U.S. Marine Corps F-35B and the U.S. Navy's Aegis Anti Ballistic Missile Weapon System worked together for the first time during a l...
U.S. Marine Corps F-35B and the U.S. Navy's Aegis Anti Ballistic Missile Weapon System worked together for the first time during a live fire exercise.
The joint Lockheed Martin, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps exercise was the first live fire missile event that successfully demonstrated the integration of the F-35 to support Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA).
During the Sept. 12 test, an unmodified U.S. Marine Corps F-35B from the Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, acted as an elevated sensor and detected an over-the-horizon threat.
The F-35B sent data through the aircraft's Multi-Function Advanced Data Link (MADL) to a ground station connected to the Aegis Weapon System on the USS Desert Ship (LLS-1), a land-based ship.
The target was subsequently engaged and intercepted by a Standard Missile 6 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Using any variant of the F-35 as a broad area sensor, the aircraft can significantly increase the Aegis capability to detect, track and engage.
"NIFC-CA is a game changer for the U.S. Navy that extends the engagement range we can detect, analyze and intercept targets," said Dale Bennett, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems.
Aegis Baseline 9 delivers a fully open architecture system on U.S. destroyers and is the basis for current and future Aegis Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD). Baseline 9 is being fielded on in-service destroyers, new construction destroyers and Aegis Ashore.
