The United States has completed a round of successful exercises involving an updated ship-based missile defense system, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 10).
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense 4.0.1 system underwent one trial on July 30, when a warship outfitted with the technology supported the simulated interception of a mock short-range ballistic missile with two other Aegis-equipped Navy vessels.
On Oct. 16, the specially outfitted warship -- the USS Lake Erie -- in separate exercises spotted and followed the flight paths of two short-range separating missile targets and sent the information to the wider Ballistic Missile Defense System.
On Nov. 5, the Lake Erie took a simulated shot at another separating ballistic missile target.
In fiscal 2011, the ship is expected to conduct a test launch of the new Standard Missile 3 Block 1B missile interceptor (U.S. Missile Defense Agency release, Nov. 16).