If that standoff, over Iran's contentious nuclear program, does erupt into open war in the Middle East that could result in Iranian Shehab-3 missiles streaking toward the Jewish state.

The Arrow-3 will be Israel's first line of defense against ballistic missiles when it becomes operational. It's slightly smaller than the Arrow-2, currently in service with the Israeli air force, but much more powerful and accurate and is intended to specifically to counter an Iranian nuclear threat.

Israel is small, the size of New Jersey, and thus could be effectively knocked out by one well-placed nuclear strike in its central sector around Tel Aviv, the country's commercial and industrial core.

"Israel's too small to absorb a nuclear strike," a senior defense official observed. "The Arrow-3 will minimize the chance of enemy missiles penetrating our defense shields."

The U.S. Aviation Week magazine said the Arrow-3 "will be a critical strategic asset against Iranian ballistic missiles."

The medium-range Arrow-3's designed to intercept missiles beyond Earth's atmosphere and at a much longer range than Arrow-2. This means the Israelis have the time to take additional shots at a hostile missile if the first Arrow misses.

Like the 1.3-ton Arrow-2, the 3 is a two-stage, solid-fuel interceptor. But unlike Arrow-2, which uses a proximity warhead to explode 40-50 yards from its target to destroy it, Arrow-3's designed to hit its target.

For the moment, that's generally seen as being the Shehab-3b that is Iran's frontline strategic weapon.

On Jan. 23, IAI and Boeing announced they would work together on the Arrow-3, continuing a partnership that jointly developed the Arrow-2 over the last decade.

The United States has contributed more than $100 million for Arrow-3. Indeed, more than half the $3 billion bill for developing and producing the Arrow came from Washington, as well as technology developed by U.S. companies.

In December, the U.S. Congress approved giving Israel $236 million in fiscal 2012 for its counter-missile programs. IAI got $13 million of that for Arrow-3. The Arrow System Improvement Program got a $47 million boost.

Israel has said it needs $3.9 billion to produce several batteries of Arrow-3, as well as large sums for other component systems in a planned four-tier missile defense shield.

With the government planning to slash the defense budget by $800 million -- the military says the cuts could end up totaling $2.4 billion -- the missile-defense systems, along with other priority programs, will almost certainly be hit.

For Israel, the big problem is that Arrow-3 won't be operational if conflict does erupt in the Persian Gulf. Defense Minister Ehud Barak says 2012 is probably the last year in which Israel could launch effective pre-emptive strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

This is because Iran is increasingly transferring its key nuclear facilities into heavily fortified bunkers deep underground, making them pretty much immune to conventional airstrikes.

The best estimate for Arrow-3 being combat-ready is 2-3 years.

Meantime, the anti-missile systems that IAI and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are developing are seen as big-ticket export hopefuls.

The IAI-Boeing announcement in January stressed that the companies planned to expand their partnership with a robust Arrow export marketing program.

India is interested in the Arrow and Iron Dome, a short-range counter-missile/rocket system manufactured by Rafael and which has proved itself in combat against Palestinian rockets.

Israeli sources say Israel and the United States may sell Arrow-2 to South Korea in a $1.6 billion deal.

Israel's Defense Ministry denies there's any deal. But the U.S. Defense News weekly reports a potential Arrow-2 contract could be concluded with Seoul. South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally, has developed close links with Israel's defense sector.

Korean Aerospace Industries' T-50 advanced jet trainer is a front-runner in an Israeli contest with Italy's Alenia Aermacchi for a $1 billion sale involving 25-30 aircraft. A proposed Arrow buy from Seoul would probably clinch the trainer deal for KAI.

In 2009, Seoul bought two EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar units that support the Arrow system from IAI subsidiary Elta Systems, with deployment scheduled for this year.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Dulles VA (SPX) Feb 07, 2012 - Raytheon has been awarded a $38.1 million contract to provide engineering support to the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) program for the Missile Defense Agency.

Under the subcontract with Lockheed Martin, Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems business will provide engineering support in the areas of communications, systems architecture, modeling and simulation, integration and test, system analysis and sensor netting.

The C2BMC program forms the critical integrating command and control function that enables the Ballistic Missile Defense System.

It provides the warfighter with a reliable, flexible and real-time capability to plan, monitor and manage the defense of the United States, its deployed forces and allies against ballistic missile threats.

The Missile Defense National Team leads the development and deployment of the C2BMC system for national missile defense.

The National Team led by Lockheed Martin was awarded the C2BMC program originally in 2002, with most of the work conducted in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.; and Arlington, Va.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Moscow (UPI) Feb 3, 2012 - Two plants to manufacture space-defense missiles will be built in central Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said.

The first facility, to be built in Nizhny Novgorod, will employ 5,000 workers and have a total manufacturing volume of about $200 million, while the second, in the city of Kirov, will employ 3,000, RIA Novosti reported.

"I hope we will develop models that are superior to those of our potential opponents," Rogozin told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Rogozin had previously proposed consolidating all the related defense-industry enterprises into a single entity to work on projects for the Aerospace Defense System, the unified strategic command combining air, missile and space defenses established in December 2011.

ADS combines existing air defense and missile defense networks, missile early warning systems and airspace monitoring systems under a unified strategic command, RIA Novosti said.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Brussels (AFP) Feb 2, 2012 - NATO will locate the command centre for its US-led missile shield at the alliance air base in Ramstein, Germany, a diplomat told AFP on Thursday.

"The command for the NATO missile shield will be based at the NATO base in Ramstein," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity as alliance defence ministers began two days of talks in Brussels.

The centre will be operational following a Chicago summit in May, the source added.

NATO already announced last year that Spain would host US ships with interceptor missiles while an early warning radar system will be based in Turkey.

Land-based interceptors will be located in Romania by 2015 and in Poland by 2018, when the system is expected to be fully operational.

The United States insists that the missile shield aims to counter missile threats from Iran, but Russia has voiced concerns that it would target its own strategic deterrent.

German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere did not confirm the Ramstein decision, but he indicated that his country could contribute 24 Patriot missiles to the missile shield.

"Germany can imagine to put the Patriot missiles that are in Germany at the disposal of that system," he told reporters on arrival at NATO headquarters.

He also suggested that Ramstein will still play an important role after the US military reduces its troop presence in Europe.

"Germany will be the most important, strategically meaningful deployment of the United States in Europe. We appreciate that. And Ramstein is part of that with its strategic importance for the air forces," de Maiziere said.

The United States announced last month plans to complete the withdrawal of two of its four army brigades stationed in Europe in 2014.

Each of the heavy brigade combat teams has 3,800 troops.

There are some 81,000 US troops in Europe, according to Pentagon data released in September 2011. About half of them are army troops stationed in Germany.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Dallas TX (SPX) Feb 01, 2012 - Lockheed Martin received contracts totaling $921 million from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for hardware and services associated with the combat-proven Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment program.

The contract includes Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) missile and command launch system production for the U.S. Army and a follow-on sale of the PAC-3 Missile Segment to Taiwan. In 2009, Taiwan became the fifth international customer for the PAC-3 Missile Segment.

The contract includes production of hit-to-kill PAC-3 Missiles, launcher modification kits, spares and other equipment, as well as program management and services.

Production of all equipment will take place at Lockheed Martin manufacturing facilities in Dallas and Lufkin, Texas; Chelmsford, Mass.; and Ocala, Fla., as well as the PAC-3 All-Up Round facility in Camden, Ark. Deliveries will begin in the first half of 2013.

"Demand remains strong from the U.S. and our global partners for the combat-proven PAC-3 Missile," said Mike Trotsky, vice president of air and missile defense programs at Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control business.

"In today's uncertain environment, Lockheed Martin remains focused on delivering this important capability to our customers on schedule and on budget."

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade to the Patriot air defense system.

The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 Missile, a highly agile hit-to-kill interceptor, the PAC-3 Missile canisters (each of which hold four PAC-3 Missiles, with four canisters per launcher), a fire solution computer and an enhanced launcher electronics system and launcher support hardware.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jan 31, 2012 - Israel has test-fired its new Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile system, the country's main defense against Iran's Shehab-3 missiles, as it drives to boost its arsenal of about 120 of the weapons amid rising tension in the Persian Gulf.

The tests, conducted at the Palmachim Air Base on the Mediterranean south of Tel Aviv, were carried out to check the propulsion system and tracking sensors and were apparently successful, the Arutz Sheva news agency reported.

The Defense Ministry is meanwhile grappling with the problem of how to fund the development of Arrow-3 and the system's new Magnificent Pine radar. Ministry sources say $3.9 billion is needed to produce more batteries of the long-range, high-altitude Arrow built by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.

But large sums are also needed to develop and produce other anti-missile systems that will eventually form a multilayer defense shield. These are designed to counter everything from intermediate-range ballistic missiles to short-range unguided rockets like those used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Iron Dome, which is operational, and David's Sling, still under development, are built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Iron Dome intercepts short-range missiles and rockets, while David's Sling, scheduled to be combat-ready this year is designed to intercept medium-range projectiles.

With the right-wing government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu forced to cut the defense budget to fund social programs following unprecedented nationwide protests in 2011, state funding for missile projects is harder to come by.

As usual, the Israelis are looking to the United States to pitch in and provide the money, on top of the $3 billion a year the Jewish state receives in U.S. military aid. Despite a sharp U.S. economic downturn, Congress has approved increasing missile defense funds for Israel to $235.7 million for 2012, up from $217.7 million in 2011.

This will cover Arrow-2, the variant in service with the Israeli air force, development of Arrow-3 and final development for David's Sling.

Whether that will mean further U.S. funding to help Israel over its defense budget problems isn't clear.

But U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., a member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee that approved the funds, noted, "It's a mark of the importance of these jointly developed missile defense programs … that they were robustly funded by our subcommittee."

The Arrow program is one of the centerpieces of the U.S.-Israeli strategic alliance and one of the most advanced systems if its kind.

The Americans, who have shown no interest in buying Arrow themselves, have provided more than half of the $3 billion development cost of the Arrow program, launched in 1986.

U.S. defense companies have also provided technology and helped in the development work, as they have with Iron Dome and David's Sling, and that's likely to continue.

The Arrow-3, when it's operational in 2-3 years, will give Israel a greater degree of protection against ballistic missiles, most likely from Iran but possibly also closer at hand from Syria as well.

It's intended to be able to intercept missiles earlier in their trajectory than Arrow-2.

Using an X-band radar unit provided by the United States, and deployed at an Israeli air base in the southern Negev Desert, Arrow-3 could intercept missiles in space up to 300 miles from Israel.

The X-band, an AN/TPS-2 built by the Raytheon Co., is used with the U.S. equivalent of Arrow, the Theater High Altitude Air Defense system, and can detect ballistic missiles fired from Iran when they're 5-6 minutes from impact.

That's 3-4 minutes earlier than the Arrow system's Green Pine radar. The Israelis would thus be able to hit the ballistic target further away and with greater accuracy at an altitude of 30 miles.

Israel has two batteries of Arrow-2 deployed, one near Palmachim to cover the sprawling Tel Aviv urban area where more than 2 million of Israel's 7 million people live, the other near Hadera in the north.

A third battery was recently deployed but, unlike the other two, it's linked to the Magnificent Pine radar, an advanced and long-range version of Green Pine.

An Arrow battery has four-eight launchers, each with six of the $2.7 million, 1.2-ton missiles.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Brussels (AFP) Jan 26, 2012 - NATO and Russia have made little progress in talks to cooperate on a US-led missile shield for Europe, and failing a deal may have to drop plans for a summit in May, NATO's secretary general said Thursday.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen held out hope that the former Cold War foes will reach agreement before the 28-nation alliance holds its own summit in Chicago on May 20-21.

"However, I also have to make it clear that we have not made much progress so far," he said.

"We have had a lot of talks. These talks will continue. Maybe we will not have a clarified situation until a few weeks before the summit," Rasmussen said.

"We still keep it as an option to have a NATO-Russia summit in Chicago, but if there's no deal, probably there will be no summit."

Russia has also raised doubts about joining the summit, with the deputy foreign minister saying a decision would be taken after March 4 presidential elections expected to return Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin.

NATO and Russia agreed to explore ways to cooperate at a previous summit in Lisbon in November 2010, but the two sides have struggled to reach a deal.

Russia wants a legally-binding pledge that the missile shield will not threaten its strategic deterrent, but the alliance has refused, with the United States insisting that the system is aimed at countering Iranian missile threats.

NATO has also rejected Russia's demand to create a common anti-missile system, insisting instead on keeping two separate operations.

Russia has threatened to deploy missiles on the European Union's borders, citing concerns over plans to station US interceptors in Poland.

"I do believe that the Russian leaders will realise that it's also in their interest to cooperate with NATO on missile defence," Rasmussen said.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Vilnius (AFP) Jan 25, 2012 - Lithuania on Wednesday challenged Russian moves to deploy missiles on the EU's borders, which Moscow claims are meant to offset a planned US anti-missile shield in eastern Europe.

"Russia has been strengthening and modernising its armed forces in a western direction for some time, so there's no reason to link this to discussions on missile defence," defence ministry spokeswoman Ugne Naujokaityte told AFP.

Earlier Wednesday, a source in Russia's Baltic Fleet told the Interfax news agency that Moscow planned to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad.

The slice of Russian territory is sandwiched between European Union and NATO members Lithuania and Poland, which were part of Moscow's Cold War-era stamping ground.

"The modernisation of Kaliningrad with such weaponry is incomprehensible," Naujokaityte said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had already raised hackles in November when he announced that Moscow was prepared to deploy the 500-kilometre (310-mile) range Iskanders.

He cited concerns over planned anti-missile facilities in Poland.

NATO powerhouse the United States says these are needed to parry potential attacks from Iran, but Russia insists they would undermine its security.

Russia is also planning to deploy an S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system in Kalinigrad within months.

Visiting Lithuania last week, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Russia to refrain from building up its military near the alliance's borders, saying it was a concern for the 28-nation organisation.

Rasmussen said such moves were a waste of Russian money, urging Moscow to wake up to new threats and stop seeing NATO as a foe.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Arlington, VA (SPX) Jan 18, 2012 - Lockheed Martin as prime contractor leading a consortium of five major defense contractors, has been awarded a follow-on contract with an estimated value of $980M to continue work on the Command, Control, Battle Management and Communications program for the Missile Defense Agency.

The contractors, known as the Missile Defense National Team, will continue development, operations, and sustainment work.

"The team is providing in-depth technical knowledge to achieve the newest, most evolved capabilities for the Ballistic Missile Defense System," said John Osborn, director of Missile Defense Systems for Lockheed Martin IS and GS-Defense.

"The historical knowledge of the mission, along with our proven implementation of creative solutions, as developed on C2BMC since 2002, will result in continuity of operations for the fielded C2BMC capabilities located worldwide and evolving challenges to come."

The C2BMC program is the "integrating element" for the Ballistic Missile Defense System and links the various sensors and weapon systems.

The system is the force multiplier providing capabilities to integrate and globally synchronize missile defense systems and operations, providing an optimized, layered defense against all ranges of threats and in all phases of flight. The majority of the work is conducted in Arlington, Va., Huntsville, Ala., and Colorado Springs, Colo.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Washington (AFP) Jan 13, 2012 - The United States hopes to reach a deal with Russia by the end of the year for the deployment of a ballistic missile shield in Europe, the State Department's top arms control official said.

"We will get a missile defense agreement for cooperation with Russia," Undersecretary of State for Arms Control Ellen Tauscher said Thursday, according to the website of Foreign Policy magazine.

"This is the place where we can begin to put aside the Cold War and mutually assured destruction' and move toward mutually assured stability'."

The United States has long wanted to deploy a missile defense system in eastern Europe that it says would be directed at Iran, but Russia has objected, saying such a system would undercut its own nuclear deterrent.

"The only way they are going to be assured ... the system does not undercut their strategic deterrent is to sit with us in the tent in NATO and see what we are doing. They will only be their own eyes and ears," Tauscher said.

"Is it a political leap of faith? Yes. Are they ready to do it? No. But we are hoping that these strategic stability talks over the next eight months will start to loosen these old ties that have been binding everybody in the old way of thinking."

President Dmitry Medvedev said in November that Moscow was prepared to deploy short-range Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave that borders EU members Poland and Lithuania in response to the deployment of a missile shield.

Romania and Poland have agreed to host part of a revamped US missile shield, and NATO member Turkey has also decided to host an early warning radar.

The United States and Russia entered into their first nuclear arms deal in two decades last year, agreeing to reduce warhead ceilings by 30 percent and limit each side to 700 deployed long-range missiles and heavy bombers.

Medvedev and US President Barack Obama signed the new START in Prague in 2010 as the two sides tried to "reset" relations that soured under the eight-year Republican administration of George W. Bush.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Subscribe to our daily selection of space, military, environment and energy newsletters responseText http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016gbbKsaiGSpQFojVO8ZoHw%3D%3D