The EPAA transferred the ballistic missile defense mission to the Navys Aegis BMD destroyers and cruisers in the Mediterranean and to the two planned Eastern Europe Aegis Ashore sites, at $800 million per site. The MDA also contracted to build a third test site at the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Hawaii. In July, MDA and Lockheed Martin completed radar testing in Moorestown and the equipment now will be shipped to Barking Sands for live-fire testing.
The sites in Romania and Polandplanned to be operational by 2015 and 2018 respectivelywill shed the anti-air warfare (AAW) mission and focus on the BMD role, Weston said.
This is the Aegis weapon from a ship. It can do AAW, terminal defense and mid-course intercept, Weston said. In Romania, we made the decision to field only mid-course intercept. Were not going to do anti-air warfare in someone elses country.
The sites in Poland and Romania will field three, 8-cell Mark-41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) connected to the deckhouse. but future systems could add or subtract missiles.
