Gaza. Designed in Israel and funded in part by the US, the Iron Dome system tracks inbound rockets and quickly predicts their likely destination. If the impact zone is in a populated area, the system launches an interceptor to destroy the rocket.
While expensive – batteries cost $21 million each – Iron Dome has been highly successful, with the Pentagon recently estimating that the system shot down 80 percent of the missiles fired from Gaza. The Pentagon hopes to have Congress allocate more money to the project in the current budget year.
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