The US Navy is moving ahead with plans to equip some of its ships with Patriot interceptor missiles amid fears that China will deploy hypersonic weapons to sink ships in the Pacific, two senior defense officials said.
The installation of the highly agile Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptor, which is primarily used by the US military, on naval ships will reflect advances in Chinese missile technology, an industry official said. is expected, including the use of highly maneuverable hypersonics. Weapon.
Integrating the Lockheed Martin-made missiles with ships’ air defenses comes amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region as China rapidly modernizes its military, and in the wake of successful missile defense efforts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
How many Pac-3 interceptors the Navy will need is uncertain, but total demand is “through the roof,” said Tom Caraco, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
He said there is strong interest from foreign governments and the US military wants to more than double production in the coming years.
The US has chosen its key ally Japan as a location for joint production of Patriot missiles and Lockheed Martin wants to set up a new production line for missile seekers in Florida, industry sources told Reuters.
That plant would complement Boeing’s seeker manufacturing efforts, and Lockheed Martin is offering the benefits of additional production to the U.S. military should it sign on.
PAC-3 has already shot down maneuvering hypersonic missiles in Ukraine. The Navy thinks it can add another high-probability layer to its anti-missile system, which has not been battle-tested against such weapons.
“The development roadmap requires more testing that will include launching the PAC-3 MSE from a ship and validating communications with the SPY-1 radar, the main sensor in the Aegis missile system,” the Navy told Reuters.
It follows efforts by the US military, which have already fielded new weapons and new strategies in the Indo-Pacific, aimed at deterring Beijing from conflict, or winning it if it does occur.
Beijing’s most sophisticated anti-ship ballistic missile, the DF-27, which uses a hypersonic glide vehicle to reach its target, was tested in 2023. The Pentagon’s China military report that year said the weapon was “in development”.
The PAC-3 has shorter range than the Navy’s SM-6 missiles and cannot reach space.
But firing the rocket near the nose makes it more agile, and more likely to destroy the threat due to its “hit to kill” concept, in which the interceptor attacks the target rather than detonating near it, a missile The Defense Program Director stated direct knowledge of the Aegis system.
In the face of advanced Chinese weapons, including hypersonic glide vehicle warheads, these qualities will “complement existing missiles on U.S. ships very well” by being able to more easily engage and destroy high-speed, maneuverable ballistic missiles, the program director said. We do”.
Like industry and defense officials, he declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
increasing danger
The PAC-3 interceptor from the Patriot missile system, which is primarily used by the US military and allied countries for land-based air defense, was tested in May on a “virtual Aegis ship” using the Mk. 70 vertical launchers, but have not been deployed on naval ships.
However, in the past year, it has intercepted a number of ballistic threats and aircraft in the Middle East and Ukraine, including Russia’s advanced Khinzal missiles, making it an attractive addition to Navy magazines, defense officials and people familiar with the matter said.
The PAC-3 round is also much smaller than the SM-6 or SM-3, weighing about 300 kg (660 lb), while the SM-6 weighs 1,500 kg, and has a smaller diameter of about 9 cm (3.5 in). . ,
The price per missile varies by customer and deal, but is estimated to cost around $4 million each.
China has already developed a formidable arsenal of anti-ship ballistic missiles, including the DF-21D “carrier killer” and anti-ship warheads for its DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
Its DF-27, which the Pentagon says can reach 8,000 km (5,000 miles), appears to use an aerodynamic weapon that can maneuver to avoid defenses, said Tim Wright of the Missile Defense Initiative team. or can easily hit a moving target. At the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
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