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A US satellite early warning system is protecting American forces and their allies in the Middle East by constantly scanning the entire planet for missile launches, a senior Space Force commander has told The National.
The US military's highly classified Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) became fully operational last year. The system comprises six bus-sized satellites 36,000km above Earth that track thermal radiation to identify potential missile launches.
It constantly covers the entire globe, but is capable of “staring” at certain regions to detect a wide range of threats and aircraft.
That ability is currently proving vital in the Middle East, according to Chief Master Sergeant Tina R Timmerman, who spoke to The National on the sidelines of the World Defence Show in Riyadh.
The system is “protecting lives” every day, said CMSgt Timmerman, in a region where Iran-backed militants have launched scores of missiles at US forces since regional tensions soared following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October.
Each SBIRS satellite weighs about 4,500kg and is capable of detecting not only the heat emissions of missiles but also any aircraft in or around a combat zone.
CMSgt Timmerman praised the “outstanding detection capabilities” of SBIRS and said the information it provides about every aspect of a major attack, or in some cases weapons tests by US adversaries, is sent to “national decision makers”.
“Every single day there are lives that are being protected because of the decisions made and how the information is disseminated to the combatant commands,” she said.
“This system is never turned off and operates everyday, 24/7, 365,” added CMSgt Timmerman.
This constant coverage allows SBIRS to work as an early missile warning system to alert US forces and their allies of potential attacks, including by Iran-backed militias in the Middle East, who possess increasingly sophisticated weaponry.
Iran's missile threat
Iran-backed militias who are hostile to the US have now acquired powerful ballistic missiles that can wreck naval vessels or smash bunkers, as well as low-flying cruise missiles that are hard to detect.
Militias first gained access to these missiles during the Yemen civil war, when Iran transferred powerful weapons to the Houthi rebels. They have since been acquired by other Iran-backed militia groups across the region, such as Kataib Hezbollah, who Washington blamed for an attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three soldiers.
Iranian engineers have advanced the accuracy and power of their missiles thanks to the revolution in microelectronics. Unlike earlier models of Scud missiles, which many Iranian missiles are based on and which could hit targets within several kilometres, modern Iranian missiles can now hit targets within metres.
Early warning systems like SBIRS therefore play a vital role in minimising US casualties from missile attacks.
This was evident in January 2020 when Iran fired at least 12 ballistic missiles at a joint Iraqi-US base in western Iraq, Al Asad, in retaliation for a US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, who had directed attacks on US forces.
The US later said SBIRS detected the launches and, while the missiles were airborne for just seven minutes, alerted their forces who ran to concrete shelters. Several empty buildings at the base were destroyed and 109 soldiers suffered brain injuries from concussion, but none were killed.
Now SBIRS is even more capable, after the final of the six satellites was launched last year.
While the US also has other early warning systems, including E-2 Hawkeye airborne radars that can track up to 2,000 objects within 650km, SBIRS has global coverage.
This is vital when some of Iran’s larger missiles have ranges in excess of 2,000km, complicating air defences due to the Earth’s curvature, which limits long-range radar.
Proving its worth
The crisis in the Middle East has been an opportunity for SBIRS to prove its worth. With a cost of $20 billion over two decades, the system is very expensive and was described by the Rand defence think tank in 2015 as an “unusually troubled programme characterised by particularly high-cost growth”.
One former SBIRS operator who spoke to The National described the system as “amazing”.
“SBIRS is an amazing thing because it will pick up significant infrared plumes from launches and while you obviously amalgamate, it's the first layer of missile warning. It will pick up the launch and ground-based radars would then pick up the missiles on their radar coverage,” says Ralph Dinsley, who was among the first operators to work on the project in 2003.
“It can pick up all the launches and potential impacts. Because what the system does is it's able to create what's known as a launch and predicted impact fan so they can work out the rough areas that these missiles are going to be launched from,” he said.
This is critical because it can rapidly assess what kind of missile is being used and whether it could be a regional attack using conventional explosives or an intercontinental nuclear attack.
“They don't get mixed up between space launches and ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] and short-range missiles and whatever else like that. SBIRS is able to actually pick up the launch, work out a rough area where it's going to impact and predict that to the operators,” Mr Dinsley said.
Those operators, Ms Timmerman says, working under high pressure, are mostly “our junior enlisted members and our junior officers.”
Missile defence operators are said to be among the most highly trained of US military personnel.
'Networked warfare'
CMSgt Timmerman also said that while the US already had the capability to track multiple crises across the world, the establishment of the dedicated Space Force in 2019 had consolidated all the nation's missile defence systems under one service.
Previously, the US Air Force operated a range of missile launch detection satellites, but they were focused on spotting nuclear escalation in the Cold War.
“We have had this capability for years operated under Air Force Space Command, prior to the United States Space Force’s inception. The Space Force has now consolidated all missile warning missions in the Department of Defence under one service,” CMSgt Timmerman said.
According to John J Klein at the Space Policy Institute, George Washington University, this capability forms part of what the US calls “networked warfare”, where eventually all branches of the military can share information on threats and targets simultaneously.
“Department of Defence on the US side routinely tries to integrate all the domains for operations, and then info sharing and intelligence collection,” he said.
However, Mr Klein pointed out that human commanders on the ground still face the ultimate final judgment call, which they have to take under high pressure with just minutes to decide.
He pointed to the example of Iran's 2020 attack on the Al Asad base in Iraq.
“The commanding officer at Al Asad had to make a judgment call. How soon do you move your people out? How many? Those lives that were saved were based on intuition and probably the experience of the senior people there, but they were able to fuse the SBIRS information to save a lot of people.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
More coverage from the Future Forum
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
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