Ballistic Missile Defense: More on X-Band Radar Locations
MostlyMissileDefense.com
September 27, 2012
The recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report Making Sense of Ballistic Missile Defense indicates that in addition to deploying Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland, the Missile Defense Agency would like to deploy a TPY-2 X-band radar at each site. Specifically the report states (in its appendix on System Cost Methodology) that: “As part of the Phased Adaptive Approach for the European missile defense system, MDA has proposed that each interceptor site location include a forward-based (FBM) AN/TPY-2 X-band radar system.” If true, this statement has several interesting possible implications about the MDA’s radar plans.
First, it would seem to provide further support for the idea, most clearly spelled out in the telephone press conference announcing the NAS Report’s release, that the Aegis radars really play a secondary role in the EPAA. As discussed in the post of September 13, 2012, in the NAS view of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, the Aegis radars primarily serve as communication relays to the interceptors, transmitting the target track data from the more powerful X-band radars.
Alternatively, it could reflect plans to co-locate a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD battery with each Aegis Ashore site, since a TPY-2 radar can be used as either a Forward-Based X-band (FBX) radar or a THAAD Battery radar. However, it is hardtop see why this would be needed, unless doubts existed about the ability of the Aegis Ashore site to defend itself from ballistic missile attack.
Secondly, if true, this statement would indicate that the supply of available TPY-2s is beginning to dwindle. The U.S. currently plans to plans to buy 11 TPY-2 X-band radars, with the last of these scheduled to be delivered in fiscal year 2015. Three of these are already deployed as FBXs in northern Japan, Israel, and Turkey. …
