"SM-6
is the only missile in the world that can do both anti-air warfare and
ballistic missile defense from sea," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence,
president of Raytheon Missile Systems. "U.S. Navy commanders want
both capability and flexibility to meet a wide variety of missions,
and that's exactly what SM-6 offers."
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Pacific Command, and U.S. Navy
Sailors aboard the USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) successfully conducted
a series of four flight test events exercising the Aegis Ballistic Missile
Defense (BMD) element of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense System
(BMDS). The flight test, designated Multi-Mission Warfare (MMW) Events
1 through 4, demonstrated successful intercepts of short-range ballistic
missile and cruise missile targets by the USS John Paul Jones, configured
with Aegis Baseline 9.C1 (BMD 5.0 Capability Upgrade) and using Standard
Missile (SM)-6 Dual I and SM-2 Block IV missiles. All flight test events
were conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Kauai,
Hawaii.
MDA Director Vice Adm. James D. Syring said, "This important
test campaign not only demonstrated an additional terminal defense layer
of the BMDS, it also proved the robustness of the multi-use SM-6 missile
on-board a Navy destroyer, further reinforcing the dynamic capability
of the Aegis Baseline 9 weapon system."
Event 1
On July 28, at approximately 10:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (July 29,
4:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time), a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM)
target was launched from PMRF in a northwesterly trajectory. The USS
John Paul Jones, positioned west of Hawaii, detected, tracked, and launched
a SM-6 Dual I missile, resulting in a successful target intercept.
Event 2
On July 29, at approximately 8:15 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (July 30,
2:15 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time), a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM)
target was launched from PMRF in a northwesterly trajectory. The USS
John Paul Jones detected, tracked, and launched a SM-2 Block IV missile,
resulting in a successful target intercept.
Event 3
On July 31, at approximately 2:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, (8:30 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time) an AQM-37C cruise missile target was air-launched
to replicate an air-warfare threat. The USS John Paul Jones detected,
tracked, and successfully engaged the target using an SM-6 Dual I missile.
Event 4
On August 1, at approximately 3:45 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, (9:45
p.m. Eastern Standard Time), a BQM-74E cruise missile target was launched
from PMRF. The USS John Paul Jones detected, tracked, and successfully
engaged the target using an SM-6 Dual I missile. The SM-6's proximity-fuze
warhead was programmed not to detonate after reaching the lethal distance
from the target, thus providing the ability to recover and reuse the
BQM-74E target.
About the Standard Missile-6
SM-6 delivers a proven over-the-horizon air defense capability by leveraging
the time-tested advantages of the Standard Missile's airframe and propulsion
-- The SM-6 uses both active and semiactive guidance modes and advanced
fuzing techniques.
-- It incorporates the advanced signal processing and guidance control
capabilities from Raytheon's Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile. |
