SM-3 launch from DDG 53 in 2014 The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Pacific Command, and U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the USS John Paul...
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| SM-3 launch from DDG 53 in 2014 |
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Pacific Command, and U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) successfully conducted a series of four flight test events exercising the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) element of the U.S.'s Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS).
The flight test, designated Multi-Mission Warfare (MMW) Events 1 through 4, demonstrated successful intercepts of short-range ballistic missile and cruise missile targets by the USS John Paul Jones, configured with Aegis Baseline 9.C1 (BMD 5.0 Capability Upgrade) and using Standard Missile (SM)-6 Dual I and SM-2 Block IV missiles.
All flight test events were conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Kauai, Hawaii.
This test series also marks the first endo-atmospheric (lower atmosphere) engagement of a Ballistic Missile target to demonstrate a Baseline 9.C1 capability.
This capability allows Aegis to engage ballistic missiles in their terminal phase—as they re-enter the endo-atmosphere—which is the last opportunity to intercept the warhead before it reaches its target.
Following Raytheon Standard Missile-6's interception of a ballistic missile target, three additional test events followed. During the series, the U.S. Navy fired two additional SM-6s in anti-air warfare roles. Both missiles successfully engaged cruise missile targets.
The U.S. Navy also fired a SM-2 Block IV that successfully intercepted its target, validating this weapon's current capability to stop short-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase of flight.
Aegis Baseline 9 provides the U.S. Navy surface fleet with the most advanced air defense capability ever. Under the Baseline 9 configuration, Aegis merges BMD and anti-air warfare into its Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability using commercial-off-the-shelf and open architecture technologies.
The central component of the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis BMD Combat System is the SPY-1 radar, deployed on more than 100 ships worldwide— the most widely fielded naval phased array radar in the world.
SPY-1 capability has been greatly enhanced with the introduction of a new Multi-Mission Signal Processor (MMSP). Together, the Aegis system, MMSP and SPY-1 radar provide the U.S. and allied nations with advanced surveillance and an unprecedented IAMD capability.
MDA's Sea-Based Terminal (SBT) program will protect against ballistic threats in their terminal phase of flight using SM-6 missiles integrated into the Aegis Weapon System. Called SM-6 Dual 1, it's on track to achieve initial operating capability in 2016.
