Japan to upgrade warships with Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System

Japan's fourth destroyer equipped with Lockheed Martin's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile target above the atmosphere during an international test event. "This test completes the planned upgrade of the Japanese navy's destroyers with the Aegis ballistic missile defense capability," said Jeff Bantle, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Surface-Sea Based Missile Defense Systems. "The Aegis system interoperated seamlessly with multiple international systems during this test, proving that the system's capabilities and architecture have evolved over its 40-year history." Two U.S. Navy Aegis BMD ships, the USS Lake Erie (CG 70) and USS Russell (DDG 59) also participated in the test. Russell, a BMD equipped destroyer, tracked the target and performed a simulated engagement. Lake Erie, equipped with the second-generation Aegis BMD Weapon System -- which provides greater on-board discrimination capability -- tracked the missile target and post-intercept debris using its advanced signal processor. The Aegis BMD-equipped Kirishima detected and tracked the separating medium-range ballistic missile target. It then developed a fire control solution and launched and guided a Standard Missile (SM)-3 Block IA missile to intercept outside the Earth's atmosphere. In another test earlier this month, Kirishima demonstrated her ability to interoperate with the Navy for BMD operations. In a test event, Kirishima acquired a separating target passed from the U.S. destroyer with her own sensors and performed a simulated engagement against the target.