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On Tuesday, a guided missile destroyer of the US Navy, equipped with precision-guided missiles, successfully intercepted an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) aimed at a sea area off the Hawaiian Islands. This test aimed to demonstrate the defensive capabilities of Hawaii and protect the western coast of the United States from potential threats, relying solely on ground/sea-based interception solutions.During the test, an ICBM with a simulated nuclear warhead was launched from the missile defense test site Ronald Reagan at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, targeting the northeast sea area of Hawaii.
Upon missile launch, outer space sensors detected it, and through the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communication (C2BMC) system developed by Lockheed Martin, data was transmitted to the guided missile destroyer USS John Finn equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9 combat system. The ship then launched the intercept missile SM-3 Block IIA. As soon as the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) released the simulated nuclear warhead, the SM-3 launched the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) outside the Earth's atmosphere. The EKV intercepted the ICBM warhead, and infrared cameras recorded the successful intervention explosion.Explosion at 3:33.
How to Intercept Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles?
Most intercontinental ballistic missiles are designed as space launch vehicles, aiming to place the warhead into Earth's low orbit before re-entering the atmosphere to strike the target. This concept dates back to World War II with the Projekt Amerika project of Nazi Germany. Building on the long-range guided missile programs V-2 and A4, rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and his team developed the first intercontinental ballistic missile, the A9/10, with the intention to target New York and several other cities in the United States.After the war, the United States launched Operation Paperclip to bring the brilliant engineer Wernher von Braun and hundreds of top scientists from Germany to develop various types of intercontinental ballistic missiles, medium-range ballistic missiles, and other launch systems for the U.S. military. Wernher von Braun served as the chief engineer of the Saturn V heavy-lift rocket program, which successfully landed the Apollo spacecraft on the Moon in the late 1960s.
ICBMs have three main stages: boost phase (rapid ascent after leaving the launch pad) > midcourse phase (following an elliptical trajectory in the upper atmosphere at an altitude above 1000 km) > re-entry phase (the warhead returns to the atmosphere at an altitude around 100 km above the ground and heads toward the target).During the midcourse phase, infrared sensors on satellites in outer space will detect thermal signals emitted by the intercontinental ballistic missile. Missile alerts are then sent to ground-based long-range radars, which scan the skies to identify descending threats.
Significant Milestone of the SM-3 Block IIA Program
The recent successful test met the requirements set by the U.S. Congress to assess the ICBM interception capability of the SM-3 Block IIA before the end of 2020. Originally planned for May, the test was postponed to November due to COVID-19.Tom Karako, an expert in missile defense policy at the International Research and Strategy Center, notes that this test poses a significant challenge for the Aegis combat system. While ICBMs can be intercepted by missiles like the SM-3 Block IIA, it doesn't replace larger missiles launched from ground-based silos, which is cause for celebration.
The SM-3 Block IIA is a variant of the ship-launched anti-aircraft missile Standard Missile 3 (SM-3). Developed by Raytheon, it boasts higher speed and altitude capabilities to intercept warheads during the midcourse phase of flight.
The SM-3 can be launched from vertical launch tubes Mk. 41, the same type used for Tomahawk guided missiles, anti-submarine missile ASROC, and anti-aircraft missiles SM-2 and SM-6. In theory, various types of surface ships, including cruisers and destroyers, can carry the SM-3 Block IIA.Demonstrating Aegis Capabilities
Furthermore, according to Karako, this test marks a significant achievement for the Aegis program. Developed for U.S. Navy ships since the late 1960s, Aegis recognized that human reaction time was insufficient in the era of missiles fired in rapid succession from naval vessels. Lockheed Martin is currently the primary contractor for Aegis, initially developed under the auspices of RCA and later General Electric.Aegis combines various high-sensitivity radars with sophisticated missile systems to counter airborne threats. Originally designed to protect aircraft carriers, as the U.S. invested more in ballistic missile defense, Aegis expanded its capabilities to defend against nuclear missile attacks.
To successfully intercept an ICBM with the SM-3 Block IIA, the role of the AN/SPY-1 radar cannot be overlooked. This 3D radar system, developed by Lockheed Martin, is equipped on the USS John Finn and is a core component of the Aegis combat system. SPY-1 utilizes passive scanning, computer-controlled, with 4 antenna systems, each containing 148 modules, providing a 360-degree coverage. Its high sensitivity and extensive scanning range allow SPY-1 to detect space peripheries and identify incoming warheads.First deployed on USS Norton Sound in 1973, SPY-1 variants have since been installed on various classes of warships worldwide, including U.S. Ticonderoga and Arleigh Burke-class ships, Japan's Kongo-class, Atago, and Maya, South Korea's Sejong the Great-class, Spain's Alvaro de Bazan-class and F-105, Australia's Hobart-class destroyers, and Norway's Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates.Sources: DefenseNews; The Drive
