US Missile Defense Agency to Deploy New Radar in Alaska for Monitoring Missiles from Rogue States

Response to China, North Korea, and Russia's Hypersonic Missile Development
"Will Upgrade Hypersonic Missile Tracking"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced that it will establish a new Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) in the Alaska region to provide early warning and defense against ballistic missiles launched from hostile countries such as China and North Korea. The agency also plans to enhance its capabilities to counter hypersonic missiles, which are known to evade missile defense systems, in the future.

On the 6th (local time), John Hill, MDA Director, stated at a virtual media roundtable, "To strengthen early warning and phased defense capabilities against ballistic missiles for the United States, its allies, and partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region, we recently established a new Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) in Alaska." He emphasized, "The newly established LRDR is powerful enough to identify lethal objects such as missile warheads and successfully intercept them."

He added, "There are rogue states in the Indo-Pacific region that have recently demonstrated ballistic missile capabilities aimed at the United States multiple times." He explained, "This radar is strategically deployed in Alaska and can detect threats coming from that area through its wide field of view." The rogue states mentioned by Director Hill appear to refer to China, North Korea, and Russia. These countries have recently conducted successive tests of hypersonic missile launches, which are known to neutralize U.S. missile defense systems, as a show of force.

The U.S. Department of Defense began testing the LRDR for long-range ballistic missile defense in Alaska starting in April this year to respond to threats from hostile countries such as China, North Korea, and Russia. Glen VanHerck, Commander of the U.S. Northern Command, previously expressed hope that the radar would achieve initial operational capability by September this year.

Director Hill stated, "Although the LRDR is currently focused on detecting ballistic missile threats, it will ultimately be upgraded to track hypersonic missiles." He added, "This radar is expected to be fully operational around 2023 after undergoing various tests and system integrations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.