The anti-missile system is located at near the town of davaselu at an
abandoned romanian air force base northeast of town. The system is based on
the aegis ballistic missile defense system installed on american ticonderoga
cruisers and arleigh burke class destroyers and consists of the aegis radar
combat system and 24 SM-3 interceptors located in mk 41 vertical launch
missile silos.
The system is operated by sailors of the u.s navy, despite being nearly 200
miles from the nearest body of water. The SM-3 ballistic missile interceptor
is an evolution of the u.s navy's long-serving standard surface-to-air
missile.
The missile is designed to intercept short and intermediate-range missiles
shortly after their launch, in the so-called boost phase when the missiles
are ascending into space or near space.
The SM-3 can also engage warheads during the mid-course phase when the
missiles themselves have burned out and the warhead is streaking through
space alone on a ballistic trajectory.
American destroyers and dutch frigates operating in the atlantic and
mediterranean will add to the network with their own radars and
interceptor missiles.
An early warning x-band radar will be based in turkey and the entire
system will be controlled from ramstein air force base in Germany.
The entire point of the deviceelu base is to shoot down missiles emanating
from the middle east. Think iran aimed at NATO countries in Europe.
The 800 million dollars dollar program was started 10 years ago, when
Iran's nuclear program was out of control and it was also developing
long-range missiles, a successful combination of which would give the
country the ability to strike european targets with nuclear missiles.
Since then, an agreement between iran and the west has largely dismantled
the country's nuclear program. However the agreement did not apply to
missile development.
Iran is continuing to develop ballistic missiles, including the ahmad
piller a mobile missile with a range of 1700 miles and capable of striking
targets as far away as hungary the Czech Republic and Poland. Iran claims
the ahmad is highly accurate and is built to evade missile defenses.
longer range missiles are probably inevitable.
For its part, Moscow believes that the system is aimed squarely at
russia's nuclear missiles and russia's ability to deter the west from
nuclear attack. It is part of the military and political containment of
russia, channel news asia reported a senior russian foreign ministry
official is saying.
Russia believes that nato's pursuit of the program, even after a
successful nuclear deal with iran is proof that nato has ulterior motives.
Is russia right? could the aegis base shoot down russian missiles?
The SM-3 is believed to have a range of 378 miles. With that short of a
range the system could only shoot down missiles as far east as ukraine.
Russian strategic nuclear missiles aimed at the united states would be out
of reach, although the system should work against russian missiles
launched at europe.
Still from russia's perspective in order for nuclear deterrence to work it
must be able to hold nuclear powers in europe, the united kingdom and
france at risk as well as american military bases in europe.
While NATO denies that the missile defense is for use against russia, the
threat of an iranian nuclear missile has virtually evaporated. meanwhile
russia has been busy flexing its military muscle in the Baltic, Black Sea,
Scandinavia, Ukraine and syria alarming NATO.
