Nichols Martin
Testing of Raytheon‘s Standard Missile-3 Block IIA reached a milestone Tuesday when the system intercepted a ballistic missile target from land.
The Missile Defense Agency conducted the third intercept test of the IIA variant at a range facility in Hawaii, Raytheon said Tuesday.
A company-made AN/TPY-2 radar tracked the incoming threat and delivered target data to the weapon.
In previous intercept tests, the IIA system hit an intermediate-range ballistic missile target and completed an “engage on remote” activity by tracking data from remote sensors.
U.S. and Japanese navies intend to deploy the new missile system aboard ships. The weapon is slated for installation at an Aegis Ashore facility in Poland once it reaches operational status.
