Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile tracked and engaged for first time by Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System

Posted by John McHaleKAUAI, Hawaii, 16 April 2011. An intermediate range ballistic missile was tracked and engaged by the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system using data from a remote AN/TPY-2 radar during a test off the coast of Hawaii.This marked the Aegis BMD system's first engagement against an intermediate range ballistic missile, as well as the first time the system used a launch-on-remote capability, which allows the Aegis BMD system -- built by Lockheed Martin to employ remote sensors to detect threats as early in flight as possible.The Aegis BMD system fired a standard missile using real-time information from a remote sensor prior to the shipboard SPY-1 radar acquiring the inbound ballistic missile."The Lockheed Martin-led team has evolved Aegis from an anti-ship missile system to the basis for the U.S. approach to global missile defense," says Lisa Callahan, vice president of maritime ballistic missile defense programs. "With this test, Aegis BMD proves that it can expand the battlespace and destroy ballistic missile threats earlier in their trajectory than ever before."The USS O'Kane (DDG-77) employed the first generation Aegis BMD configuration to complete this exercise conducted by the Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Navy, and Lockheed Martin. This configuration, which added the capability for ships to defend themselves from short range ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of flight, was certified for operations by the Navy in March 2008.There are 25 Aegis BMD-equipped ships currently deployed -- 21 U.S. Navy ships and four Japanese destroyers. Three additional ships are planned to become BMD-capable this year.