THIS WEEK IN MISSILE DEFENSE

October 12 - October 18, 2019

THE WEEK IN BRIEF

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On Tuesday, the Army signaled it doesn’t want to buy any more Iron Dome air defense systems, and it’s planning to use the system differently than Israel. The push to be leaner will extend to the system. The Army plans to pull it apart and integrate it with air defense battle management systems.

On Wednesday, the Army rethought its Indirect Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) program strategy. While much is up in the air, the Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) will not be part of the IFPC program. The effort to qualify the Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) missile for the launcher is now paused.

Also on Wednesday, Northrop Grumman confirmed the Army contracted the company to deliver a 50-kilowatt laser. The Army will incorporate the solid-state fiber optic laser as early as 2021. The medium sized system will be able to silently engage all types of air targets without the need to reload.

On Thursday, the Army received its first Hellfire and Stinger missile armed Stryker – bringing a new era of air and missile defense by killing drones, helicopters, and missiles. Its 30mm cannon, vehicle launched drones, and lasers represent a transition into the great power threat environment.

Also on Thursday, the Army selected Raytheon to deliver six production representative units of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS). The radar will replace the Patriot air and missile defense system’s radar as part of the service’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.

Click here to read all of the headlines from the week.

MDAA ALERTS

Leading Edge of Missile Defense

Last Friday afternoon, October 11, the Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Mark Esper, announced the follow on U.S. missile defense deployment to the September 26th Patriot Battery and Sentinel Radars deployment to Saudi Arabia, which now will be the most comprehensive missile defense...

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MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES

Multi-Mission Launcher

The Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) is a next generation ground-based air defense launcher and represents the first development of a major acquisition program by the government in more than 30 years. Developed by CMDS and AMRDEC of the U.S. Army, MML is designed to use existing interceptors...

Learn more about the MML.

Israel

Israel is a very close ally for the United States and this position enables Israel to share some of the most advanced U.S. technologies. Geopolitics of the Middle East region and very hostile neighbors (technically Israel has been at war with Syria for decades) dictates the country to pursue and sometimes pioneer missile...

Learn more about Israel.

FIM-92 Stinger

The FIM-92 “Stinger” is a short-range man-portable air defense system (MANPADS). The stinger was designed to provide air defense capabilities to U.S. and allied troops when forward deployed and thus eliminate the immediate need for air support should an enemy aircraft threaten the troops. The FIM-92 Stinger served as...

Learn more about the Stinger.

MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Lieutenant Colonel

Russell Porter Grant

LTC Grant received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from the Georgetown University Army ROTC program in May 1993. He held various positions in the traditional National Guard and Army Reserve in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Colorado, where he became qualified as a Military Intelligence Officer. LTC Grant joined the Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) program of the Colorado Army National Guard in 2004 as the first S-2 (Intelligence Officer) with the newly created 100th Missile Defense Brigade (Ground-based Midcourse Defense). In the five-year period from 2004-2009, he provided daily intelligence products to the Brigade's Command, staff, and operational crews, including for two real-world North Korean ICBM test launches. From 2010 to 2012, LTC Grant served as Commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment for Joint Force Headquarters - Colorado while serving simultaneously as the Deputy J2 for the Colorado National Guard Joint Staff. From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Battalion Commander of the Colorado Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion. He has been the Director of Alpha Crew, Missile Defense Element, 100th Missile Defense Brigade (GMD), since August 2017. LTC Grant holds a Bachelor's Degree in Language Arts from Georgetown University, a Master's Degree in International Business Administration from the University of South Carolina at Columbia, and a Master's Degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College in Washington, DC. He is married to his wife of 21 years, Sari, and has two children: Sofia, a junior at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and Henry, a junior at Discovery Canyon High School in Colorado Springs.