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(IsraelNN.com) Arab terrorists in Gaza fired two Grad Katyusha missiles at southern Ashkelon late Wednesday afternoon, and one rocket scored a direct hit on a children's medical clinic inside a shopping center. Parts of the building collapsed, trapping four people for a half-hour. At least 94 people had been rushed to Barzilai Medical Center by 8:30 p.m., most suffering severe post-traumatic stress reactions. A spokesman for the local Fire Department stated that the powerful rocket hit the building's 3rd floor and crashed down to the floor below. He said the firefighters rescued four people - including a little girl -...

New Delhi: With a second successful test of the 3,500 km intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM), Agni-III, already in the bag, Indian defence scientists are planning to test a long range 5,000 km, IRBM by the end of the year. According to Aviansh Chander, project director, the planning process for the test launch of the Agni-IV was in the final stages, now that the Agni-III had reached the stage of operationalisation. He indicated Monday that test flights could be scheduled for the end of the year, once government clearance was received. According to Chander, an intercontinental range of 5,000-km would...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2008 – A U.S. Hellfire missile killed an insurgent near the site of a roadside-bomb attack in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district today, U.S. military officials said. A vehicle was destroyed while another insurgent fled the scene. “Our soldiers, along with the Iraqi security forces, continue to meet with the local populace to identify these criminal elements and eliminate the threat they pose,” said Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a Multinational Division Baghdad and 4th Infantry Division spokesman. “We will continue to use precision fire to defend the Iraqi people and ourselves against these criminal elements.” In yesterday’s operations:...

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday entered a select club of nations possessing intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) with a range of up to 3,000 km, when it successfully test-fired, surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Agni-III missile. With this, the Indian security establishment has acquired the capability to hit targets deep inside China, including Beijing and Shanghai. The all-solid fuel missile took off from Wheelers Island off the coast of Orissa 9:56 am and achieved its full range and accuracy by reaching its pre-designated target in 800 seconds. ”The missile is now ready for induction,’’ visibly happy DRDO scientists said after the missile achieved...

  Monday's launch was carried live on state television India is well known today for its software and information technology industry.Less well known is that in a nation where more than 300 million people live on less than $1 a day, it is also a real force to reckon with when it comes to top class rocket and satellite technology. On Monday the Indian space agency created a world record by successfully launching 10 satellites in one go. That shattered the previous record of a Russian rocket that successfully launched eight satellites last year. Launching 10 satellites requires immense...

BANGALORE, India (AFP) — An Indian rocket blasted off and successfully launched a cluster of 10 satellites in a single mission Monday, marking a milestone for the country's 45-year-old space programme.The PSLV rocket lifted off at 9:20 am (0350 GMT) from the Sriharikota space station in southern India in clear weather, leaving behind a massive trail of orange and white smoke, on its 13th flight."The mission was perfect," G. Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said after the launch telecast live by the broadcaster Doordarshan. "Team ISRO has done it again.""It is a historic moment...

Iran Booted From Defense Show for Displaying Missile Systems April 24, 2008 The Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's deputy prime minister says Iran has been ordered to leave an international defense show in Kuala Lumpur. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Iranian firms exhibited missile systems at the Defense Services Asia show that were "offensive" and contravened U.N. resolutions. Najib told reporters Thursday that Malaysian authorities had "no option" but to tell Iran to leave. The annual show began Monday with hundreds of exhibitors from about 50 nations.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Iran has been kicked out of an international defense show in Malaysia for exhibiting missile equipment in violation of U.N. rules, an official said Thursday. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Iranian companies were ordered out of the Defense Services Asia show Tuesday because their exhibition was deemed "offensive."

In the movie "Armageddon," Bruce Willis and company jury-rig a nuclear bomb in spectacular seat-of-their pants fashion to break up a colossal asteroid before it hits the Earth and kills everything but the cockroaches. In real life, the United States military pulled off a slightly less ambitious mission -- shooting down a dying spy satellite late Wednesday -- but for similar stakes, the elimination of a threat to human life posed by 1,000 lbs. of deadly rocket fuel on board the crippled bird. Or so the official story line goes. A U.S. Navy Aegis cruiser, the Lake Erie, launched an...

/begin my translation N. Korea: Indication of another missile test (Kyodo News) U.S. "spotted training activities at a base near Pyongyang" According to Apr. 13 dispatch of Kyodo News, U.S. military intelligence has picked up lots of movements in a recent few days near a missile launch base at Shinori located to the N. West of Pyongyang. It reported that U.S. spy satellite has been watching over the N. Korean movements, which also spotted their training activities at the base. U.S. military has not determined what these activities are for, but some suspect that N. Korea is preparing for...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian concerns over Washington's plan for a missile shield in Europe will only be eased if Russian officers have permanent access to the shield facilities, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. Russia says the planned shield is a threat to its own security and the row over the issue has helped to drive diplomatic relations with the United States to their lowest point since the Cold War. Moscow has, however, agreed to consider a set of confidence-building measures proposed by Washington to allay Moscow's concerns. "In all these many proposals we are interested only in two...

The expulsion of South Korean officials from the Kaesong Industrial Complex on March 27th, along with the test firing of short range missiles into the West Sea on March 28th is causing many in the South to ask questions. North Korea fired three Surface to Surface missiles with a range of 46km into the West Sea at 10:30 A.M. It has been 9 months since the test firing of the KN-02 missile with a 120km range, which occurred three times in May - June, 2007. This missile test appears to be general military training because the North Korean naval winter...

N.K. test-fires missiles into West Sea: sources SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea test-fired several missiles into the sea off the country's west coast Friday, sources here said. The test, believed to be of Russian Styx missiles, comes one day after the communist nation threw out all South Korean government officials from the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North in apparent disgruntlement over the Lee Myung-bak government's hard-line North Korea policy.

US steps up missile strikes in Pakistan By Isambard Wilkinson in Islamabad Last Updated: 5:10pm GMT 27/03/2008 The United States has stepped up missile strikes against al-Qa'eda militants in Pakistan's tribal areas amid fears of decreased co-operation from the new government. Washington wants to inflict as much damage as it can on al-Qa'eda's network before President Pervez Musharraf loses his grip on power, according to a report published today. The US is using Predator drones to launch missiles Unnamed US officials told The Washington Post that the strikes followed a "tacit understanding" with Mr Musharraf and the army chief, Gen...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it mistakenly shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile components to Taiwan from a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India successfully tested a short-range version of its most powerful nuclear-capable missile Sunday, the defense ministry said. The Agni-I missile, which can travel up to 435 miles, was test-fired over the Bay of Bengal from Wheeler's Island off India's east coast in the morning, a ministry statement said. The Agni-1 can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. "The missile had a textbook performance in terms of range, accuracy and lethality," it said.

Mar 14, 2008, 6:03 am TULSA, Okla. (KFAQ) Officials say a military rocket crashed into a Tulsa apartment building. Residents returned to their apartment at the Canyon Creek Apartment complex to find the power out, so they called the power company. While waiting for power crews to arrive, they discovered their bathroom wall had been knocked out. They initially thought it was a power explosion of some kind. Until they found what looked like a rocket. Tulsa Police confirmed that the Air National Guard had been on a routine training mission in the area. Investigators say a military pilot told...

Poland Questions the Missile Shield The formerly staunch US ally has shifted its tone, and now an ambitious pet project of the Bush administration -- a missile shield to protect Europe and the United States -- is no longer a sure thing in Poland. Until recently, it looked like the US missile defense shield was a done deal when it came to cooperation with Poland. Although no formal agreement had been signed, the government under Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski seemed eager to make the Americans happy -- and was even willing to ignore European Union concerns when it came to...

A video has surfaced of Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama talking on his plans for strategic issues such as nuclear weapons and missile defense. The video is incomplete, and its origin is unknown, although some have speculated it may have come from someone within the Hillary Clinton campaign. The full text from the video, as released, reads as follows: ...I'm the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning. And as president I will end it. Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I...

2/26/2008 - OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) -- When analysts determined a satellite carrying a tank of 1,000 pounds of hydrazine fuel could be a threat to human life, the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies came together to find the best course of action. More than two dozen federal agencies collaborated to shoot down the non-functional National Reconnaissance Office satellite Feb. 20. Their extraordinary efforts were a huge success. The Global Operations Directorate, or J3, for U.S. Strategic Command led the planning and coordination of efforts between the Missile Defense Agency, the NRO, NASA and the Pacific...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, Feb. 24, 2008 – The crewmembers of the USS Lake Erie were calm as they fired the latest shot heard round the world. The Aegis-class cruiser fired the missile that destroyed a dead spy satellite that posed a threat to humans Feb. 21. Navy Capt. Randall M. Hendrickson, the Lake Erie’s commanding officer, spoke to reporters today aboard the ship, which has just returned from the mission. The visiting reporters are traveling with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who visited the ship. The captain said the crew worked intensively...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2008 – The missile fired from a U.S. Navy ship in the Pacific Ocean that hit a malfunctioning U.S. reconnaissance satellite late yesterday likely accomplished its goal of destroying the satellite’s toxic fuel tank, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. Preliminary reports indicate the SM-3 missile struck its primary target, which was a tank full of toxic hydrazine rocket fuel carried aboard the 5,000-pound satellite, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. “The intercept occurred. … We’re very confident that we hit...

HONOLULU, Feb. 21, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was pleased when he learned a U.S. Navy missile hit the crippled reconnaissance satellite that was falling out of orbit and threatening to spill its toxic rocket fuel upon re-entry. Defense officials could not immediately confirm that the fuel tank had been hit, and said they hope to know for sure by late tonight. At 5:35 p.m. in Hawaii (10:35 p.m. EST), Gates received a call from Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright and U.S. Strategic Command Commander Air Force Gen. Kevin...

UPDATE & BUMP: Eyeblast has the video of the actual hit and a portion of the Pentagon's briefing: Original post follows ... ============== Does missile defense actually work? An impromptu mission to destroy a potentially hazardous failing satellite has proven that the system in place can make a direct hit on a fast-moving target. The USS Lake Erie scored a direct hit on a spy satellite traveling in polar orbit at 17,000 mile per hour, eliminating the fuel tank that had worried the US (via Worldwide Standard): A Navy missile soaring 130 miles above the Pacific smashed a dying and...

Watch as General Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (and apparently Jack Bauer's older brother) shows how the Aegis missile launches and successfully destroys the rogue spy satellite. [Via Gizmodo]

A missile launched from a Navy cruiser soared 130 miles above the Pacific and smashed a dying and potentially deadly U.S. spy satellite Wednesday, the Pentagon said. Several defense officials said it apparently achieved the main aim of destroying an onboard tank of toxic fuel. Officials had expressed cautious optimism that the missile would hit the satellite, which was the size of a school bus. But they were less certain of hitting the smaller, more worrisome fuel tank, whose contents posed what Bush administration officials deemed a potential health hazard to humans if it landed intact. In a statement announcing...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A missile launched from a Navy cruiser soared 130 miles above the Pacific and smashed a dying and potentially deadly U.S. spy satellite Wednesday, the Pentagon said. Several defense officials said it apparently achieved the main aim of destroying an onboard tank of toxic fuel.

A missile has hit an errant spy satellite about 140 miles above Earth, a U.S. official says Breaking

An attempt to blast a crippled U.S. spy satellite out of the sky using a Navy heat-seeking missile — possibly on Wednesday night — would be the first real-world use of this piece of the Pentagon's missile defense network. But that is not the mission for which it was intended. The attempted shootdown, already approved by President Bush, is seen by some as blurring the lines between defending against a weapon like a long-range missile and targeting satellites in orbit. The three-stage Navy missile, designated the SM-3, has chalked up a high rate of success in a series of tests...

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy will likely attempt to shoot down a faulty spy satellite Thursday, the day after the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to land, two officials told CNN Monday.</p> <p>The officials -- who spoke on condition of anonymity because much of the planning remains classified -- said the idea is to leave as much time as possible so a second attempt could be made if necessary.</p>

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say the Pentagon is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March. This is the U.S. military will use a missile to destroy a satellite in space, NBC News reports. The spy satellite has lost all power and is expected to crash back on earth in early March, spreading debris and potentially hazardous fuel over several hundred miles.

Is the U.S. Failing in Afghanistan? It was malice in wonderland at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday as Bush Administration envoys insisted things are getting better in Afghanistan, while angry lawmakers from both parties cited facts and figures showing just the opposite. Even the senior Republican on the panel, Senator Richard Lugar, found the Administration's claims wanting. "I'm not sure that we have a plan for Afghanistan," he said. Long seen as the "forgotten war" eclipsed by Iraq in U.S. priorities, Afghanistan is in the Washington spotlight this week with the release of three independent reports concluding...

Syria says it has developed, with Iranian help, a surface-to-surface missile that could better target Israeli installations like airports and factories. It is believed the missile is more accurate than other similar surface-to-surface weapons in the Syrian arsenal, Haaretz said. This apparent Syria-Iran deal comes at a time when Israeli defense sources have expressed growing concern about Syria's rearmament program, with most arms reportedly supplied by Russia.

Israel's IAI plans advanced missile tests By Arie Egozi Israel Aerospace Industries plans to test its improved Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile for the first time in late 2008. This will be followed in 2009 by the first launch of the Barak-8 surface-to-air missile, which is being developed jointly with India. But the Israel Defence Force has decided not to deploy the LORA long-range artillery missile, which IAI had hoped to sell to India. Sources say the Israeli air force was instrumental in the decision not to buy the system, which could have substituted for air power because of its long range....

MOSCOW (AFP) — A missile fired into space by Iran earlier this week raises "suspicions" over Tehran's claims to have no ambitions to build a nuclear weapon, a Russian foreign ministry official told domestic news agencies Wednesday. "Any movement on creating a weapon of such potential of course worries others too, and, in addition, raises suspicions concerning Iran over its possible desire to create a nuclear weapon," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov was quoted as saying by Interfax and RIA Novosti.

Agni missile to get multiple warheads Ajai Shukla / Hyderabad January 28, 2008 If the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is the heart of India’s nuclear deterrent, the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) in Hyderabad is its limbs and sinews. The ASL Director, Avinash Chander, takes us through a spotless assembly room, where technicians are bolting sensitive instruments into the nose of a giant Agni-3 missile. It is eerie; before long, this very missile will roar off a launch pad on Wheeler’s Island in Orissa. It will travel 350 km above the earth, re-enter the atmosphere at a speed of 5 kilometers...

China hints at new air-launched missiles By Robert Hewson 25 January 2008 A series of images released via the Internet has revealed a number of new Chinese air-to-air missile (AAM) programmes; Jane's has identified three new strands in Chinese AAM development including enhanced versions of existing weapons and hitherto unknown designs. While very little information accompanies the images, they appear to confirm several anticipated trends in Chinese AAM technology, including advanced, agile dogfight weapons and extended-range ramjet propulsion systems. In one image a pair of small AAMs are seen carried on shoulder launchers above an SD-10 (PL-12) active radar-guided missile:...

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel's arms development firm, unveiled plans for a new missile system Tuesday designed to intercept mid to long-range rockets and missiles of the kind used by Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War.

January 22, 2008 RAF scrambled as Russia tests nuclear-capable missiles (RAF/MoD Crown Copyright/PA Wire) A Russian Bear-H bomber Tony Halpin in Moscow RAF fighters scrambled to track Russian long-range bombers joining a naval task force today as Moscow practised strike tactics off the coast of France and Spain and test-launched nuclear-capable missiles. The fleet of Russian warships, supported by fighter jets and the bombers, engaged in Russia’s biggest naval exercises since the end of the Cold War. The war games close to two Nato member states were the most forceful reminder to date of President Putin’s determination to flex Russia’s...

REDZIKOWO, Poland - Among the people living around this disused Polish air base, there is little enthusiasm for the missile interceptor station likely to be built here as part of a U.S. missile defense system. Poland's new government is sounding increasingly skeptical about the plan, arguing that it won't boost Polish security, and that sentiment is echoed throughout this farming region near the Baltic Sea coast. The main fear is that the area will become a target for retaliation by Russia, which vigorously opposes President Bush's plan. "If they build the missile defense base here, it'll be a magnet and...

Israel test-fires ballistic missile after Iran warning by Ron Bousso Thu Jan 17, 8:44 AM ET Israel successfully test-fired a long-range ballistic missile on Thursday, a senior official told AFP, days after warning "all options" were open to prevent archfoe Iran from obtaining atomic weapons. "We successfully test-fired a two-staged ballistic missile system today," a senior defence ministry official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This was a very important achievement for Israel's ballistic capabilities," he added, declining to provide further details on the test. Witnesses reported seeing a trail of smoke rising from the reported launch site at...

Lockheed eyes additional missile sales in Gulf Tue Jan 8, 2008 2:30pm EST By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) has provided technical details to Saudi Arabia and Qatar about advanced systems to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, hoping to add to missile sales already planned to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, company officials said on Tuesday. The Bush administration last month announced plans for sales of Lockheed's Patriot PAC-3 missiles to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait with a potential combined value of nearly $10.4 billion. The sales are part...

Israel warns of Iranian missile peril for Europe By Carolynne Wheeler in Jerusalem Last Updated: 1:50am GMT 06/01/2008 Iran is developing nuclear missiles capable of reaching beyond its enemies in the Middle East to Europe, President George Bush will be warned when he visits Israel and the Palestinian territories for the first time since entering the White House. A senior Israeli cabinet minister has told The Sunday Telegraph that his government is convinced Iran is intent on becoming the first Muslim superpower, with weapons capable of striking not only at Israel but also Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia as well as...

DALLAS - Up to three American Airlines jets carrying passengers will be outfitted with anti-missile technology this spring in the latest phase of testing technology to protect commercial planes from attack. An American Airlines spokesman said Friday that the test will determine how well the anti-missile system holds up under the rigors of flight. The first Boeing 767-200 will be equipped in April or later, said the airline spokesman, Tim Wagner. American operates that Boeing model mostly between New York and San Francisco and Los Angeles.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Russia has agreed to sell an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Iran's defense minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday, a report likely to irritate the United States. S-300 missiles are longer-ranging than the TOR-M1 surface-to-air missiles which Russia, in a deal criticized by the West, earlier this year said it had delivered to the Islamic Republic under a $1 billion contract. Iran is under U.N. sanctions over its refusal to halt sensitive atomic work that Western powers suspect it wants to master so that it can build nuclear bombs, but they do not ban conventional...

U.S. commanders in Iraq have released dramatic video showing a car containing Al Qaeda operatives being blown up by hellfire missiles attached to Apache attack helicopters. The car was destroyed in the mission that military officials say demonstrates greater cooperation between locals and coalition forces in Iraq. One of the terrorists killed in the attack on Sunday is an insurgent who had been imprisoned on Nov. 11 but released shortly afterward. He conducted two attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, including one on Thanksgiving, before being killed, officials said. One of the "high value" individuals targeted "is believed to be...

Pentagon Eyes High-Speed Missiles for Stealth Aircraft Dec 23, 2007 By Robert Wall and Douglas Barrie The U.S. military is increasingly interested in developing a new generation of high-speed air-to-surface missiles that could be integrated into stealth aircraft to attack an enemy’s radar sites or fleeting targets. U.S. Air Force planners are anxious about enhancements in air defense technology, worrying that as powerful computer processing becomes more ubiquitous and network cabling becomes cheaper, adversaries can link radar systems of different types to raise their chances of spotting and potentially shooting down even low-observable aircraft. Although the military is putting much...

Japan shoots down test missile in space: official by Miwa Suzuki 47 minutes ago Japan said Tuesday that it had successfully shot down a ballistic missile over the Pacific as part of joint efforts with the United States to erect a shield against possible attacks from North Korea. Japan tested the US-developed Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) interceptor from a warship in waters off Hawaii, becoming the first US ally to successfully intercept a target using the system. Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba described the successful test as "extremely significant." "We will continue to strive to increase the system's credibility," he told...

Russia test-fires intercontinental missile Mon Dec 17, 1:31 AM ET Russia successfully conducted a test launch on Monday of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the navy said. A statement said the missile was launched from the Tula nuclear powered submarine in the Barents Sea in the Arctic and hit a designated area in the Kura testing ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast. "The launch was conducted from an underwater position as a part of training to test the readiness of the marine strategic nuclear forces," the statement said. A navy spokesman would not say what type of...

India working on doubling nuclear strike range: official 1 hour ago NEW DELHI, Dec 12, 2007 (AFP) — India announced Wednesday it was working on a new ballistic missile capable of hitting targets 6,000 kilometres (3,800 miles) away, which would more than double its current nuclear strike range. "Agni-IV is still in the design stage, and so we cannot give a date for the trials to begin," said V. K. Sarswat, the head of India's strategic missile programme. But when asked to confirm if the missile will have a range of 6,000 kilometres, he replied: "It will be that much."...