SAM Sites Could Return To Critical Locales Across U.S.
The Air Force has been tasked with leading the development of a cruise missile defense ‘shield’ to protect critical U.S. infrastructure.
SEP 5, 2023

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...ales-across-u-s

The U.S. military has begun a new formal effort to explore options for how to better defend the homeland against the threat posed by ever-more advanced Russian and Chinese cruise missiles. This might include the return of domestic surface-to-air missile sites at critical locations across the country, though not on a scale that was seen during the Cold War. Directed energy weapons, as well as an expanded sensor and command and control infrastructure, bolstered by artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, have also been discussed in the past as part of an improved cruise missile defense ecosystem.

[big snip]

Cruise missile defense of critical domestic infrastructure, of course, remains a major specific source of concern. Finding the right mixture of capabilities, and ones that can be acquired and fielded at a reasonable cost in the next five to 10 years, to meet this challenge is the key reason the Air Force is conducting its new homeland air defense analysis of alternatives study.

An unclassified map showing air defense nodes in the contiguous United States, including green circles denoting bases hosting Air Force fighters tasked with homeland defense, circa 2021. DOD

https://www.thedrive.com/uploads/20...fense-nodes.jpg

A selection of representative sensor systems CBO examined as part of its 2021 homeland air defense study. CBO (note they, of course, show a civilian Canadian SAR satellite and not an NRO one)

https://www.thedrive.com/uploads/20...nsor-sample.jpg

ANY country could easily manage the following, even North Korea. Even a yacht could hold several cruise missiles and even conventionally armed ones could take out key facilities:

China Building Long-Range Cruise Missile Launched From Ship Container
Disguised weapon turns freighters into warships, ports to missile bases
March 27, 2019

https://freebeacon.com/national-sec...ship-container/

China is building a long-range cruise missile fired from a shipping container that could turn Beijing's large fleet of freighters into potential warships and commercial ports into future missile bases.

The new missile is in flight testing and is a land-attack variant of an advanced anti-ship missile called the YJ-18C, according to American defense officials.

The missile will be deployed in launchers that appear from the outside to be standard international shipping containers used throughout the world for moving millions of tons of goods, often on the deck of large freighters.

Interesting all-red sustainer color with white booster during development shown at 9:12 which is a good place to start anyway because that's where they seriously start showing the actual hardware (except for the static motor test at 8:00):

THE NIKE HERCULES MISSILE SYSTEM STORY U.S. ARMY MIM-14 SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE SYSTEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzJIvgTWqN8

W31 warhead

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W31

The W31 was an American nuclear warhead used for two US missiles and as an atomic demolition munition.

All versions were roughly the same dimensions and weight: 28–30 in (710–760 mm) in diameter, 39–39.5 in (990–1,000 mm) long, and weighing 900–945 lb (408–429 kg). The W31 is a boosted fission nuclear bomb.

Three yield variants, of 2, 20, and 40 kilotons, were deployed on these missiles starting in 1958 and finally retired in 1989. 2,550 of these models were produced. The 20 kt version of the W-31 was solely used in the Nike Hercules system.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe..._Y2_warhead.jpg

__________________
"I looked in the mirror and told my wife that all I saw was an ugly old man and needed a compliment to raise my spirits. She said, 'Your vision is perfect.'"
"Before I met my wife, I was incomplete. Now, I'm finished." - Norm MacDonald

That is stupid to the max.

We have these now:

https://gcaptain.com/air-force-test...p-sinking-bomb/

The moment they use one of them, their entire shipping fleet becomes fair game.


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

A better article, specifically mentions "AFRL video shows a Quickstrike weapon concept launched from an F-35 against a container vessel armed with a covert missile launcher."

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...ts-first-vessel


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

It would be a surprise opening strike in a wider war, so that sort of retaliation wouldn't matter.

__________________
"I looked in the mirror and told my wife that all I saw was an ugly old man and needed a compliment to raise my spirits. She said, 'Your vision is perfect.'"
"Before I met my wife, I was incomplete. Now, I'm finished." - Norm MacDonald

Which means you'd have to know it was threat in order to bomb it before it launches it's payload... How do you not get that?

__________________
"I looked in the mirror and told my wife that all I saw was an ugly old man and needed a compliment to raise my spirits. She said, 'Your vision is perfect.'"
"Before I met my wife, I was incomplete. Now, I'm finished." - Norm MacDonald

NOT "ports and ships."

https://content.api.news/v3/images/...d2c4693db2a73ff

Without camouflage, of course:

https://content.api.news/v3/images/...eb5d30410006a14

__________________
"I looked in the mirror and told my wife that all I saw was an ugly old man and needed a compliment to raise my spirits. She said, 'Your vision is perfect.'"
"Before I met my wife, I was incomplete. Now, I'm finished." - Norm MacDonald

No need for anything as extensive as the Nike system. I'd guess that Patriot batteries around high priority targets would do. The main challenge will be the integrated radar system that can detect and direct the targeting of stealth cruise missiles, supersonic and otherwise, and hypersonic missiles.

How NORAD Plans to Ward Off Cruise Missiles Fired at the US
The command has goals for 2025 and 2030, but wants more guidance from the Pentagon.
JULY 25, 2022

https://www.defenseone.com/technolo...ired-us/374915/

“The challenge becomes the domain awareness for those cruise missiles,” he said. “The North Warning System, which was put into place in the 1980s, did its job very well for the Soviet and the Russian threat of bombers coming over the [North] Pole. But now, as you develop a cruise missile with stealth characteristics, the radar coverage is shrunk. And so, imagine a solid fence shrinking to a picket fence. And now you have cruise missiles that can get through your capability to detect.”

“And so, cruise missiles can come off submarines in the Atlantic or in the Pacific, they can come off container ships parked in port, they can come off land, they can come off of airplanes, they can come off multiple directions from all axes. And so we need to be able to have domain awareness 360 degrees. We absolutely have a plan. It focuses on 2025, the homeland defense design, and then 2030 as we go forward.”

The key, classified details of the cruise-missile defense plan are codified in the latest versions of Concept Plan (CONPLAN) 3310, the Aerospace Warning, Aerospace Control & Maritime Warning forof North America;” and Operation Plan (OPLAN) 3400 Homeland Defense Plan, Capt. Alexandra Hejduk, a communication officer at NORAD, explained in a separate email.

DOD launches domestic cruise missile defense program to protect U.S. cities, 'critical' sites - September 5, 2023

https://insidedefense.com/share/218957

__________________
"I looked in the mirror and told my wife that all I saw was an ugly old man and needed a compliment to raise my spirits. She said, 'Your vision is perfect.'"
"Before I met my wife, I was incomplete. Now, I'm finished." - Norm MacDonald

The Military-Industrial Complex never ceases to amaze me in the way they spend billions on weapons that are worthless.
A missle defense shield against hypersonic stealth cruise misslies. Yeah sure it will work. Only 1 in 10 needs to get through.

__________________
"Old Rocketeer's don't die; they just go OOP".....unless you 3D print them.

I say bring back the Nike Hercules and Nike Ajax MIM programs with better guidance systems, engines, and warheads.

My response to Military expenditures on programs that eventually don't work is simple.
TOUGH !
GET OVERRRRR ITTT
That is normal in the development process. Some new tech works, some does not.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.

Agreed.

And having just one weapon system (that JDAM ship killer) to counter a naval threat would be "stupid to the max."

__________________
-Wolfram v. Kiparski
NAR 28643 - TRA 15520
MTMA Section #606 President