An SM-3 is launched from the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie as part of the Missile Defense Agency's latest Ballistic Missile Defense System test to defeat a medium-range ballistic missile threat. The missile, part of the Aegis Weapon System, intercepted a target launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai Dec. 11. This was the fourth successful intercept for Aegis BMD and SM-3. The test included evaluation of the long-range surveillance and tracking capabilities of two Navy ships as well as effective communications between the ships and command and control units. Navy photo. From The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists:
Article Highlights
The Obama administration should be commended for changing course on the Bush administration's plan to deploy missile defense installations in Eastern Europe.
However, its alternative--using the existing ship-based Aegis defense system to protect Europe from a possible Iranian missile strike--also uses technology that's unproven.
Additionally, like the Bush plan, the Obama missile defense strategy could potentially embolden hawks in both Russia and China.
Last Thursday, the Obama administration announced its long-awaited decision on a European missile defense system against potential Iranian ballistic missiles. In short, it will shelve the Bush administration's plan for a defense against intercontinental-range missiles, and instead, it will field a system designed to intercept shorter-range missiles, on which Iran is making quicker progress.
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My Comment: A surprisingly easy to read article from a very technical and theoretical organization. If missile defense and Aegis systems is your thing, this is a good article to read.