'Multiple Kill' Missile Defenses

More Dollars For 'Multiple Kill' Missile Defenses

By Nathan Hodge
November 04, 2008 8:25:00 AM
Categories: Missiles
Courtesy Of Wired.com

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that it had given Raytheon a $442 million contract for a system that could knock several missiles out of the sky, at once.The current system -- the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, on today's Ground Based Interceptor anti-missiles -- is a "hit-to-kill" system that destroys an incoming target by sheer force of impact (this is usually described in journalistic shorthand as "a bullet hitting a bullet").

This new Multiple Kill Vehicle would allow a single missile defense interceptor to smack down multiple targets. That's especially important if the ballistic missile shield is to work: In the real world, an incoming ballistic missile is likely to deploy decoys to 'fool' the interceptor. If a number of small, independently targeted kill vehicles can be packaged on an interceptor booster, it increases the likelihood that all the objects in a "threat cluster" can be destroyed.

This contract will be "incrementally funded," meaning Raytheon will get a down payment of around $54 million to start work on the project through November 2009. Lockheed Martin has been working its own payload system, Multiple Kill Vehicle-L. A source close to the program told DANGER ROOM the Missile Defense Agency is taking a "risk reduction" approach by funding two contractors. "This is really important because MDA has made a decision they won’t be using singlet interceptors [one missile for one target], and they want to make sure that all their midcourse interceptors have the ability to hit multiple targets," the source said.

An MDA source told DANGER ROOM the strategy was to use "competitive prototyping" for the project. Lockheed and Raytheon will each receive more funding installments based on their progress in proving out the system.

The real question, however, is how missile defense funding will fare under a new administration.

President Bush has funded missile defense to the tune of around $9 billion or $10 billion per year; the looming financial crisis could mean serious rollbacks for missile defense funding.Riki Ellison, the nation's number one missile-defense cheerleader, is not optimistic. In an interview with the Arizona Daily Star, he expressed concern about the new administration taking a whack at missile defense funding. "I think in the next administration, it will be challenged, not on the whole system, but up to a quarter of it (the budget) could be challenged, could be hard-fought for a quarter cut," he said.

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