Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception, and also the destruction of attacking missiles. Conceived as a defense against nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged non-nuclear tactical and theater missiles.
China, France, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Russia, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States have all developed such air defense systems.
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) or air defence (or air defense in American English) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action". It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (submarine-launched), and air-based weapon systems, in addition to associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements, and passive measures (e.g. barrage balloons). It may be used to protect naval, ground, and air forces in any location. However, for most countries, the main effort has tended to be homeland defence. Missile defence is an extension of air defence, as are initiatives to adapt air defence to the task of intercepting any projectile in flight.
Most modern anti-aircraft (AA) weapons systems are optimised for short-, medium-, or long-range air defence, although some systems may incorporate multiple weapons (such as both autocannons and surface-to-air missiles). 'Layered air defence' usually refers to multiple 'tiers' of air defence systems which, when combined, an airborne threat must penetrate to reach its target; this defence is usually accomplished via the combined use of systems optimised for either short-, medium-, or long-range air defence.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the Star Wars program, was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic nuclear missiles. The program was announced in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, a vocal critic of the doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD), which he described as a "suicide pact". Reagan called for a system that would end MAD and render nuclear weapons obsolete. Elements of the program reemerged in 2019 under the Space Development Agency (SDA).
The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) was set up in 1984 within the US Department of Defense to oversee development. Advanced weapon concepts, including lasers, particle-beam weapons, and ground and space-based missile systems were studied, along with sensor, command and control, and computer systems needed to control a system consisting of hundreds of combat centers and satellites spanning the globe. The US held a significant advantage in advanced missile defense systems through decades of extensive research and testing. Several concepts, technologies and insights obtained were transferred to subsequent programs. Under SDIO's Innovative Sciences and Technology Office, investment was made in basic research at national laboratories, universities, and in industry. These programs have continued to be key sources of funding for research scientists in particle physics, supercomputing/computation, advanced materials, and other critical science and engineering disciplines.
The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces (VKS) comprise the aerial, space warfare, and missile defence branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It was established on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force (VVS) and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO), as recommended by the Ministry of Defence to improve efficiency and logistical support. The VKS is headquartered in Moscow.
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American defense and aerospace manufacturer. It is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. The company was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995.
Lockheed Martin operates 4 divisions: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (39% of 2024 revenues), which includes Skunk Works, the F-35 Lightning II strike fighter, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F-22 Raptor; Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control (18% of 2024 revenues), which includes the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the Precision Strike Missile, the AGM-158 JASSM air-launched cruise missile, the AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missile, the AGM-114 Hellfire, the Apache fire-control system, the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, Infrared search and track, and support services for special forces; Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems (24% of 2024 revenues), which includes Sikorsky Aircraft such as the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk, Sikorsky VH-92 Patriot, Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, and Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk, the Aegis Combat System, Littoral combat ships, Freedom-class littoral combat ships, River-class destroyers, and the C2BMC missile defense program; and Lockheed Martin Space (18% of 2024 revenues), which includes the UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missile, the Orion spacecraft, the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared, GPS Block III, hypersonic weapons and transport layer programs and the Ground-Based Interceptor.
Lockheed Martin Space is one of the four major business divisions of Lockheed Martin. It has its headquarters in Littleton, Colorado, with additional sites in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Sunnyvale, California; Santa Cruz, California; Huntsville, Alabama; and elsewhere in the United States and United Kingdom. The division employs about 20,000 people, and its products include commercial and military satellites, space probes, missile defense systems, NASA's Orion spacecraft, and the Space Shuttle external tank.
A particle-beam weapon uses a high-energy beam of atomic or subatomic particles to damage the target by disrupting its atomic and/or molecular structure. A particle-beam weapon is a type of space-based directed-energy weapon, which directs focused energy toward a target using atomic scale particles. Some particle-beam weapons have potential practical applications, e.g. as an antiballistic missile defense or detection system. They have been known by several names: particle accelerator guns, ion cannons, proton beams, lightning rays, rayguns, etc.
The concept of particle-beam weapons comes from sound scientific principles and experiments. One process is to simply overheat a target until it is no longer operational. However, after decades of research and development, particle-beam weapons remain at the research stage, and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons.