New U.S. approach to missile defence

The Trump administration is responding to the threat of a North Korean attack by spending billions of dollars on existing defence systems and new strategies to defeat Pyongyang’s long-range missiles

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
MIDCOURSE PHASE
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
BOOST PHASE
Warhead
Interceptor missile
Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
U.S.
NORTH KOREA
Fort Greely, Alaska
CHINA
RUSSIA
Decoys
CANADA
PACIFIC OCEAN
2
1
2
1

NEW STRATEGIES
1 Before launch
Stepping up cyberattacks to interfere with missile control, or carrying out industrial sabotage to slow North Korea’s test programme

2 Boost-phase defence: Shooting down missile in first five minutes of flight – when it is rising slowly and before it releases any decoys – using patrolling drones or F-35 fighter jets armed with long-range air-to-air missiles or even lasers

EXISTING SYSTEMS
1 Expansion: Boosting number of Ground-Based Interceptor missiles – deployed in Alaska and California to defend U.S. against incoming warheads during midcourse phase – from 44 to as many as 104

2 Reliability: Equipping interceptors with improved Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, which destroys warhead by force of impact. In trial runs, conducted in ideal conditions, interceptors have achieved only 50 percent success rate

Source: New York Times
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