The big news in missile defense this week is that the Obama administration will likely scale back plans to install ground-based missile defense interceptors in Europe that are designed to protect allies and U.S. forces in Europe from long-range Iranian missiles. The assessment that backs this decision will be released next week. It states that Iranian long-range missiles pose less of a threat than short- and medium-range ones. That assessment is raising howls of protest, but the reality is that shorter-range missiles are easier to operate and cheaper to buy. The defense department is researching ways that its warplanes could shoot down these missiles. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are now vying for a Missile Defense Agency contract to develop and test these new missiles; industry sources say that a decision on which company will be chosen to demonstrate the technology is expected by the end of December. The administration's letter will likely be a big boost for these companies' attempts to sell these systems. 

 

Airborne missile defense systems have strong backing from the Pentagon. Earlier this year, chief of staff Gen. Norton Schwartz sent a letter to the head of the Missile Defense Agency, supporting the use of F-15s, F-16s and more advanced warplanes like the stealthy F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II warplanes to shoot down missiles while they launch. The concept is dubbed Air Launched Hit To Kill, or ALHTK. In both manufacturers' systems, a two-stage rocket is launched, tipped with a warhead that holds an infrared and radar seeker. Since the airplane is at high altitudes, the warhead can meet a target quickly. More importantly, fighters can scramble quickly to meet surprise threats, whereas ground-based systems are not as flexible.