Lockheed Martin details latest Aegis Combat System tests
The Aegis Combat System has recently completed the longest-range engagement ever tested for the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) as part of a major series of tests for the US Navy’s integrated air and missile defence (IAMD)-equipped USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53).
The tests are part of work to confirm the Aegis Combat System’s capabilities, and validate the system’s accuracy in identifying and destroying threats from beyond the radar horizon.
Three Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) exercises were conducted. The first involved a long-range mission, known as AS-2A, which used data from a non-Aegis system to identify targets in a stressing scenario. The second and third tests, AS-2B and AS-2C, were conducted in increasingly difficult conditions that involved targets at varying altitudes and cross-sections.
Jim Sheridan, director of Aegis US Navy programs, Lockheed Martin, said: ‘NIFC-CA is a game changer for the US Navy because it can be used in collaboration with other systems, to track and destroy approaching cruise missiles at much longer distances than existing technologies can.
‘This validation of the NIFC-CA capability aboard a destroyer comes on the heels of the successful cruiser tests we completed onboard USS Chancellorsville back in August 2013 and we look forward to seeing this capability fielded in the fleet.’
NIFC-CA will complete additional testing throughout 2014 before being deployed on the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group in 2015.
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement]()
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
![Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration]()
Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
-
![HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment]()
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
![How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China]()
How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China
The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.
-
![UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet]()
UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet
The UK MoD is scoping out systems to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems, with a focus on low-cost modularity and speed to field.
