The United States — and in particular President Donald Trump — have been talking up its $US40 billion ($A52.4 billion) antimissile capability in recent months. The boasts are big: President Trump insists existing interceptors “can knock out a missile in the air 97 per cent of the time.” But reality often doesn’t match the manufacturer’s marketing.
As appears to have been demonstrated in Saudi Arabia early last month. The New York Times is reporting five interceptors were fired from US-supplied Patriot missile defence systems to defend Riyadh airport. The incoming Yemeni Scud was seen to fall from the sky. However, all was not as it seemed: The New York Times says witnesses and satellite images show the missile’s warhead exploded just outside the airport.
It turned out not to be all that bad a shot for such old, inaccurate technology, after all. But things may be looking up for Russia’s antimissile technology. It appears one such system may have been able to knock three out of five Israeli missiles launched at an alleged Iranian arms dump inside Syria at the weekend. A Patriot weapons system is fired at a NATO test facility.
Reports indicate five of them failed to intercept an incoming Scud missile. Picture: US Defence Department A Patriot weapons system is fired at a NATO test facility. Reports indicate five of them failed to intercept an incoming Scud missile. Picture: US Defence DepartmentSource:AP SMOKE AND MIRRORS “Our system knocked the missile out of the air,” President Trump crowed after the Yemeni attack. “That’s how good we are. Nobody makes what we make, and now we’re selling it all over the world.” But there is a problem.
RELATED: Why Japan has not shot down any of North Korea’s missiles The Patriot system appears to have missed — the five interceptors being lured away from the active deadly warhead by casing components discarded in mid-flight. “You shoot five times at this missile and they all miss? That’s shocking,” Laura Grego, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told The New York Times. “That’s shocking because this system is supposed to work.” Things could get worse.
Unconfirmed reports suggest another relatively slow and short-ranged Scud missile was launched out of Yemen towards a United Arab Emirates nuclear power plant at the weekend. “The missile force announces the launching of a winged cruise missile … toward the al-Barakah nuclear reactor in Abu Dhabi,” a Yemeni Houthi website boasted. Footage of the desert launch of a Scud-variant was also circulated. What happened to the missile, if it actually was fired at the reactor, remains unreported. Saudi Arabia says it successfully shot-down a Yemeni missile at the weekend that appeared to be aimed at the city of Khamis Mushait.
But hitting a Scud missile is nowhere near as challenging as intercontinental ballistic missiles. In terms of height and speed, North Korea’s recently demonstrated ICBM makes a Scud look as though it belongs in a children’s league. RELATED: North Korea demonstrates new ICBM rapid-launch Missile analysts last week warned North Korea’s most recent test also revealed it was refining the ability to quickly activate and deploy its ICBMs, reducing the time in which the US, Japan and South Korea can react. The under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert. The UAE on Sunday denied a claim by Yemen's Shiite rebels that a rebel-fired missile targeted the plant.
Picture: AP The under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert. The UAE on Sunday denied a claim by Yemen's Shiite rebels that a rebel-fired missile targeted the plant.
Picture: APSource:AP UNEXPECTED SUCCESS A night attack by Israeli missiles against a suspected Iranian weapons depot near Damascus in Syria met with unexpected opposition. Five missiles were reportedly launched by Israeli combat jets flying within Lebanon’s airspace. At least one hit its target. Two were shot down by Russian-supplied antimissile systems, Syria’s state-owned media claims. Russian sources say three were destroyed. Video appears to support claims that at least one of the Israeli weapons was downed. What the antimissile system was has not been detailed, though — amid much hype — Russia declared in 2015 that it was deploying its new S-400 anti-aircraft and antimissile system to Syria to counter increased US and Coalition activities.
Israel has again today attacked targets in Syria, launching night strikes on targets in the Jamraya area near Damascus. No claims of a successful shoot-down have yet been made by Syria. Israel has itself been developing a multi-tiered missile defence network which has proven successful against low-technology weapons so far fired into its territory. “Iron Dome” is a short range defence system intended to knock down short range rockets. “David’s Sling” was deployed earlier this year to intercept medium-range cruise-style missiles. Its “Arrow” system is hoped to counter ballistic missiles.