MDA's upcoming Aegis flight trial one of several to incorporate more complex targets

Printed headline: Stepping It Up

On the heels of a successful intercept demonstration from its mobile land-based missile defense system, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency is shifting its focus for a test this week of the sea-based Aegis ballistic missile defense system with its most complex target set to date.

The Aegis radar and interceptor system on board USS Lake Erie will be the primary system for the trial. It will be pitted against two short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) targets launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility near the island of Kauai, Hawaii, nearly simultaneously. The ship, operating in the Pacific area, will be required to detect, track and target the hostile surrogates. It must also fire two of its own SM-3 Block 1A interceptors for the engagement portion of the flight trial.

The Oct. 27 Thaad test was successful, say MDA officials, with an intercept occurring shortly after the target missile was detected.Credit: MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

Adding a new element for this test, though, is participation from Japan's JS Kongo Aegis-equipped ship, which will conduct its own detection, tracking and engagement of the SRBMs in real time through a simulation exercise. The Kongo will not actually fire interceptors as part of this test. Rather, its simulated participation is a step toward a live-fire demonstration from Japan's Aegis system, which is scheduled to take place in December.

For that upcoming flight demonstration, the Kongo will become the primary sensor and shooter, while the Lake Erie will conduct a simultaneous, simulated operation. In this way, operators can compare data from the two systems.

By the end of 2009, MDA plans to outfit 18 U.S. ships -- three cruisers and 15 destroyers -- for Aegis tracking, targeting and engagement operations. Eight ships are now equipped to track and intercept ballistic missiles with another eight capable of tracking incoming weapons in a support role.

The December Aegis test will be the MDA's fourth flight trial in less than 90 days, if it occurs as planned.

Meanwhile, MDA officials continue to analyze data from an Oct. 27 flight test of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system. During that test, a Thaad interceptor destroyed a Scud representative ballistic missile target launched from a mobile platform off the coast of Kauai and MDA Director Lt. Gen. Henry (Trey) Obering declared this exercise a success. The intercept took place in the exo-atmosphere. The Thaad system detected the target about 2.5 min. after launch, according to Tom McGrath, Thaad program manager for prime contractor Lockheed Martin.

These recent test successes allow MDA to move forward with more complex targets for future scenarios. MDA plans to add countermeasures to a Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) test early next year. And the target's complexity is planned to expand for the next Thaad trial. Next spring, Thaad will be pitted against a separating target, which means the interceptor system will have to discriminate the lethal portion of the missile after it separates from its fuel tank and booster structures for an effective intercept.

Last week, McGrath made what amounts to the first public acknowledgment of the new Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) payload in highly elliptical orbit providing data for MDA analysts. The first Sbirs HEO payload was launched into orbit June 27, 2006, and officials released the first imagery from the satellites late last year. Though USAF officials have said the payload has observed a variety of infrared events as they tune the sensor, they've not publicly tied Sbirs HEO's operation to any specific test.

McGrath says infrared data was provided following a previous Thaad test -- without identifying which one. Thaad flight tests have taken place in January, April and June of this year.