Successful Target Tracking and Radar Exercise Completed

The Missile Defense Agency announced the successful execution of an important system test today during which a long-range ballistic missile was tracked by radars of the missile defense system.

The threat-representative target, which was accompanied by countermeasures, was launched from the Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska, at 1:47 p.m. Alaska Time (5:47 p.m. EDT). The target was acquired and tracked by several space, ground and sea-based sensors which provided data to the missile defense system’s Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) system, and also to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense fire control system in Colorado Springs, Colo. to support a simulated interceptor missile engagement.

Participating sensors included a transportable AN/TPY-2 X-band radar temporarily located in Juneau, Alaska; a U.S. Navy Aegis destroyer equipped with the SPY-1 radar; an upgraded early warning radar at Beale AFB, Calif. and the Sea-Based X-band radar mounted on a floating platform and positioned in the Pacific Ocean.

This was the most challenging flight test of the missile defense system’s command and control software to date. It required the system to process complex data from multiple sources simultaneously and develop an engagement solution necessary to intercept a threat-representative long-range ballistic missile target.

During the test, target tracking data from the radars was transmitted to the command and control system and the Ground-based Midcourse Defense fire control system at the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Although the target missile’s entry into the planned intercept area in space was shorter than expected, a weapon task plan (intercept solution) was successfully generated and operational crews simulated the launch of a long-range ground-based interceptor from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Similarly, data was sent to the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command where operators developed an engagement solution for a simulated intercept using a sea-based Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor missile after successfully receiving a target launch cue from the AN/TPY-2 radar in Alaska.

Participants from the ballistic missile defense operational community included the Operational Test Agencies, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Strategic Command. The test provided a significant opportunity for warfighters to practice and refine tactics, techniques and procedures to defend the United States, our deployed forces and our allies and friends.

Program officials will spend the next several weeks sorting, cataloging and evaluating a huge amount of data obtained by the radars and command and control system based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test. Flight test results will help to further improve and refine the performance of the missile defense technology that provides a defense against the type of long-range ballistic missile that could be used to attack an American city with a weapon of mass destruction.

The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system currently has interceptor missiles deployed at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Aegis SM-3 interceptor system is the sea-based, midcourse defense component of the missile defense system and is cooperatively managed by the joint service Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy. The overall missile defense architecture provides an integrated, layered defense of the United States, our deployed forces, allies and friends against ballistic missile threats of all ranges, in all phases of flight—boost, midcourse and terminal. Since September 2005, successful target missile intercepts have occurred 35 times in 43 tests.