U.S., Japan Successfully Conduct First SM-3 Block IIA Intercept Test

[F-22Raptor]

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), and U.S. Navy sailors aboard USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) successfully conducted a flight test Feb. 3 (Hawaii Standard Time), resulting in the first intercept of a ballistic missile target using the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA off the west coast of Hawaii.

The SM-3 Block IIA is being developed cooperatively by the United States and Japan to defeat medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The SM-3 Block IIA interceptor operates as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system and can be launched from Aegis-equipped ships or Aegis Ashore sites.

At approximately 10:30 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time, Feb. 3 (3:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Feb. 4) a medium-range ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii. John Paul Jones detected and tracked the target missile with its onboard AN/SPY-1D(V) radar using the Aegis Baseline 9.C2 weapon system. Upon acquiring and tracking the target, the ship launched an SM-3 Block IIA guided missile which intercepted the target.

“Today's test demonstrates a critical milestone in the cooperative development of the SM-3 Block IIA missile,” said MDA Director Vice Adm. Jim Syring. “The missile, developed jointly by a Japanese and U.S. government and industry team, is vitally important to both our nations and will ultimately improve our ability to defend against increasing ballistic missile threats around the world."

Based on preliminary data the test met its primary objective. Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

The flight test, designated SM-3 Block IIA Cooperative Development (SCD) Project Flight Test, Standard Missile (SFTM)-01, was the third flight test of the SM-3 Block IIA guided missile, and the first intercept test. This test also marks the first time an SM-3IIA was launched from an Aegis ship and the first intercept engagement using the Aegis Baseline 9.C2 (BMD 5.1) weapon system.

Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense is the naval component of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System. The MDA and the U.S. Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD program. The Missile Defense Agency's mission is to develop and deploy a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies and friends from ballistic missile attacks of all ranges in all phases of flight.

https://www.mda.mil/news/17news0002.html

Great job! The SM-3 Block 2a missile offers a significant capability boost against medium and intermediate ballistic missiles.

 

[F-22Raptor]

 

[AMDR]

Potential ASAT?

A report from late 2011: http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default...documents/nwgs/2011-winter-anti-satellite.pdf

"This potentially large ASAT capability can be compared to the satellite inventory of the two heaviest space users after the United States, which owns just shy of half of actively operating LEO satellites. Satellites stationed in LEO perform important civil and military functions; this is where most earthobserving, reconnaissance and signals intelligence, and weather satellites orbit. Table 3 shows the number of actively operating Chinese and Russian satellites in low-earth orbits. China has a total of 49 and Russia 43. (The United States owns 230 LEO satellites.) The PAA system as it gets to Phase 3 and 4 (see Table 1) could hold at risk a significant portion of either China’s or Russia’s low earth orbiting satellites, particularly if the numbers of Block II interceptors is increased or it is considered in concert with GMD."

 

[Fenrir]

a medium-range ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii.

Hera? Lralt? Juno? MRBM-T3? eMBRM-T1?

What is the current AEGIS Medium Range Ballistic Missile target, because all of the above have been used within the last five years? I think it's eMRBM.

Several like Juno (typically a PAC-3 target) carry payloads classified as an MBRV (as does eMRBM), or Maneuverable Ballistic Re-entry Vehicle. The MBRV simulates MIRV and MRV warheads.

Hera was a repurposed Pershing II IRMB, while Juno is a repurposed Minuteman II ICBM:

eMRBM uses two second stages of Minuteman II, but is smaller then Juno. e-Lralt is a three stage test missile (also using Minuteman II second stages) designed to mimic MRBM and ICBM targets for AEGIS interceptions.

LV-2 is an actual Poseidon SLBM converted into a target missile for GBI interception tests:

Anyone have a guess at what MRBM was used during this SM-3 Block IIA test? If I'm not mistaken either e-Lralt or eMRBM are typically used for AEGIS tests.

Potential ASAT?

Considering the older SM-3 already could intercept satellites in low-orbit, as demonstrated during Operation Burnt Frost, SM-3 Block IIA with its radically extended vertical and horizontal ranges should provide increasingly capable ASAT capabilities.

The hardware and software of the updated AEGIS baseline has proven capable of ASAT, I don't think there's any reason to doubt SM-3 Block IIA should have this capability too.

Upon acquiring and tracking the target, the ship launched an SM-3 Block IIA guided missile which intercepted the target.

This to me is the big detail of the article. We could see the SM-3 Block IIA starting to appear on ships very soon. The sensors work, the missile is compatible with the ship's software and hardware and fits the VLS... everything is in place for them to be integrated and become operational, apart from additional testing.

Having a missile with 3 times the range of the current SM-3 IA/IB is going to further improve the capability of the JMSDF and USN to defend themselves against missiles like DF-21 and DF-26 at ranges well before either becomes significant threat to a carrier task group:

While SM-6 or SM-2 Block IV can handle smaller ones like Khalij Fars, a derivative of Fateh 110:

 

[F-22Raptor]