Carter Johnston
Amid growing concerns of missile inventory size and VLS cell count, the U.S. Navy is set to test a new surface-launched missile interceptor designed to maximize capacity in their Mark 41 VLS cells. The effort comes as production of SM-6 ramps up into the late 2020s to match inventory requirements, alongside increased production of RIM-162 ESSM Block II.
The Compact Agile Interceptor aims to pack multiple small diameter missiles into one Mark 41 VLS cell while keeping high-end performance capability to intercept ‘complex raids’ of hypersonic threats. The addition of a compact interceptor would add a third missile to the U.S. Navy’s inventory capable of dealing with hypersonic threats, coming in behind the 13.5 inch (0.34 m) SM-6 Dual I/II and 21-inch (0.53 m) SM-6 Block IB.
A leading contender for the CAI program–and a missile that has already been tested in a virtualized Aegis environment–is Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability 3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE). It has seen action in Ukraine against hypersonic aeroballistic missiles (the Kh-47M2 ‘Kinzhal’ or AS-24 Killjoy air-launched ballistic missile) and reportedly against hypersonic air-breathing missiles (the 3M22 ‘Zircon’ or ‘SS-N-33’ hypersonic cruise missile).
No comments:
Post a Comment