Keith Mack
The prospect of using lasers to intercept and destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) has been a topic of interest for several decades, with the US Army researching missile defense programs as early as the 1940s. While there have been numerous technological advancements and ongoing collaborations between the Pentagon and private industry, there are still challenges to overcome. These include the speed and altitude of ICBMs, the potential use of dummy warheads, and the need to defend against hypersonic missiles. Despite these hurdles, recent breakthroughs in laser technology by companies like Lockheed Martin suggest that laser weapons could offer significant advantages on the battlefield, including their ability to engage multiple targets at the speed of light without losing intensity over long distances. As a result, the integration of lasers into missile defense architectures continues to be explored, potentially revolutionizing the way wars are fought in the future.
Can lasers shoot down ICBMs?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Feasibility | Possible, but not yet feasible in practice |
| Advantages | Cost-effective, instantaneous, can track attackers |
| Hurdles | Technology, cost, dummy warheads, cloud cover, countermeasures |
| Developments | F-35 Stealth Fighter, Project Excalibur, High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative |
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What You'll Learn
The US's Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system
The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, formerly known as the National Missile Defense (NMD), is the United States' homeland missile defense system. It is designed to protect all 50 states from a limited long-range ballistic missile attack, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) carrying nuclear, chemical, biological, or conventional warheads. The system was first tested in 1997 and had its first successful intercept test in 1999.
GMD is a global system, with its associated elements spanning 15 time zones. It integrates data from seven types of sensors on land, sea, and space, networked together via distributed fire control and communication systems. GMD uses ground-based interceptors (GBIs) at two locations: Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg AFB, CA, with 40 interceptors based at Ft. Greely and four at Vandenberg AFB. Each GBI is a three-stage, solid-fueled rocket that flies into the path of the incoming missile before releasing an Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), which uses onboard sensors to track and physically collide with the warhead, destroying it.
GMD Fire Control and Communication (GFC) is the software that manages the system, receiving data from various sensors across the globe via the Defense Satellite Communication System. This information is used to create a picture of the battlespace and facilitate engagement planning and launch decisions. After a GBI launch, the GFC also relays real-time in-flight targeting data to the EKV.
The GMD system has undergone multiple tests with mixed results. While early testing revealed deficiencies in the GBI and EKV, success rates have increased over time, although technical failures have continued to occur. In 2013, the Missile Defense Agency installed its 44th GBI at Fort Greely, and as of 2021, there are a total of 44 deployed GBIs. However, critics argue that the system is "unproven, unaccountable, and unhelpful for reducing the nuclear threat."
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Russia's A-235 anti-ballistic missile system
The A-235 system was initially planned to have three echelons: a long-range echelon based on the A-925 missile, a medium-range echelon utilising the updated 58R6 firing complex, and a short-range echelon consisting of PRS-1M missiles, which are upgraded PRS-1 missiles. The system has been tested multiple times since 2014, with a notable test occurring on April 15, 2020, at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, where it successfully destroyed the Kosmos 1408 satellite, creating space debris that forced the crew of the ISS to shelter.
The A-235 system is unique among modern strategic anti-ballistic missile systems in that it is armed with nuclear warheads. However, in 2017, the system was updated to employ non-nuclear kinetic interceptors, similar to those used in the American Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. These kinetic interceptors collide with their targets without the need for explosive charges, minimising potential collateral damage.
While the A-235 system is designed to defend against ICBMs, it is important to note that ICBMs themselves are not typically used to intercept other ICBMs due to their high cost and the challenges of interception during the terminal phase when ICBMs are moving at extremely high speeds. Instead, specialised anti-ballistic missile systems, like the A-235, are developed to counter ICBM threats.
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Japan's US-developed ship-based anti-ballistic missile system
In 2007, Japan successfully tested a US-developed ship-based anti-ballistic missile system. Japan has four destroyers of this type, capable of carrying RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 and equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Japan is currently modifying another four destroyers to take part in their defence force against ballistic missiles, bringing the total number to eight ships.
Japan's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has highlighted the need for two Aegis system-equipped vessels (ASEV) so that its current multi-role Aegis-equipped destroyers can be used for different missions. The MoD document also emphasised the importance of developing ships that can address not only ballistic missile threats but also those posed by hypersonic weapons.
The ASEV warships will be equipped to defend against hypersonic glide vehicles, as new hypersonic missile designs are too evasive for current ballistic missile defence systems to reliably intercept. The two ships will also be equipped with the upgraded sea-based version of the Type-12 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) system.
In 2022, the US Department of State approved, and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress that Japan was set to be the first country after the US to field the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) as part of a proposed US$450 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) arms package. The Aegis-equipped destroyers are seen as a critical asset for Japan's future ballistic missile defence efforts, especially in light of the rapid evolution of China's airpower.
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The Arrow 3 system
The system is based on an architecture definition study conducted in 2006-2007, which determined the need for an upper-tier component to enhance Israel's defense capabilities. Arrow 3's advanced sensors include airborne electro-optical sensors deployed on high-flying unmanned aerial vehicles, providing longer-range detection, tracking, and discrimination capabilities.
In January 2012, IAI and Boeing announced an agreement to work together on the Arrow 3 project. Preliminary tests were conducted in 2011, and in 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Defense released footage of successful fly-out tests. Arrow 3's patented exoatmospheric interception method includes a two-stage interceptor, based on hit-to-kill technology, which does not rely on explosive charges.
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The Sentinel program
The United States Air Force plans to acquire 634 Sentinel missiles, with an additional 25 missiles for development and testing, to enable the deployment of 400 missiles. The program also includes modernizing silos and facilities across almost 40,000 square miles. The LGM-35 Sentinel is being developed by Northrop Grumman, with subcontractors including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Honeywell, among others.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, lasers can shoot down ICBMs. Lockheed and engine-maker Rolls Royce have demonstrated a 100-kilowatt laser capable of destroying cruise missiles in flight. The US Army has also been working on incorporating laser weapons into their training exercises.
Laser weapons offer a cost-effective way of destroying million-dollar cruise missiles. They do not expend costly technology with each shot and can destroy multiple targets without losing capability. They are also instantaneous, hitting targets at the speed of light.
Even a 90% success rate against a wave of nuclear ICBMs would still allow for unacceptable losses. Dummy warheads can be placed on missiles, and there is no way to tell which are real threats. A single missile could destroy a satellite equipped with a laser weapon system, invalidating the entire concept.
Project Excalibur was a Cold War-era research program to develop an X-ray laser system as a ballistic missile defense (BMD) for the United States. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is another example of a weapon that could potentially use lasers to destroy ICBMs.
