NATO’s AEGIS Ashore Ballistic Missile Defence site in Romania will undergo a long-planned update this summer.
This update say the alliance, which has been taking place across the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence system fleet, will not provide any offensive capability to the Aegis Ashore missile defence system.
It is understood that the scheduled update is part of the United States European Phased Adaptive Approach to ballistic missile defence, which was announced in September 2009.
During the update, the United States will fulfill its commitment to NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defence by the temporary deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Deveselu in Romania.
The THAAD unit will be under NATO operational control and the full political control of the North Atlantic Council. It will only remain operational until the Aegis Ashore Romania site is back online. The update and deployment are expected to last several weeks.
In accordance with NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defence system, the THAAD unit will be focused on potential threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Aegis Ashore Romania is purely a defensive system.
I read of a cost of $800 million per THAAD battery.
Concerning the previous thread on UK BMD using T45, would it not be easier UK main land wise in buying this system off the Americans?
Saudi bought some a couple of years back for $15bn. Seven batteries, with 6 launchers each, so $2.14bn per battery. They are still developing the BMD version mind.
I would imagine that the real effective range isn’t published but the >200km figure stated on Wiki would mean we only needed 4 or so batteries for excellent coverage of the UK.
I think the main issue with the UK getting a land based BMD capability is 1) Yet another thing to fit into the already stretched defence budget 2) It would be a magnet for groups like Stop the War Coalition and CND, it could end up being like Greenham common for the level of disruption! 3) Where would it go? Scotland? It would need to be somewhere remote but also not too down range of any allies.
UK needs to invest in land based SAM, INF treaty is dead so we will develop long range land based cruise missiles and mid range ballistic missiles, this is much cheaper for us than building many new bombers and submarines to carry missiles and helps compensate for our weakness in other areas, in event of war the UK will be important supply hub for material from the US, therefore a very important target. God willing this never happens, but human nature being what it is..
All good points and I’d not considered no 2!
Though Menwith Fylingdales Coulport Croughton all have their share of peace camps and protesters and this is defensive rather than offensive.
That is a very confusing sentence and not sure I understand correctly, I will have to look for those place names to see where they are and I have not heard of peace camp term before so had to search what that meant. Surprised you did not think of UK being important supply hub, that and your navy blocking our submarines leaving north base had been the UK most important features. INF treaty going chances many things, with the new technology, hypersonic, 3d printing etc, we have entered a new and much more dangerous missile age than old cold war… Read more »
Yes Putins hypersonic missile that he has so loudly promoted is one of the reason the US pulled out of the INF treaty.
Yes Dave, Putin has spoken loudly about them, it seems to be the only volume certain Western countries can hear
Hmm I think after the salisbury incident and the hacking of the OPCW HQ ,plus the publication of mueller report Russia has a credibility issue with the west , maybe Putin should use the GRU less 😉
Sorry Ulya, a misunderstanding on your part. My comment above was for Fedaykin. I will reply to you now. Places – Menwith Hill is in Yorkshire, east of Harrogate. It is an NSA GCHQ spying hub, listens into phone calls, fax, telex, cables, satcom, and in the Cold War was especially directed at your good selves! Google it and you will see dozens of white “Golf Ball Radomes” these are antenna hidden behind these white covers that sniff out signals. It is also involved in the US BMD system. Fylingdales is also in Yorkshire, further east near the sea. It… Read more »
Sorry, Menwith is West of Harrogate.
The Sat Nav coordinates are……..
Thank you very much Daniele
” …one of 3 not on US territory. Others are at… and Clear in Alaska.”
Hmm… Last time I checked, Alaska is still part of the USA. If you mean not a part of the “Contiguous United States” then I would agree.
Indeed Rokuth and I realised that after re reading my post. But I’d hope people get my drift.
Where are comparable locations sited? Coastal?
These things must have relevant experts who can decide these questions in the MoD.
If something needs to be cut to find the budget I would imagine there would be many supportive of such a decision on a defensive system such as this.
I replied about item 2 further down in error too.
Does it even work? The cost is eye watering and in the event Russia did launch a missile they would launch several hundred. Trying to shoot them down would be completely pointless.
Iran and N Korea are nowhere near this kind of capability so we can worry about it in 20 years when there is a cheaper solution.
To be honest I am just not that keen on land based BMD for the UK, I think some moderate investment into exploring what it would take to add the capability to Type 45 is prudent. With the current Public Sector funding crisis with our schools going without basics like text books I find the idea of significant investment into land based BMD an extravagance too far! I think certainly keep an eye on what technologies are available and even do some case studies into what it would require to introduce the capability but beyond that I just don’t see… Read more »
That’s fair enough Fedaykin. Was just a suggestion. I was not expecting the quite staggering costs when I looked into it.
Spadeadam, where they tested the Blue Streak rockets. Suitably remote.
Would it not be better to buy the S-400? Cheaper and more effective. I mean these systems are not there to counter Russia….they are to protect Europe from Iran, right?
Why have they made it look like a ship? Down to the mast structure and satcom placing? Weird. All they needed were the four radar arrays and the missile radar tracker/illuminators.
Richard, it’s called camouflage, no way will any possible aggressor think a ship is sat on a fucking hill in downtown Bucharest!
Haha! ?