Although the US Navy (USN) has yet to purchase the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) concept for a ballistic missile defence (BMD) mission-modified landing platform dock (LPD) ship, the company insists there is increasing Department of Defense (DoD) interest in the idea. This interest has already proved enough to see the concept incorporated into exercises in 2016 and 2017.
At the Navy League's 2016 Sea-Air-Space symposium, Steve Sloan, programme director at HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division, told IHS Jane's that the company is "working with the MDA [Missile Defense Agency] to get the [BMD ship] concept included in a wargame this year".
He explained that, for 2016, the BMD ship concept may be included in a tabletop exercise, while in 2017 it could be included in MDA's larger ballistic missile defence system (BMDS) exercise.
Sloan added that, despite funding challenges, the concept has been favourably received by officers at both US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) and US Pacific Command (PACOM), as well as at MDA.
When the concept was first introduced in 2013, HII officials described it as having been quietly encouraged by USN leadership; then under former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the navy was at that time emphasising 'payloads over platforms'. This priority was reflected by the BMD ship's potential capacity for 288 Mk 41-sized missile launchers.
The BMD ship's long-range, solid-state, active electronically scanned antenna radar would have more than 1,000 times the sensitivity of the SPY-1D radar used by DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The increases in range and power would be instrumental in providing precision detection and tracking data in ballistic and hypersonic missile defence.
