America is one step closer to a comprehensive system for defending against a ballistic missile attack. This is because of the recent dedication of a sea-based platform of X-band radar. The dedication took place on 26 July 2005 at Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) platform is a modified oil-drilling platform. According to a release from Boeing, the lead company in the production team, the SBX platform measures 240 feet wide and 390 feet long. It includes a power plant, bridge and control rooms, living quarters, storage areas and the infrastructure necessary to support the massive X-band radar. The X-band radar, sitting on top of the vessel, is the largest, most sophisticated phased array, electro-mechanically steered X-band radar in the world, consisting of thousands of antennae driven by transmit/receive modules.
The sheer size of the platform is astonishing. Hypothetically, if the vessel’s main deck were flat, it could accommodate a C-5 Galaxy and a C-130 Hercules — two of the world’s largest transport aircraft, safely parked end-to-end — with enough room left to race three motorcycles side-by-side around them.
Sea-Based X-Band Radar Dedicated (Photo courtesy of Boeing)
According to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), an arm of the Defense Department, the SBX vessel will be based in Adak, Alaska. However, the SBX will be able to deploy to other locations under its own power. When used in conjunction with other missile-defense technologies (satellites, radars, lasers, and missiles), the SBX is designed to defend all 50 States from a ballistic missile attack. The SBX will be used to support both operations and testing of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which is specifically designed to provide a defense of our homeland against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack. According to a report at MissileThreat.com, Major General John Holly — former head of the GMD program for the Missile Defense Agency — commented in remarks to Alaska lawmakers that the SBX can defend against missile attacks out of Northeast Asia. That would include North Korea and rogue elements at missile sites in Siberia.
Airborne Laser aircraft — another part of our Missile Defense system
(Official US Air Force photo)
The combination of advanced phased-array radars, integration with other systems, and self-propelled mobility make the SBX a powerful shield against ballistic missile attacks. Such an attack can — hopefully — now be stopped by Ground-Based Intercept (GBI) missiles, which launch a special warhead known as an EKV. The EKV was successfully tested to intercept a ballistic missile at a closing speed of 15,000 miles per hour. Unfortunately, the interceptor travels only one-tenth the speed of its target. Fortunately, there is more than one way to stop an inbound missile. Unfortunately, not all of the tests have been successful. Considering reports indicate that even terrorist groups have acquired ballistic missiles, operational testing and full deployment of this unit comes not a day too soon. And, it proves — again — that Ronald Reagan was right.
Tom Kovach
