On February 24, the Missile Defense Agency confirmed it would conduct an ICBM intercept test with the SM-3 Block IIA missile in the third quarter of 2020. Designated FTM-44, the test will represent the first ICBM-class intercept attempt for the SM-3 Block IIA missile. Co-developed by the United States and Japan, the SM-3 Block IIA...
On November 22, U.S. officials stated that NATO warships successfully engaged live and simulated ballistic and cruise missile threats during Exercise Formidable Shield in May. During the exercise, ships shared targeting information through an alliance-wide datalink and shot down supersonic targets with Aster 15 and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM). Speaking to the American Society...
On August 20, Australian warship HMAS Hobart (DDG-39) launched an SM-2 interceptor in its first test of the weapons system. The missile, launched off the East Australian coast, successfully struck an unmanned target in the flight test. Commissioned in 2017, Hobart is the first ship in Australia’s fleet equipped with the Aegis Combat System, a...
On August 15, South Korea’s Ministry of Defense announced it would spend about $240 billion on missile defense in the 2020-2024 period. Under the budget plan, the Blue House would acquire two ground-based early warning radars, three Aegis-equipped destroyers, and the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) missile defense system, all of...
On August 9, NATO announced that its Aegis Ashore site in Deveselu, Romania completed a set of updates initiated in April. In a statement, NATO said that the updates were part of routine maintenance and “did not provide any offensive capability” to the system. With the completion of maintenance, NATO has moved to withdraw the...
Tensions with Iran are once again increasing. The slow implosion of the nuclear accord, Iran’s harassment of cargo ships, and the downing of a U.S. unmanned aircraft have made plain the risk of conflict between Iran and the United States. The dispute should also draw attention to the questionable preparedness of the United States and...
Tensions with Iran are once again high, making plain the risk of unexpected conflict between Iran and the United States. In the event of such a conflict, the United States would likely rely heavily on regional missile defense architectures like the European Phased Adaptive Approach, or EPAA, designed to protect NATO from ballistic missile attacks...
On July 27, the U.S. Navy commissioned USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, at Port Everglades, Florida. The Paul Ignatius is the 67th of its class and one of 21 currently planned for construction. Built in the Flight IIA configuration, the destroyer is equipped with an upgraded radar and Aegis combat system. Related...
On July 17, Japan launched its second Maya-class destroyer, JS Haguro (DDG-180), at a ceremony in Yokohama City. The vessel is the second ship of its class and the eighth Japan Marine Self-Defense Forces ship equipped with the Aegis Combat System. Fitted with the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) system, the destroyer will be capable of...
On July 9, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said it would share information from its planned Aegis Ashore sites with the United States. The Japanese government first announced plans to acquire the system in 2017 and aims to build two Aegis sites in Akita and Yamaguchi prefectures. Japan already operates several shipborne Aegis systems and co-develops...
