NORFOLK, Va. - The Navy is planning to conduct its first live sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) test on the East Coast this weekend.The test is part of exercise Atlantic Trident 2011 scheduled through January 25.
According to the Navy, the exercise will provide realistic training for BMD ships and give them the opportunity to track a live target and simulate intercept of a short-range target missile in the midcourse phase of flight.
A target missile will be launched from the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The launch is scheduled during the overnight hours of Friday night into Saturday morning.
As part of the exercise, the Navy says a cruiser and destroyer will detect and track the target with its SPY-1 radar, develop fire control solutions, and simulate firing SM-3 missiles.
The Navy stresses that no missiles will be fired from the ships as Atlantic Trident 2011 is a tracking exercise only.
Aegis BMD is the sea-based mid-course component of the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and is designed to intercept and destroy short to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats.
The MDA and the U.S. Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD program.
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