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The United States is scrambling to develop its Next-Generation Interceptor as quickly as possible. Estimations put the program’s cost at $18 billion.
The Next-Generation interceptor specifically refers to a weapon to counter intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
The development itself is expected to cost $13 billion, and then sustainment and procurement would be “a bit” over $2 billion.
The Pentagon announced in August 2019 its intention to build a new interceptor after the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) program was canceled.
An ICBM interceptor is crucially needed, however. This weapon makes up the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System that has been in place in the continental United States to defend against possible threats from North Korea and Iran.
The Next-generation interceptor will fill the gap left by RKV, which was supposed to upgrade the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle designed to destroy targets in high-speed collisions after separating from the booster rocket.
The Pentagon likely hopes that this new piece of defensive equipment will not be plagued by the many technical issues that led to the RKV program being called off.
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have already been selected to go head-to-head in a competition to develop and build the interceptors.
According to the Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, the Pentagon will buy and support 21 interceptors in addition to 10 development test units.
The per unit program acquisition cost is estimated to be roughly $498 million each for the 31 interceptors.
The Missile Defense Agency anticipates testing of the new interceptor in the mid-2020s, and placing them in the ground roughly in 2027 or 2028.
At the moment, the project is in a very rough stage, and it is unclear if it can effectively deal with fast maneuvering glider warheads, such as the ones the Russian Avangard hypersonic missiles features.
This might seem like an impressive timeline that would put it on track to be suitably defended, but it is not exactly the case.
The US is just beginning to create a new missile defense system, while in Russia such work is in full swing.
On April 26, the Russian military has successfully test-launched a new anti-ballistic missile A-235 PL-19 Nudol. The trial took place at the Sary-Shagan test site in Kazakhstan.
What’s more, unlike the current A-135 system, which covers Moscow and the Central Industrial Region, Nudol is mobile. That is, it will be possible to place it anywhere in the country.
The project began in 2010s and is unlikely to get scrapped and then re-booted under a new name. As such, Washington needs to rapidly work on the development and deployment of the missile, if it wants to feel suitably defended.
In the near future, it is possible that some information about the US next-generation missile may surface, but it appears to be too early for that, still.
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not a lot of right in the disunited states of insufferable fools. actually it’s more a clusterf.ck of bad decisions due to lack of fingerspitzengefuehl in the white house, in the state department, in pentagon, in langley and so on. just the ordinary fubar a la americana.
LOL, will be forced to buy the Iron Dome produced by Palestine occupied with the money of American taxpayers, so they will pay them twice and will not work as a weapon, while it working as a sharing tool among the thievs Congressman, that’s the American way of life. Oh wait, they already buy the Iron Dome, Lol Lol Lol.
HAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!!!!
Wasn’t the Iron Gnome just a reverse engineered Patriot in cut down form? I remember when the US gave Israel a Patriot battery to protect against Scuds and what did the Israelis do….took the only one they had apart to find out how it worked! Maybe they weren’t worried about the Scuds at all or was it not concerned about Israeli citizens DYING?
US “ability” to to build anti ballistic systems is reflected by their inability to build effective surface to air missile defenses.
which are the best. i dont think u know of all of their systems. i bet u know of the russian systems like the S-400 and S-500 but do u know of ALL of the US systems? Do u think THAAD is their only system? The US can intercept At launch, Mid Course (in Space) and at terminal Velocity with a 92% hit rate FOR ONE MISSILE! (Send up 2 missiles and u got yourself covered)
S-500 only does terminal trajectory, not mid course nor at launch!
Seems to me u need to look some shit up and get back to me
hahaha 92% that is what Bush told about Iraq…………they intercepted 92% no they did not my friend………not even against the old scuds….they needed 20 to 1 to intercept one………the US can intercept missiles from 60s and 70s yeas but not the one from 21st century lol they get even in trouble with 90s haha just like the greate iron dome…..haha living in fantasy world until the rocket hits u……………….boy you are funny guess you believe even in the US is a economic super power……….haha but do not be mad the US falls first and then the EU if you are smart then you push the Europeans down the stairs before…
LOL! Yep.
I am aware of what US has in terms of anti ballistic weapons, since you claim to know…….tell me what they have?
Whatever the Yanks have, …they brag about it even when it’s Junk Technology.
“No…..look at the shiny new paintwork? Impressive, eh?”
US technology remained stagnant or atrophied since the end of the Cold War because the “war on terror” did not need much cutting edge technology.
Gods but you’re stupid. You know ZIP about the S-500 but still you write such nonsense….
THAAD is useless against anything that isn’t pure ballistic. It can’t take down an iskander due to its quasi-ballistic trajectory from its continuously burning sustainer engine and random trajectory tweaks. US ABM is mostly useless and its main purpose is PR.
THAAD unit watching North Korean missile cross Japan, “What’s that? A bird?”
what a waste america, just buy some iron domes from your pal is-ra-el, i hear they work good hahahahahhahaaa
how can they make a new gen of abm if they still dont have a new gen of icbm and its new warhead
Shhhhh! Don’t distract them from another FAILURE.
I think the spending of the US in the military sector in general is not sustainable. The ammount of money they pay for their equipment is beyond sanity and reason. And the results are poor. But like this it is everywhere in the West. And not only in the military sector. And they do everything in their power to raise the price for production on all factors. How they want to compete with the countries in Zone B? Btw. the workers have nothing from this. Quite the opposite. And now comes Bidens next tax hike as well as a mountain of regulations. I have read in the NY Post, that the accumulated income tax for NY will be up to 52,44 %. All this is NOT priced in! If the calculated price for each ABM is now $498 million, it will be at the delivery at least 750 million if not more. For this China and Russia will build several ABMs comfortably.
Paying defence contractors exorbitant pay salaries to build NOTHING seems to be the American Way.
Dont be too hard on the U.S., they are only 30years behind Russian missile tech.
“The Pentagon likely hopes that this new piece of defensive equipment will not be plagued by the many technical issues” so they gave the contract to Lockheed Martin
Well done!
Strange neither of those two countries listed has the ability of sending a missiel t the U.S.
I noticed that as well. The Yanks have well and truly lost the freaking plot.
Its amazing they can come up with money at all with over US$21 trillion in debt. And all they are defending is a country plagued with failing infrastructure and hunched over drug addicts and homeless among which are US war veterans who were once instruments of forces of evil. The reward for serving an evil cause knowing or unknowingly is suffering.
They are just printing more bank notes…don’t tell anyone, ok?
The US is a DECADE behind the Russians. LOL.
Everybody shut their mouth on when I say US Military Space Command Centre with photonic direct energy laser weapon in a precision strike. Suddenly everybody starts talking about their new favourite garlic sausage they bought yesterday in Walmart. You dont like it, but its real folks. You are afraid, and it wont go away with a suddenly Alzheimer.