Key U.S. missile test site in Pacific battling rising seas

The scene was something out of a disaster movie: doors knocked off their hinges, furniture overturned, and bookshelves toppled, leaving a mess of debris and a lingering question: Is this the future? This was January 2024 on Roi-Namur, the second-largest island in the Kwajalein Atoll, a remote chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 kilometers north of the equator. According to a report by Aerospace America, this island, home to around 120 US military personnel and contractors, is crucial for operating rocket launch pads, radars, and telescopes, and it forms a key part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defence Test Site. But this vital location is now facing a very real threat from the rising seas of climate change.

The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, or RTS, tracks an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launch Oct. 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, during Air Force Global Strike Command’s Glory Trip-236 operational test. Sensors at RTS at Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, located 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii, are controlled at the RTS Operations Center-Huntsville, or ROC-H, located 6,500 miles from Kwajalein in Huntsville, Alabama. (U.S. Army photo)

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Aegis Guam System and Exercise Sling Stone: A powerful duo for Guam’s defense

In a major boost for Guam’s missile defense posture, the Aegis Guam System successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target off the coast of Andersen Air Force Base. This event, officially designated as Flight Experiment Mission-02 (FEM-02), marks the first time a ballistic missile defense operation has been executed from Guam, and involved collaboration between the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and several other U.S. Department of Defense partners.


Photo: MDA
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Space Force embraces innovative aerobraking technique for X-37B mission

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-7) is set to perform a series of groundbreaking manoeuvres known as aerobraking. This technique, which utilises the drag of the Earth’s atmosphere to alter the spacecraft’s orbit, marks a first for the U.S. Space Force and the X-37B program.


Graphic: Boeing
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RTX bolsters defense capabilities with new missile contract and space sensor technology

RTX has announced significant advancements in its defence technology portfolio, focusing on enhanced naval defense and space-based missile warning systems. These developments highlight RTX’s commitment to providing cutting-edge defence solutions in response to evolving global threats.

An evolved sea sparrow missile (ESSM) launches from one of USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) weapons sponsons during combat systems ship qualification trials (CSSQT), April 16, 2021. CSSQT is a Naval Sea Systems Command requirement to verify that ship personnel can operate and maintain their combat systems in a safe and effective manner. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting its final independent steaming event of post-delivery tests and trials. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Melvin)

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