Lockheed Martin, MDA demonstrate MRBM intercept

Lockheed Martin and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), supporting United States Indo-Pacific Command and the Department of Defense (DoD), have successfully demonstrated a live exo-atmospheric intercept of a Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) target using the land-based Aegis Guam System (AGS) from the island of Guam.

Flight Experiment Mission (FEM)-02, at Andersen AFB in Guam, demonstrated the defence of Guam against an air-launched Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM). AGS successfully acquired and tracked the target using Lockheed Martin’s new AN/TPY-6 radar, planned and conducted the missile engagement using the Aegis system, launched the SM-3 Block II interceptor from the Vertical Launching System (VLS) on Guam, and intercepted the target over the broad ocean area.

In partnership with the MDA, Lockheed Martin went from contract award to intercept flight test in less than two years, said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager of Integrated Warfare & Sensor Systems at Lockheed Martin. “This rapid integration of capabilities to demonstrate the defense of Guam was enabled by leveraging proven systems.”

The AGS is just one of a handful of land-based Aegis sites: the Aegis Combat System was designed originally for maritime applications, Integrated with the AN/TPY-6 Radar, VLS, and SM-3 missile, it could  confront emerging Indo-Pacific threats and expand joint all-domain operations for Guam and the region, says Lockheed Martin.

This test provided the US DoD a better understanding of the missile defense system’s ability to counter threats in a realistic environment, the company says, and the preliminary analysis indicates a significant step forward in the MDA’s efforts to protect the US and its allies from emerging missile threats.