A U.S.-Japanese effort to upgrade a sea-based missile interceptor has increased its projected expense by $700 million, to $3.1 billion, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, July 6).
Development costs for the Standard Missile 3 Block IIA interceptor jumped due to a U.S. decision to cancel the Multiple Kill Vehicle program, which involved related technology, said U.S. Rear Adm. Brad Hicks, head of the Pentagon's Aegis missile defense program. Washington would assume the additional expense of the project, he said.
Hailed by Hicks as a defense "game-changer," the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor would be deployable on land; current SM-3 interceptors can only be fired from Aegis-equipped warships (see GSN, July 15). The interceptor would also enable a single Aegis ship as early as 2014 to shield Japan from enemy missiles, a task that now requires three vessels, Hicks added.
The official expressed optimism about the project despite its ambitious schedule and ballooning cost, noting that the latest expense projections were based on more extensive data than earlier figures.
Raytheon Co. is managing the new interceptor's development.
The U.S. Navy now possesses 18 missile defense warships and could add another within months, Hicks said, adding that military officials were pressing for expanded missile defense capabilities to counter perceived threats from Iran and North Korea.
The fiscal 2010 budget request includes funds to increase the number of U.S. Aegis ships to 27, armed with 218 SM-3 missile interceptors, Hicks said. The admiral said he wanted the new vessels fielded "no later than" 2012 (Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters, Aug. 3).