Pentagon considers an ICBM-killing weapon for the F-35 jet fighter, but is it affordable?
WASHINGTON – Over the next six months, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) will weigh whether to develop a new weapon for the F-35 jet fighter that will enable it to strike down an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the early stages of flight. Defense News reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
21 Jan. 2019 -- And it’s the Pentagon’s lead official for developmental technologies who is bullish on the prospect of an ICBM-killing weapon, telling reporters Jan. 17 that a new weapon could be operationally effective and low cost.
"For certain regional geographies — North Korea comes to mind — we actually think it’s entirely possible and cost-effective to deploy what I will loosely call air-to-air interceptors, although possibly of new design, on advanced aircraft [and] using the aircraft as either sensor or weapons platforms to affect a missile intercept,” said Mike Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.
The Missile Defense Review is out. Will Congress fund it? If the Trump administration wants to change how it does missile defense, it will need to invest quickly.
Related: Pentagon wants more money for directed-energy weapons for drone-swarm and missile defense
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
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