In Western military circles, it is known by the ominous NATO reporting name “Satan II.” In Russia, it is the RS-28 Sarmat, the crown jewel of their strategic nuclear forces. Unveiled by Vladimir Putin during his infamous 2018 State of the Nation address, the Sarmat is not designed for tactical battles. It is a doomsday […]
On frigid mornings in the Barents Sea, the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov has been seen launching streaks of fire that disappear into the horizon almost instantly. These are the test fires of the 3M22 Tsirkon (Zircon), a weapon that Russian President Vladimir Putin has described as “invincible.” The Zircon is a hypersonic cruise missile. It
No weapon system in the 21st century has caused more geopolitical headaches, diplomatic rifts, and sanction threats than the S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler). It is a missile system that broke the NATO alliance’s unity (Turkey), deepened the Sino-Russian partnership (China), and forced the US to threaten its strategic partner (India) with CAATSA
In the high-stakes chess game of global missile defense, Russia has made a move that has Western military strategists scrambling to update their playbooks. That move is the S-500 Prometheus. While the S-400 Triumf has grabbed headlines for years as a potent anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) system, the S-500 (Russian: C-500 Прометей) represents a quantum leap forward.
Of all the missile defense systems in the US arsenal, only one has the specific, high-stakes job of protecting the entire continental United States from a nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) attack. That system is the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD). While THAAD and Patriot protect troops and specific regions, and Aegis protects the fleet, GMD
Buried in reinforced concrete silos scattered across the Great Plains of North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, lies the American apocalypse switch. The LGM-30G Minuteman III is the land-based leg of the United States’ nuclear triad. For over 50 years, these intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have stood on alert, ready to launch within minutes of a
When we think of missile defense, we often picture trucks with radars parked in deserts. However, the most dynamic and widespread component of the US ballistic missile shield protects the world not from land, but from the sea. This is the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. Mounted on the decks of US Navy destroyers
The MIM-104 Patriot is arguably the world’s most recognizable air and missile defense system. Since gaining fame during the Gulf War, the Patriot has become the backbone of air defense for the United States and over a dozen allied nations. However, the name “Patriot” often leads to confusion, as the system has evolved drastically over
In an era where ballistic missile threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and widespread, the need for robust, layered missile defense architectures has never been more critical. At the forefront of this defensive shield stands the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Developed by the United States, THAAD represents a pivotal component in the global
