On April 16, senior U.S. Navy officials revealed that the U.S. Navy had launched a total of $1 billion worth of missiles over the past six months in response to threats from Iran and its "proxies." According to the report, this figure shows that the cost of the US Navy's investment in the Middle East is becoming more and more expensive.
At the same time, it has been reported that when helping Israel intercept missiles from Iran a few days ago, the United States even used the "Standard Missile 3" (SM-3) missile for the first time, which is part of the US Navy's "Aegis combat system", with a combat range of up to 2,500 kilometers and a launch altitude of up to 150 kilometers above the surface.
The SM-3's ability to intercept weapons outside the atmosphere also means that it can destroy even targets outside the atmosphere. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank, pointed out in its missile defense project that the SM-3 is the only missile in the US ship-based "standard missile" series that can operate in a vacuum in space.
▲Simulate the process of intercepting the target by SM-3 (blue is the flight path of SM-3, red is the flight path of intercepting the target)
From the Red Sea to Iran
The "cost of blows" by the United States in the Middle East is growing
Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last October, U.S. warships and aircraft have shot down dozens of missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea region. On April 16, local time, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro said at a Senate hearing on the defense budget for the next fiscal year that the U.S. Navy has responded to more than 130 direct attacks on U.S. Navy warships and merchant ships, "Ammunition is particularly important to us, and we need to replenish ammunition worth $1 billion." According to reports, it is unclear whether the $1 billion includes the cost of intercepting Iranian missiles and drones by the US military a few days ago.
▲The U.S. military launched the SM-3 during an exercise in 2012
There are reports that the cost of ammunition used by the US military to intercept air threats and launch active strikes is not low, and in the past six months, similar attacks against the US military have occurred regularly, so the cost of the US military in the Middle East has also increased. At present, there is no sign that the Houthis in Yemen have "stopped", which also means that the US military will continue to invest in the Red Sea issue, and people can't help but wonder whether the Pentagon's actions in the Red Sea are sustainable.
A series of missiles and drones launched by Iran in the early morning of the 14th have added to people's fears that Israel may retaliate after Iran's large-scale attack, and the situation in the Middle East may become more violent and dangerous.
For the first time, the SM-3 was put into real combat
The price is up to $27.9 million
During the hearing, Carlos admitted that in the process of helping Israel intercept Iranian missiles, the US military launched the SM-3. According to the report, although the SM-3 was first deployed on a U.S. destroyer in 2004 and has been launched and tested many times over the past 20 years, this is the first time that the SM-3 has been put into actual combat.
Two defense officials confirmed that the two guided missile destroyers of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and the USS Carney (DDG-64), launched 4~7 SM-3s in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to intercept missiles fired from Iran in the direction of Israel. It is reported that the price range of the SM-3 is between $9.7 million and $27.9 million, taking into account the different versions. For comparison, the SM-2 in the "Standard Missile" family costs $2 million, while the SM-6 costs $3.9 million.
▲The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States is based on the Chinese military network
Both the destroyers "Arleigh Burke" and the destroyers "Carney" are equipped with the "Aegis combat system", which allows tracking and targeting missiles. The SPY-1D radar on the destroyer can prompt the SM-3 launch to intercept the missile. The SM-3 can be launched almost vertically from a naval warship, sending its own lethal device out of the atmosphere, and using collision kill technology to intercept the target missile before it can re-enter the atmosphere. Missile analyst Chris Carlson believes that judging from the use of SM-3 by the United States, the Iranian side should have launched some missiles with a maximum range of 1,800 miles (about 2,896 kilometers).
It is worth noting that the SM-3 is not the only "extra-atmospheric weapon" used to intercept Iranian missiles, and the Israeli side has also dispatched the Arrow 3 missile defense system. According to reports, the "Arrow"-3 also uses collision killing technology to intercept incoming missiles in space and prevent them from re-entering the atmosphere.
Red Star News reporter Li Jinrui Comprehensive reference news, China Military Network