July 31, 2009 :: The Missile Defense Agency :: News
On July 30, the Missile Defense Agency successfully conducted a test of its Aegis ship-based missile defense system. After launch of the target—a scaled down short range missile—from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Barking Sands, Kauai, the USS Hopper (an Arleigh-Burke class guided missile Destroyer) successfully "detected, tracked, fired and guided a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block (Blk) 1A to intercept." The target missile was launched from Hawaii at roughly 11:40 pm (EDT); the SM-3 was launched from the USS Hopper to intercept at roughly 11:42 pm (EDT).
The USS Lake Erie (a Ticonderoga-class guided missile Cruiser) and another Destroyer, the USS O'Kane, also participated in order to test the detection and tracking capabilities of their SPY radars. The captain and crew of the USS Lake Erie were testing the ship's newly upgraded Aegis BMD 4.0.1 Weapons System, in addition to simulating a launch of an SM-3 Blk 1B. A live-fire test of the SM-3 Blk 1B by the USS Lake Erie is scheduled for late 2010.
This was the 19th successful sea-based test conducted by the MDA, out of a total of 23 tests since 2002. (Article)
» More pictures from the Missile Defense Agency
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
