Aegis BMD is boring

[Dport]

Another success. This just keeps happening time and time again. No excitement at all.

Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System Guides Missile to Seventh Successful Target Intercept
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via PRNewswire
KAUAI, Hawaii, June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- During a test today the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System with its Standard Missile(SM)-3 successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target with a separating reentry vehicle outside the Earth's atmosphere. Both the Aegis BMD WeaponSystem aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) and range sensors confirmed a direct hit of the missile target during its midcourse flight phase over the Pacific Ocean.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) develops the Aegis BMD Weapon System and serves as the Combat System Engineering Agent for the U.S. Navy and MissileDefense Agency's Aegis BMD Weapon System program.

This Missile Defense Agency-sponsored test -- Flight Test Maritime-10(FTM-10) -- marks the seventh time the Aegis BMD Weapon System hassuccessfully guided an SM-3 to a ballistic missile target intercept and the second time that the system intercepted a ballistic missile with a separating reentry vehicle. U.S. Navy ships equipped with earlier versions of Aegis BMD capability have been on operational duty since September 2004 .

During the test, the Aegis SPY-1B radar aboard USS Shiloh providedreal-time detection, tracking and discrimination of the medium-range target with its separating warhead. Once the SM-3 was launched, the Aegis BMD WeaponSystem continued to track the target and provide guidance commands to the SM-3 to intercept the target. USS Shiloh was deployed with the latest versions of the Aegis BMD equipment and computer programs, BMD 3.6, and the SM-3 Block IAmissile. The Aegis BMD 3.6 combat system will be certified for tactical deployment this fall.

In addition to USS Shiloh, three other U.S. Navy ships and a Japanese destroyer participated in the intercept test:

* USS Lake Erie (CG 70), deployed with the prototype Aegis BMD Signal Processor (BSP), detected, tracked and discriminated the separating target warhead in real-time. * USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) exercised its Long Range Surveillance and Tracking (LRS&T) capability. * USS Milius (DDG 69), employing the 3.6 version of Aegis BMD in a LRS&T operation, provided fire control information to other elements of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and received a cue from a prototype X-band radar on Kauai. This prototype radar is a version of one being deployed by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in Japan. * The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ship JDS Kirishima (DDG 174), equipped with the Aegis Weapon System, tracked the ballistic missile target.
"Every Aegis BMD test pushes the envelope on what is possible for missile defense from the sea," said Orlando Carvalho , vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's business unit in Moorestown. "The success achieved today is a direct result of the professionalism of the Sailorsoperating these ships and the thorough systems engineering accomplished collaboratively by the Navy, MDA and industry."

The SPY-1 radar, augmented by the Aegis BSP signal processor, which is in development and will be installed in Aegis BMD ships beginning in 2010,provides an advanced discrimination capability to defeat more complex ballistic missile threats. The Aegis BSP is an open architecture design, allowing for quick and affordable upgrades as the signal processor technology evolves. The move to open architecture for Aegis BMD is in parallel andaligned with the Navy's Aegis Open Architecture (OA) initiative to transformthe (non-BMD) Aegis Weapon System to a fully open architecture system, beginning with the Cruiser Modernization Program now underway. BMD capabilitywill be included in modernized OA Aegis cruisers and destroyers starting in 2012.

The target missile intercepted in today's test was provided by the MDA's Targets and Countermeasures Program, for which Lockheed Martin is prime contractor. A team of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company and OrbitalSciences Corporation personnel launched the target missile from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai.

The MDA and the U.S. Navy are jointly developing Aegis BMD as part of thenation's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). Ultimately 15 Aegisdestroyers and three Aegis cruisers will be outfitted with the capability toconduct LRS&T and engagement of short- and medium-range ballistic missile threats using the Aegis BMD Weapon System and its SM-3. To date, 11 Aegis destroyers have been upgraded with the LRS&T capability and two Aegis cruisershave been outfitted with the emergency engagement and LRS&T capability.

The Aegis Weapon System is the world's premier naval surface defense system and is the foundation for Aegis BMD, the primary component of thesea-based element of the United States ' BMDS. The Aegis BMD Weapon System seamlessly integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System,the SM-3 missile and the weapon system's command and control system. TheAegis BMD Weapon System also integrates with the BMDS, receiving cues from and providing cueing information to other BMDS elements.

The Aegis Weapon System is currently deployed on 80 ships around the globe with more than 30 additional ships planned or under contract. In addition to the U.S., Aegis is the maritime weapon system of choice for Japan , SouthKorea , Norway , Spain and Australia . Japan will begin installation of Aegis BMD in its Kongo class Aegis destroyers in 2007.

Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including thefirst operational hit-to-kill missile defense system, PAC-3. It also has considerable experience in interceptor systems, kill vehicles, battle management command, control and communications, precision pointing and tracking optics, as well as radar and other sensors that enable signal processing and data fusion. The company makes significant contributions tonearly all major U.S. Missile Defense Systems and participates in several global missile defense partnerships.

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U.S. to put Patriot interceptors in Japan
By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago
TOKYO - Japan and the United States will deploy advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on American bases here for the first time, officials said Monday, just days after reports that North Korea may test a missile that could reach both nations.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Brian Maka said the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles have not been sent to Japan yet and details on the timetable and locations for the eventual deployment have not been announced. The U.S. and Japan reached the accord earlier this month after reports of a possible North Korean test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile became public, Japan's Defense Agency said.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts intensified Monday to halt any North Korean launch after Pyongyang insisted it has the right to go ahead with one.

At the White House, President Bush said North Korea should heed warnings by China and other nations not to test a missile. He also called on North Korea to declare "what they have on top of that vehicle and what are their intentions."

"I have made clear to our partners on this issue — that would be Japan and South Korea and China and Russia — that we need to send a focused message to the North Koreans and that this launch, you know, is provocative," Bush said.

The PAC-3 are designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or aircraft. But a Japanese news report said the PAC-3 may be unable to hit North Korea's latest long-range missile.

Confirmation of the Patriot deployment emerged after Tokyo and Washington signed a separate agreement on Friday to expand their cooperation on a joint ballistic missile defense shield, committing themselves to joint production of interceptor missiles.

Last year, Japan and the U.S. signed an agreement allowing Japan to produce its own PAC-3 missiles for deployment at Japanese bases. Japan's Defense Agency also has announced plans to buy 124 Patriot surface-to-air missiles by 2010.

In a further step to strengthen defenses, the U.S. has also moved up its planned test of a missile-detecting radar system in northern Japan, Kyodo News agency reported Monday, citing an unidentified U.S. official in Washington.

The U.S. also has Patriots stationed in South Korea. The U.S. military in 2004 completed deployment of PAC-3 missile batteries at Gwangju Air Base, about 150 miles south of Seoul. PAC-3 missiles have also been deployed in Taiwan.

The Pentagon spokesman said the Japanese and U.S. governments have been meeting periodically on the Patriot deployment since last year as part of plans to realign the U.S. military in Japan. Officials announced last month that the Patriots would be stationed within existing U.S. facilities and areas in Japan. They have said they would deploy the interceptors as soon as possible.

"We still have considerable work to do with the Government of Japan before we can be more specific about a final site for this deployment," said Maka, who also said there are no details on the number of additional U.S. troops needed to operate the new system.

The U.S.-Japanese agreement on the Patriots was first reported Monday by Japan's largest newspaper, Yomiuri. It said the U.S. military would deploy three or four batteries on Okinawa by the end of the year and send an additional 500 to 600 U.S. troops there.

Up to 16 missiles can fit in a single PAC-3 battery, according to the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp.

The plan was proposed by U.S. officials during a June 17 meeting in Hawaii, Yomiuri reported, quoting unidentified government officials.

Recent intelligence reports have indicated North Korea may be fueling a Taepodong-2, one of its most advanced missiles believed capable of reaching parts of the U.S. The North had maintained a self-imposed moratorium on such launches since 1999.

Japanese Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga said Monday "it appears to be a fact that the missile has been mounted on a launch platform," but it was unclear whether it was being fueled — despite intelligence reports suggesting the contrary.

It was unclear whether the PAC-3 would be effective in the current standoff. The PAC-3 is aimed at complementing the Standard Missile-3 installed on vessels equipped with the Aegis radar system capable of tracking missile launches. But PAC-3, a medium-to long-range interceptor, may be unable to shoot down long-range missiles such as Taepodong-2, Yomiuri said.

Patriot missiles failed in many cases to destroy Iraqi Scuds fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War. The PAC-3 was designed as an improvement of the original Patriot that would be better able to destroy missiles in flight.

Kyodo said the test run of the X-Band, a high-resolution radar capable of detecting incoming missiles, was initially scheduled to begin weeks later. However, Kyodo said testing could start as early as Monday.

Japanese Defense Facilities Administration Agency, which liaises with U.S. military bases in Japan, said the report about the radar installation could not be immediately confirmed.

The X-Band radar had been transferred from a U.S. base in Japan to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's Shariki base at Tsugaru, some 360 miles northeast of Tokyo.

The radar deployment is part of the joint missile defense project, which began after North Korea fired a long-range missile over Japan in 1998.

Diplomacy aimed at defusing the standoff with North Korea gathered pace Monday. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was traveling Monday evening to Beijing on a two-day visit to seek China's help in halting a launch. South Korea also reportedly urged the United States to hold bilateral talks with Pyongyang to resolve the problem.

China is the North's key ally and is believed able to exert the most influence on Pyongyang.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060626/ap_on_re_as/japan_us_missile_defense;_ylt=Ams7uwMte90D.7uZw4NqYf.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-

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Japan Times
June 27, 2006

U.S. Mulls Deploying Antimissile Cruiser


WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- The Pentagon is considering deploying the Aegis cruiser USS Shiloh, which is equipped with an advanced missile defense system, to areas around Japan as part of efforts to deal with North Korea's preparations to test-launch a long-range ballistic missile, U.S. government sources said Sunday.

The deployment would move up the U.S. government's original schedule of forward-deploying the Shiloh at Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in August.

Japan has already mobilized an Aegis-equipped destroyer amid growing worries about North Korea's preparations to test-fire a Taepodong-2 ICBM.

The Shiloh would be deployed in two weeks at the earliest, the sources said.

The U.S. claimed that in a test last Thursday off Hawaii, a Standard Missile-3 interceptor fired by the Shiloh shot down a warhead separated from a ballistic missile outside the Earth's atmosphere.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyer Kirishima took part in the test, performing long-range surveillance and tracking exercises together with another U.S. Aegis vessel.

U.S. officials said the scheduled test, the eighth of its kind, was unrelated to North Korea's preparations to test-fire the missile, but it came amid reports that the United States has moved its ground-based missile defense system from the test to the operational mode, and is considering trying to intercept the North Korean missile.

President George W. Bush will make a final decision on the early deployment of the Shiloh and on whether to intercept the Taepodong-2, the sources said.

Japan and the U.S. are jointly developing an upgraded version of the SM-3 interceptor to make it capable of shooting down ICBMs.

The joint project began after North Korea launched a Taepodong-1 missile in 1998, part of which flew over Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean.

Pyongyang agreed on a missile-test moratorium in 1999 -- a commitment it has upheld to date although it maintains that an alarming launch in 1998 was a satellite-delivering multistage rocket.

[IDCC]

Take it out on the ground with TLAM-N's:D .W80's will get the job done. I am glad to see the SM-3's and new equipment/ software being fielded. Transfering from a CG to a DD was a big downer especially when you walked into CIC.