Free Republic

What happens if you put a 9-foot-long missile in the passenger seat of your convertible and drive for an hour on busy South Florida streets on the day the President of the United States is visiting? Nothing at all. “Some people were a little horrified, but nobody did anything,” Boca Raton businessman Tom Madden said. Madden drove from Dania Beach to Boca Raton on Thursday morning with the business end of an Israeli Air Force air-to-surface missile rising from the passenger seat of his topless Volvo. “I drove 35 miles an hour on U.S. 1 all the way,” Madden said,...

What goes up, must come down! Russian army’s rocket launch test goes terribly wrong when missile drops straight back down and explodes in front of them [Whole title.] S300 barely takes off before plunging back to the ground Minute-long clip shows people dashing for cover as rocket hits ground Mishap comes shortly after footage of crash killing missile engineers Embarrassing footage has emerged of a missile launch going spectacularly wrong in Russia. The minute-long clip shows the S300 rocket barely managing to take off before plummeting back down to earth. A small thud can be heard and bits of debris...

One of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War’s destructive potential is the intercontinental ballistic missile. But during the 1950s, the U.S. Force developed a strategic cruise missile known as the Snark. The Snark was highly unusual at the time. Almost forgotten today, the flying branch developed the missile as a nuclear-armed “pilotless bomber” that would herald a new era of robotic warfare.

Russia has lifted a ban on supplying Iran with a sophisticated air defence missile system, the Kremlin has said. Delivery of the S-300 system was cancelled in 2010 after the UN imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. But the Russian president gave the go-ahead after Tehran struck a deal with world powers curbing nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle today at 3:53 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The test reentry vehicle impacted in a pre-established test area in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Guam approximately 40 minutes after launch. All test launches verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system, providing valuable data to ensure a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent. The launch team, under the direction of the 576th...

Some five years ago Russia marketed a disturbing new missile product; the modularized "klub" missile in 3 variants; anti-ship, anti-sub and land attack. Fair enough, but the scary part was the innovative packaging --they were presented in the form of ready-to-fire units fully integrated into common shipping containers, complete with vertical launch system, booster unit with thrust vectoring, etc. Conceivably a totally innocuous-looking transport ship could be packing Armageddon, or close, and make it's hostile intentions detectable only at the last possible moment as it approached an unwitting target --the dream scenario of any bad actor. The Russians appear to...

DH-10 Launch Xinhui, via China Defense Forum This clear image of a TEL vehicle launching a DH-10 provides us with a detailed look at the cruise missile; while the tailfins have deployed, the air intake and wings have not. The debris is from the breaking open of the canister, while the short cylinder attached to the missile's rear is its integrated rocket booster that brings the missile into flight before the turbofan engine starts. A DH-10 land attack cruise missile (LACM) launches out of its canister, heading for parts unknown. Weighing about 1-1.5 tons (about the same size as the...

An antitank missile has been fired at an IDF vehicle from the Har Dov area (Shebaa Farms) in a Hezbollah ambush Wednesday morning, and there are reportedly seven casualties, who are receiving treatment. A helicopter has been taking casualties to a hospital. The IDF is certain that none of its soldiers was abducted. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack, through journalist Rassan Ben Jiddo, who is close to the terrorist militia. ZAKA emergency services initially said that three people were hurt. The IDF spokesman said that an antitank missile was fired at an IDF vehicle that was moving along...

It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

The KH-35U Uran Russia’s principal new defense product is the winged KH-35U Uran missile. Its special feature is its unique self-guided head, which is immune to enemy radar interference. It works in two modes: active, when the missile turns on its guiding head for a split second to find the target, and passive, when it does not scan the space around it to detect the target, but merely perceives the impulses emitted by the target. The Americans were very interested in this characteristic and wanted to purchase KH-35U self-guided missile heads for their Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The KH-35U attacks the...

The Osprey has always lacked firepower in its forward hemisphere. Beyond its ramp-mounted gun, various concepts have been tested and fielded in an attempt to provide fire towards where the aircraft is headed, not just where it has been. This issue is compounded by the fact that the Osprey outruns traditional helicopter gunship escorts, but a solution may have finally arrived. Now, the Bell and Boeing consortium that manufacturers the Osprey is looking to overcome this handicap in a big way, through rocket and missiles pods mounted on the Osprey's cheeks. The results of which could change the way the...

Members of both the Syrian government and opposition rebel groups claim Israel attacked targets near Damascus Sunday night. The report came from the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, affiliated with the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the report, Israel struck Hezbollah drones and anti-missile batteries at an air base and at the Damascus International Airport. Israel refuses to confirm or deny, saying it doesn't comment on foreign reports. But some analysts believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telegraphed a warning earlier Sunday when he noted at the weekly cabinet meeting that "a great deal is happening in the Middle East."...

The Russian Navy on Friday successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile for a second time in as many months, proving its reliability following a troublesome development. The Defense Ministry said the Alexander Nevsky nuclear submarine test-fired a Bulava missile from an underwater position in the Barents Sea. The missile's warheads reached designated targets at a testing range in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The Bulava suffered many failures during a decade of tests, raising doubts about the fate of Russia's most expensive and ambitious weapons program since the Soviet collapse. But a series of recent launches has been successful...

The Red Arrow 12, a man portable guided missile system. Photo: Tamir Eshel, Defense-Update A man portable guided missile system, the Red Arrow 12 is similar to the Israeli Spike MR, another version of the missile seems a copy of the US Javelin. The missile uses an IR or TV imaging seekers for all weather day/night operation. The missile uses ‘soft launch’ techniques to enable safe firing from enclosure. Once aimed at the target, the ‘fire and forget’ system controls the missile through an autonomous flight to hit the target, enabling the operator to seek shelter. The missile can neutralise...

An aerial defence system developed jointly by Israel and India passed its first trial simulating combat conditions on Monday, state-owned manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said. The Barak 8 system is designed to shoot down incoming aircraft or missiles from land or sea platforms. Defence industry sources have said the value of the project is $1.4 billion and highlights burgeoning Israeli-Indian defence ties. The Indian partner in the project signed in 2006, the government Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), confirmed the successful test in Israel of Barak 8's Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM). An Indian government statement...

Who could have predicted this would happen? Oh everyone. I’m not even going to bother with an “I Told You So”. Everyone outside the D.C. bubble was predicting this. Two of the main rebel groups receiving weapons from the United States to fight both the regime and jihadist groups in Syria have surrendered to al-Qaeda. The US and its allies were relying on Harakat Hazm and the Syrian Revolutionary Front to become part of a ground force that would attack the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). For the last six months the Hazm movement, and the SRF...

China is likely to purchase 5,000 R-73 and R-77 air-to-air missiles from Russia, writes Toshiyuki Roku, retired commander of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Air Development and Test Command, in an article for the Tokyo-based Japan Military Review. Since China's domestic air-to-air missiles such as the PL-12, the SD-10A and the PL-9C were designed based on technology from Ukraine and are still unable to compete against US counterparts, the People's Liberation Army realizes that it needs the more advanced Russian missiles to go head to head against the US and Japan in any potential future air combat, Roku wrote. He...

Two Russian strategic bombers conducted practice cruise missile attacks on the United States during a training mission last week that defense officials say appeared timed to the NATO summit in Wales. The Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers were tracked flying a route across the northern Atlantic near Iceland, Greenland, and Canada’s northeast. Analysis of the flight indicated the aircraft were conducting practice runs to a pre-determined “launch box”—an optimum point for firing nuclear-armed cruise missiles at U.S. targets, said defense officials familiar with intelligence reports. Disclosure of the nuclear bombing practice comes as a Russian general last week called for Moscow...

Advanced Hypersonic Weapon test aborted shortly after launch (linked at Drudge Report) The Army’s test of an advanced hypersonic weapon failed shortly after takeoff early Monday, the Pentagon said in a statement. The failure is a setback for a key part of the Pentagon’s strategic weapon program of building arms that can attack any point on earth in 30 minutes. The missile carrying the weapon was intentionally blown up shortly after launch, the Pentagon said. “Due to an anomaly, the test was terminated near the launch pad shortly after liftoff to ensure public safety,” the Pentagon said in a brief...

The Army’s test of an advanced hypersonic weapon failed shortly after takeoff early Monday, the Pentagon said in a statement. The failure is a setback for a key part of the Pentagon’s strategic weapon program of building arms that can attack any point on earth in 30 minutes. The missile carrying the weapon was intentionally blown up shortly after launch, the Pentagon said. “Due to an anomaly, the test was terminated near the launch pad shortly after liftoff to ensure public safety,” the Pentagon said in a brief statement. “There were no injuries to any personnel.” “Program officials are conducting...