Lockheed Martin demonstrated the second generation of its Aegis BMD capability in a formal U.S. Navy test event in June and at sea tracking exercises of medium and intermediate range targets during the last quarter of 2010. This configuration, known as Aegis BMD 4.0.1, enables the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Navy to defeat more complex ballistic missile threats and also introduces the BMD signal processor, which improves target identification.
Aegis BMD 4.0.1 capability will be transitioned to the Navy's open architecture - a transition that will be complete with software upgrades, known as Advanced Capability Build 12, scheduled for 2012.
In October, JS Kirishima, Japan's fourth destroyer equipped with Lockheed Martin's Aegis BMD system, successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile target above the atmosphere during an international test event. Two U.S. Navy Aegis BMD ships, the USS Lake Erie (CG 70) and USS Russell (DDG 59) also participated in the test."
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe
NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.
Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.
This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.
