Boeing Supports Successful Intercept Test of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense

(St. Louis, April 26, 2007) -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] played a key role in today's eighth successful intercept of a ballistic missile target by the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System.

The test, Flight Test Maritime-11 Event 4 (FTM-11), further validated efforts by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the U.S. Navy to provide a sea-based defense against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. FTM-11 Event 4 was the second test of the Block IA version of the SM-3 and the first test of the Block IA with a full-capability solid divert and attitude control system (SDACS). The SDACS maneuvers the kinetic warhead (KW) to the target using multiple pulses of gas generated by the SDACS propellant. Boeing builds several components of the KW, including the guidance electronics, which it integrates with the Raytheon infrared seeker.

"This test successfully demonstrated the modified SM-3 Kinetic Warhead's performance for the first time in an exo-atmospheric intercept. The test showed that modifications made over the last two years have been effective and the SM-3 and its Kinetic Warhead provide the system performance needed by the warfighter to defeat ballistic missile attacks," said Debra Rub-Zenko, vice president of Boeing Integrated Missile Defense. "Boeing is proud to be a member of the industry team committed to providing this extraordinarily effective operational capability to MDA and the Navy."

The SM-3 Block IA, fired from the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, destroyed the short-range ballistic missile target launched from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. Once the Aegis BMD system guided the SM-3 to the right point in space, the SM-3 kinetic warhead successfully acquired the target and computed an accurate guidance and control intercept trajectory for the hit-to-kill intercept.

Source : Boeing

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