AEGIS Air Defense System The European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) is designed to defend against existing and near-term ballistic m...
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| AEGIS Air Defense System |
The European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) is designed to defend against existing and near-term ballistic missile threats to U.S. assets, personnel and allies in Europe. It is flexible, initially using mobile radars and interceptors mounted on Aegis-equipped Ticonderoga class cruisers and Arleigh Burke class destroyers.
On September 17, 2009, US President Barack Obama announced the U.S. decision to adopt the new EPAA to ballistic missile defense in Europe.
EPAA envisage to field improved anti ballistic missile defenses through four phases by 2018.
Lockheed Martin's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system is the cornerstone of the EPAA which uses Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 interceptor to engage the ballistic-missile threats.
Raytheon is developing multiple variants of SM-3™ (Blocks IA, IB and IIA) missiles as part of the Missile Defense Agency's sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System.
These U.S. missile defense deployments to Europe will provide the necessary capabilities to provide ballistic missile defense coverage to all NATO European territory in the 2018 timeframe.
SM-3 upgrades are being phased in to deployed Aegis BMD ships and land-based facilities during this decade. Each SM-3 upgrade provides more capability for countering ballistic missile threats, defending an increasingly larger area, improving resilience against threat technical developments and adapting to an evolving security environment.
Phase 1 was deployed on-time consisting of the command and control node in Germany, the forward-based radar in Turkey and an Aegis missile defense ship on-station in the Mediterranean Sea.
A critical European PAA Phase 1 milestone was achieved when Aegis BMD 3.6.1 / SM-3 Block IA missile destroyed an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile target using tracking data from a forward-based radar.
This configuration provides exo-atmospheric engagement capability against short-, medium-, and some intermediate-range ballistic missiles with the SM-3 Block IA. Aegis BMD 3.6.1 detects and tracks ballistic missiles of all ranges –including Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.
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| AN/TPY-2 X band radar |
With the declaration of Interim Operational Capability at the NATO Summit in Chicago, this radar transitioned to NATO operational control.
In Phase 2 (2015 Timeframe), the second generation Aegis BMD Weapon System-Aegis BMD 4.0.1 and SM-3 Block IB missile enables the engagement of increasingly longer range and more sophisticated ballistic missiles launched in larger raid sizes. A series of intercept firings are being conducted to validate the operational effectiveness and suitability of the weapon system against an increasingly sophisticated set of targets and scenarios.
The SM-3 Block IB missile will be deployed in ships at sea and on land at Aegis Ashore sites. Aegis Ashore sites will be constructed at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii for tests and in Romania for defensive operations.
The more advanced Block IB version of the SM-3 interceptor would maintain the reliability of the Block IA variant while incorporating a new two-color infrared seeker, an advanced signal processor and a new Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS), providing the precision propulsion necessary to intercept incoming ballistic missiles with pinpoint accuracy.
In May 2012, Raytheon achieved a significant milestone with the successful flight test of SM-3 Block IB, marking the 20th successful SM-3 intercept.The addition of land-based sites significantly increases coverage to NATO countries against hostile ballistic missiles from the Middle East.
Demonstrating its support to both NATO and the EPAA, Spain agreed in 2011 to host four U.S. Aegis-capable ships at the existing naval facility at Rota. These ships will arrive in the 2014- 2015 timeframe, in time for EPAA Phase Two.
For Phase 3 (2018 timeframe), the SM-3 Block IIA, being co-developed with Japan, is on schedule for deployment at Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland and aboard Aegis BMD ships at sea.
The advanced SM-3 Block IIA interceptor is being jointly developed by Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Nagoya, Japan.
The partnership began with a 1999 agreement among the Government of Japan, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Raytheon and MHI to operate as an integrated team to develop Block IIA. Japan already deploys Block IA on its Kongo -class destroyers.
MHI will provide Block IIA's bigger second- and third-stage rocket motors. Raytheon will furnish the advanced kinetic warhead, which combines larger seeker optics, a 512 x 512 focal-plane array and an advanced signal processor to improve both clutter discrimination and target-acquisition range. These enhancements will enable a single ship to defend a wider region and destroy a broader range of ballistic missile threats.
On March 15 2013, US Defense Secretary Hagel announced changes to U.S. missile defense policy to strengthen U.S. homeland missile defenses due to the growing ballistic missile threat from Iran and North Korea.
One of these policy changes is that the SM-3 IIB missile defense interceptor program - the core element of EPAA Phase 4 - is being restructured into a technology development program.
With the SM-3 IIB interceptor, Phase 4 would have provided an intercept capability against ICBMs launched at the U.S. homeland from the Middle East. But the SM-3 IIB program also experienced significant delays, in part due to the U.S. Congress underfunding this interceptor. So the SM-3 IIB interceptor will no longer be developed or procured.
The United States will instead strengthen its homeland defense by procuring additional Ground Based Interceptors (GBIs) for deployment at its existing missile defense site in Fort Greely, Alaska.
The Secretary Hagel also said, the number of deployed GBIs will be increased from the current 30 to 44, providing a nearly 50 percent increase in capability.
NATO BMD will be more effective should Allies provide sensors and interceptors to complement the U.S. EPAA contributions. Several NATO Allies already possess land- and sea-based sensors that could potentially be linked into the system, as well as lower tier systems that can be integrated and used to provide point defense such as PATRIOT.
It is important that the systems contributed by Allies be interoperable with NATO’s Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense – or ALTBMD – command and control capability.
