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On Tuesday, April 25, the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong had entered the South China Sea after nearly three weeks of operating in areas further east. This included sailing with the rest of its strike group within around 400 miles of the strategic U.S. island territory of Guam. This recent cruise in the Western Pacific underscores ongoing efforts by the People's Liberation Army Navy to expand the scale and scope of routine operations using the flattops it has now and its still growing carrier ambitions overall.
On Thursday, April 27, it was reported that Pentagon overseers have given the Missile Defense Agency the green light to take the next step in developing the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), designed to shoot down hypersonic missiles before they begin the high-speed maneuvers that make them hard to engage, according to a senior MDA official. Laura DeSimone, MDA executive director, told the Potomac Officers Club today that the Missile Defense Executive Board — led by Bill LaPlante, Defense Department acquisition czar, and Heidi Shyu, head of research and engineering — on April 21 signed off on initiation of GPI’s “technology development” phase.
Also on Thursday, it was reported that Russia does not intend to take the path of nuclear escalation in its standoff with the West over Ukraine but others should not test its patience, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Her comments follow a flurry of warnings by senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, that Western military support for Ukraine is increasing the risks of a catastrophic nuclear conflict.
On Friday, April 28, the South Korean government had approved a plan for long-range missile defense system development. The long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) II will be developed from 2024-2035 for 2.71 trillion won ($2.03 billion), Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The outlet added that the system will have interceptors for high-altitude and glide-phase targets such as hypersonic missiles.
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