On Monday, the Missile Defense Agency announced that two cubesats launched into space on June 30 had begun communicating with ground stations last week. These satellites were the first tests in a series of experiments to integrate space and satellite-to-ground links.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the House Appropriations Committee is planning to cut the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) funding request for the protection of Guam. If passed, MDA's funding request for the U.S. territory would be cut by $15.9 million, which the committee cited as "unjustified growth."
It was reported on Wednesday that Russia had tested more than 320 types of weapons during their operations in Syria. Russia's operations in the Middle East are primarily the result of weapons sales, of which the Middle East bought approximately $52 billion worth of Russian weapons in 2019.
On Thursday, it was announced that the UK Royal Navy and the Italian Army and Navy signed a contract to refurbish 1,000 Aster air defense missiles, to be carried out at various locations in the UK and Italy. France signed a similar contract in January 2020 to refurbish their fleet of Aster missiles as well.
On Saturday, the U.S. Army released a statement confirming the first ever launch of Patriot missiles on Australian soil during the Talisman Saber 21 exercises. Soldiers from the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade successfully engaged drone targets with the Patriot system during the exercise. The historical launch marks the largest joint military exercise between the U.S. and Australia to date.
On Monday, Russia conducted a successful test of their new Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile, which they plan to install upon both warships and submarines. The Russian Defense Ministry said the missile reached nearly Mach 7 speeds and hit a target at a range of over 350 kilometers. Russia has been developing hypersonic missiles as a way to "gain a competitive edge" over the U.S., according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Also on Monday, ASD News reported that a PAC-3 missile successfully intercepted a surrogate cruise missile using an F-35 sensor in New Mexico during an Army flight test. This victory marks the first time that F-35 data has contributed to the global track used by the U.S. Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System.
