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New DoD Interceptor Destroys Multiple ICBMs, Decoys at Once
The Pentagon is developing an emerging technology able to track, target and destroy approaching ICBMs and decoys simultaneously - by attaching a new Multi-Object KillThe Pentagon is developing an emerging technology able to track, target and destroy approaching ICBMs and decoys simultaneously - by attaching a new Multi-Object Kill Vehicle, or MOKV, to a Ground Based Interceptor.  Development of the MOVK is intended to evolve from existing tests with the EKV, however industry and Pentagon developers do not want to rush the system in order to ensure it is well suited to destroy emerging threats anticipated five, ten or more years from now, Norm Montano, Raytheon EKV Program Director, told Scout Warrior in an interview last year. While spoken many months ago, Montano's comments bear even greater relevance now - as tensions with North Korea rise quickly and many analyze the regime's fast-advancing ability to hit US targets with an ICBM. "The threat is evolving. North Korea is frequently testing. You can't underestimate the learning that they are doing. We don't want to rush MOKV. We want to get there and get there right," Montano said. "If we move too fast we might not get all the learning that we need." Decoys or countermeasures are missile-like structures, objects or technologies designed to throw off or confuse the targeting and guidance systems of an approaching interceptor in order to increase the probability that the actual missile can travel through to its target. If the seeker or guidance systems of a "kill vehicle" technology on a Ground Base Interceptor, or GBI, cannot discern an actual nuclear-armed ICBM from a decoy ‐ the dangerous missile is more likely to pass through and avoid being destroyed. MOKV is being developed to address this threat scenario. "We will develop and test MOKV command and control strategies in both digital and hardware-in-the-loop venues that will prove we can manage the engagements of many kill vehicles on many targets from a single interceptor. We will also invest in the communication architectures and guidance technology that support this game-changing approach," a spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency, told Scout Warrior in a previous written statement. ]The Missile Defense Agency has awarded MOKV development deals to Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon as part of a risk-reduction phase able to move the technology forward, officials said. Steve Nicholls, Director of Advanced Air & Missile Defense Systems for Raytheon, told Scout Warrior last year that the MOKV is being developed to provide the MDA with "a key capability for its Ballistic Missile Defense System - to discriminate lethal objects from countermeasures and debris. The kill vehicle, launched from the ground-based interceptor extends the ground-based discrimination capability with onboard sensors and processing to ensure the real threat is eliminated." Continues. Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy 2017-11-17 |
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