The U.S. Navy’s Standard Missile-3 Block IIA effectively intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile after being launched from the Aegis Weapon System on an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.
SM-3 Blk IIA was part of the Stellar Sisyphus flight test conducted by the U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency, which announced the event’s results on Thursday.
The objective of the test was to gather data on complex target discrimination and interception from multiple sensors and varying viewing angles.
The Navy used the USS McCampbell and USS Jack Lucas to launch the weapon systems.
The demo “was a key milestone in giving our Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships increased sensing and tracking tools to combat threat proliferation,” remarked Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director of MDA. ”This was an incredible accomplishment and I commend the U.S. Navy Sailors, the MDA team and our industry partners,” the Wash100 winner added.
Collins will deliver a keynote speech at the Potomac Officers Club’s Space Summit on March 5. Register here for this industry-leading gathering on all things shaping the GovCon space domain now!
