America’s Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) from Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system
has successfully destroyed an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in a test.
In the statement released on Monday MDA stated,
"The US Missile Defense Agency, in cooperation with the Joint Functional Component Command
for Integrated Missile Defense, US Northern Command, and elements of the US Air Force
Space Command… conducted a successful test today against an ICBM class target.
The GBI-Lead destroyed the reentry vehicle, as it was designed to do.”
This is a major step forward, since this kind of interception is very hard to achieve.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes America’s successful interception of ICBM target through
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The test was codenamed FTG-11 by Missile Defense Agency.
As per the Missile Defense Agency, the ICBM target was launched from the Reagan Test Site
on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands whereas the two GBI interceptors were launched
from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California which is over 4,000 miles away.
The reason for launching 2 interceptor missiles was to validate the “double tap” engagement
process doctrine.
MDA stated in its statement, “The test validated a “double tap” style engagement, where
the first interceptor successful struck the incoming target reentry vehicle.
The second interceptor “then looked at the resulting debris and remaining objects, and,
not finding any other reentry vehicles, selected the next ‘most lethal object’ it could
identify, and struck that, precisely as it was designed to do"
Though the details are not confirmed it is interesting not that the 2 interceptor missiles
were of different variant.
MDA also noted, “During the test, space, ground and sea-based BMDS sensors provided
real-time target acquisition and tracking data to the Command, Control, Battle Management,
and Communication (C2BMC) system,”
GMD is the United States' anti-ballistic missile system that is being tested & developed with
an aim to protect against incoming missiles by engaging them during the midcourse phase
of ballistic trajectory flight in space.
The system is designed to protect the U.S mainland.
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense is the only system that is available to U.S military which
can intercept Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM).
Other systems like THAAD can take on only Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles.
GMD is administered by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), while the operational control
and execution are provided by the U.S. Army, and support functions are provided by the
U.S. Air Force.
The programs draw the expertise of many U.S corporations.
The prime contractor of the program is Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
It has the responsibility of integrating components developed by other contractors.
The key components of the GMD system are:
1. Sensors that include Ground-based radars (GBR), Upgraded early-warning radars, Forward-based
X band radars (FBXB) such as the sea-based X-band platform
and the AN/TPY-2 all developed by Raytheon
2. Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) manufactured by Raytheon.
It is designed to collide with the incoming missile so as to destroy it.
3. Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) built by Orbital Sciences.
All interceptor are kept in ground-based missile silos and are located in Fort Greely, Alaska
& Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The GBI carries the EKV to the desired trajectory.
4. Battle management command, control, and communications developed by Northrop Grumman
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense is a component of American missile defense apparatus.
This will work along with other systems like Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot PAC-3 MISSILE DEFENSE.
As of 2018, 44 interceptors and sensors spanning 15 time zones with sensors on land, at sea,
and in orbit are deployed.
In 2019, missile defense review requested that 20 additional GBI be based in Alaska.
Intercepting an ICBM which can reach speeds of Mach 10-20 with another missile is an exceptionally
complex task.
This requires that all the underlining components of the Ballistic Missile Defense work perfectly
and communicate among each other swiftly.
A system like this, in the near future, will be able to defend against a possible missile
attack from Iran and North Korea as their missiles are relatively simple with single
warhead configuration.
It will still take some time before Ground-Based Midcourse Defense can mount a solid defense
against Chinese and especially Russian missiles that deploy Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle
as well as decoys.