Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
May 23, 2012
IWG Report 2009
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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Aegis Ship-Based BMD
| Country: | USA |
|---|---|
| Basing: | Sea |
Details
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis BMD) will provide an efficient and highly mobile sea-based defense against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in their midcourse phase.
The system will integrate the U.S. Navy’s existing fleet of Aegis cruisers (Ticonderoga class) and Aegis destroyers (Arleigh Burke class) with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor currently under development. The system will allow the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to move its defense capabilities close to enemy launch sites, thus providing a critical “layer” to the broader Ballistic Missile Defense System.
At present, each Aegis cruiser and destroyer is outfitted with the Aegis Weapon System—the heart of which is the AN/SPY-1 radar system. AN/SPY-1 sends out beams of electromagnetic energy in all directions, thus allowing Aegis ships to track up to 100 targets simultaneously, while still retaining the ability to counter other air, surface, and submarine threats. AN/SPY-1 will be able to detect ballistic missiles as they rise above the horizon.
Once a hostile missile has been detected, Aegis BMD will launch its Standard Missile-3 interceptor from its MK41 Vertical Launching System (currently deployed on Aegis cruisers and destroyers). An evolution of the SM-2 Block IV interceptor, the SM-3 is a hit-to-kill missile comprised of a three-stage booster with a kill vehicle. As the SM-3 burns through its three stages, its GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System will set it on an intercept trajectory with the hostile missile. SM-3 will also receive target updates from the Aegis destroyer.
Once close enough to the ballistic missile, the SM-3 will fire its kill vehicle, the Kinetic Warhead (KW), from its nosecone. The KW will immediately begin to search for its target. It will acquire the ballistic missile using a high-resolution seeker, and maintain an accurate trajectory using its internal navigational system. As it closes on its target, the KW will identify the missile’s payload, and shift its aimpoint to ensure a lethal hit. When the KW finally slams into the enemy warhead, the kinetic energy of the high velocity impact will ensure complete destruction of the threat.
Since 1999, MDA has conducted five SM-3 flight tests. Four have been successful. The most recent test was on December 11, 2003, when a SM-3 from the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie tracked, targeted, and destroyed a short-range target missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. Impact occurred at an altitude of 137 kilometers and a closing speed of approximately 3.7 kilometers per second. The entire operation, from detection to destruction, took four minutes.
President George W. Bush recently called on MDA to deploy a preliminary defense shield—including sea-based assets. In September 2004, the Navy will deploy an Aegis destroyer in the Sea of Japan capable of detecting and tracking missile launches from North Korea and China. In the event of a hostile launch, the destroyer will be able to transmit data to ten ground-based interceptors located in Fort Greely in Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (also scheduled for deployment in September 2004).
In 2005, the first fully operational Aegis BMD system will be deployed on an Aegis destroyer. MDA will conduct rigorous tests, using this initial deployment to integrate the AN/SPY-1 with SM-3 and improve the accuracy of the interceptor. In 2006, the Navy will deploy nine Aegis ships outfitted with SM-3 missiles and configured to carry out ballistic missile defense operations from almost anywhere in the world.
During this initial deployment phase, Aegis BMD will provide a cost effective means of countering emerging threats from rogue nations and terrorists. The United States has already invested $50 billion in its cruisers and destroyers alone, and the additional cost of outfitting these ships with SM-3s is relatively small compared with that of developing new air-based, land-based, and space-based systems. Although the Navy will eventually need more ships over time to handle its regular duties, in the interim Aegis BMD will serve as an excellent stopgap measure.
MDA’s long-term goal is to transform Aegis BMD into a comprehensive missile defense system capable of destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), possibly in their boost phase. As MDA improves its layered missile defense system, Aegis BMD will be able to integrate its tracking system with other new BMD tracking systems such as Space Based Infrared System-High (SBIRS-High) satellites, the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS), or the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX). Although many consider the SM-3 too slow to intercept ICBMs, some believe that these enhanced detection and tracking capabilities will allow Aegis BMD to launch its interceptors earlier, thus allowing the SM-3s to reach long-range targets.
MDA and the Navy are also considering the development of a larger and faster interceptor missile.
Sources
Arms Control Association.
England, Gordon R. Remarks at the National Missile Defense Conference. Ronald Reagan Center, Washington, D.C., 22 March 2004.
Erwin, Sandra I. “Navy Prepares to Put Aegis Ships ‘On Alert.’” National Defense Magazine, March 2004.
GlobalSecurity.org.
Missile Defense Agency.
Raytheon Company.
Selinger, Marc. “Aegis on Tract for 2004 Missile Defense, Company Says.” Aerospace Daily, 13 January 2004.
U.S. Department of Defense. “Aegis Miss Test Successful.” Press Release 938-03, 11 December 2003.
Possible Spread of Defensive Interceptors by Japan
Japanese-U.S. SM-3 sea-based interceptor missiles could be offered to third countries, reports the Japanese news agency Kyodo. According to General Yoshinori Ono, director of Japan’s Defense Agency, “If there is a request from the United States, it could be possible for those missiles to be provided to third countries under certain circumstances.” Ono’s statement follows Japan’s decision last year to end its decades-old ban on weapons exports. In December 2004, Japan stated that it could export missile parts to the U.S. under “strict controls” for national security, with exports to third countries to be considered on a case-to-case basis.
» More stories on: Allies, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
U.S. Asks Japan for $545 Million
The U.S. has asked Japan to contribute $545 million to the joint Aegis sea-based missile defense system, reports the AFP. The U.S. intends to contribute an equal amount to the project. Some reports indicate, however, that Tokyo finds this sum too high and plans to ask for a reduction in cost. The AFP notes that Japan is attempting to cut its defense spending amid mixed signals on the direction of its economy.
» More stories on: Allies, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Japan Ready to Move Ahead with Missile Defense
The Washington Times quotes Yoshinori Ono, chief of Japan’s Defense Agency, as saying that the joint Japanese-U.S. sea-based missile defense program will soon enter the development stage. The program includes the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor, which will be deployed on Aegis-equipped destroyers and cruisers. The two nations launched the project in 1999 after North Korea tested its long-range Taep’o-dong 1 ballistic missile, which flew over Japan and landed into the Pacific Ocean. The article notes that actual production of the SM-3 is scheduled to begin around 2011.
» More stories on: Allies, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
U.S. to Sell Japan SM-2 Interceptors
The Pentagon plans to sell 40 Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) surface-to-air missiles to Japan, reports Reuters. Japan has requested the interceptors for its Maritime Self Defense Force fleet, in order to bolster its defense of critical sea-lanes. According to the Pentagon, “It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Japan to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability, which will contribute to an acceptable military balance in the area.”
» More stories on: Allies, Japan
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Pacific Fleet Commander: Aegis Ready
In an interview for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Navy Admiral Walter F. Doran, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, described that the Aegis ships equipped with ballistic defenses are prepared for “limited defense operations.”
Q: What is the Navy’s role in ballistic missile defense with the Aegis system?
A: We are ready right now, the United States Navy in the Western Pacific, again 7th Fleet units, are ready for limited defense operations in the Western Pacific if we were required to do it. The sea-based ballistic missile defense is very much a real player. In fact, if you look back we have had very successful (interception) shots with the SM3 missile at the Pacific Missile Range.
Admiral Doran also answered questions about such things as China’s modernizing military and the North Korean threat.
» More stories on: Deployment, Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Navy Interceptor Praised
The recent edition of Navy Times profiles the successes of the Navy’s Aegis ballistic missile defense program, which most recently scored another successful intercept during its February 24 test. The Navy Times cites a March 7 briefing, when “an MDA official said the SM-3 hit within single-digit centimeters of the intended target on the warhead.”
» More stories on: Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
CSP on the Merits of Navy Missile Defense
Responding to the recent successful intercept on February 24, the Center for Security Policy has posted praise for the Navy’s sea-based Aegis ballistic missile defense system to meet the growing missile threat. They note first the significance of the test:
Three features make this test particularly significant: For the first time, the hardware and software utilized was the operational configuration (known as AEGIS BMD 3.0) that will be installed in all other AEGIS missile defense ships. No less noteworthy is the fact that the SM-3 utilized to shoot down the target was one of the first of the production rounds to come off the manufacturing line. And, the personnel used to conduct the test were the regular crew of the U.S.S. Lake Erie.
In other words, this was the “real deal.” The option of complementing land-based anti-missile defenses with sea-based assets capable of both tracking ballistic missiles and destroying them in-flight is now in hand.
In addition to the exemplary performance of the Lake Erie and her crew, Thursday’s test also featured another important development. A second AEGIS ship, the USS Russell, brought to bear for the first time a new capability known as the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Signal Processor (BMSP). This S-Band radar provided real-time discrimination and classification of the target, information that considerably enhances the probability of intercept. The AEGIS BMSP holds great promise for expanding missile defense radar coverage at a fraction of the cost of other approaches.
» Feb. 28, 2005: Gaffney on Aegis in Washington Times
» More stories on: Analysis
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Sea-Based Missile Defense Intercept Successful
The Missile Defense Agency again today tested the Aegis ballistic missile interceptor system, with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor successfully destroying a mock enemy missile. The test is the fifth of six tests to have been successful.
The target missile was launched yesterday afternoon from the island of Kauai, of Hawaii. The SM-3 interceptor was subsequently launched from the U.S.S. Lake Erie, some 100 miles from the island, and the hit-to-kill intercept took place minutes later. The U.S.S. Russell and an airborne sensor both participated in the test for the development of future tracking programs. The SM-3 interceptors are scheduled to be deployed on Aegis ships later this year.
» More stories on: Sea-Based Systems, Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Land-Based Test of Aegis SM-3 Interceptors
The Missile Defense Agency yesterday announced a recent successful test of the maneuvering system for the Standard Missile 3 which will be used to intercept missiles as part of the Aegis sea-based defenses. The test of the actual kinetic warhead which would intercept an enemy missile was completed on November 30, 2004. The test is described by the MDA and by Lockheed Martin as an important milestone in the interceptor’s development.
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Aegis SM-3 Interceptors Delivered to MDA
Raytheon has begun to deliver to the Missile Defense Agency the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), the interceptor to be deployed on a number of Aegis cruisers, for sea-based missile defense. The delivery was of the first of five interceptors scheduled for delivery this year.
“Aegis BMD went to sea on Sept. 30, able to track an ICBM and to communicate that information to the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Today we mark the fact that we will soon add firepower to Aegis BMD with the SM-3 missile. It will then be able to participate in the defense of not only the U.S., but of our allies, friends and deployed troops against short-medium range ballistic missiles around the globe,” said Rear Admiral Kathleen Paige, program director Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense.
» MDA release on SM-3 delivery
» More stories on: Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
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