The first flight test of a missile defense system based on Guam scored a successful intercept of a ballistic missile, demonstrating the system’s ability to detect, track, and defeat a target missile, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] said on Tuesday.
The Flight Experiment Mission-02 test included of Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Guam System included the company’s AN/TPY-6 radar and its Vertical Launch System, and the RTX [RTX]-built Standard Missile-3 Block IIA, which intercepted the medium range ballistic missile target off the coast of Guam.
The test from Andersen AFB, Guam, was also the first where the AN/TPY-6 was used for end-to-end tracking during a live ballistic missile flight test, MDA said. The target missile was supplied by L3Harris Technologies [LHX].
An MDA spokesman said the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System was not used for the test.
The test occurred around 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 10 on Guam.
MDA said the first test will inform the development and installation of the Guam Defense System.
“It confirmed our ability to detect, track, and engage a target missile in flight, increasing our readiness to defend against evolving adversary threats,” Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia, said in a statement. “The event’s success is a testament to the incredible work of the team both within the DoD and the government of Guam.”
Barbara Borgonovi, president of naval power at RTX’s Raytheon segment, said the successful intercept “proves, yet again, the reliability and versatility of the combat proven SM-3.”