Successful missile defense exercise highlighted

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said the recent successful execution of a missile defense exercise serves as a milestone for the Aegis BMD SM-3 Block IIA program.

Navy sailors aboard the USS John Finn (DDG-113), an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System-equipped destroyer, intercepted and destroyed a threat-representative Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target with a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile during a flight test demonstration northeast of Hawaii on Nov. 16.

“This was an incredible accomplishment,” MDA Director Vice Admiral Jon Hill said. “The Department is investigating the possibility of augmenting the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system by fielding additional sensors and weapon systems to hedge against unexpected developments in the missile threat. We have demonstrated that an Aegis BMD-equipped vessel equipped with the SM-3 Block IIA missile can defeat an ICBM-class target, which is a step in the process of determining its feasibility as part of an architecture for layered defense of the homeland. My congratulations to the entire test team, including our military and industry partners, who helped us to achieve this milestone.”

The SM-3 Block IIA ballistic missile defense interceptor was made by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies company.

“This first-of-its-kind test shows that our nation has a viable option for a new layer of defense against long-range threats,” Bryan Rosselli, vice president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, said.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense noted that the SM-3 family of ballistic missile defense interceptors has executed more exo-atmospheric intercepts than all other missiles combined and is the only weapon of its kind employed from both ships and land.