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Learning never stops.
Words of Captain Joseph Horn commanding officer, USS Lake Erie, CG-70.
Set at the conclusion of the Aegis BMD Stellar Dragon Campaign in March 2005,
(Captain) "With the confidence that is built...
with the knowledge that is learned, it is a continually evolving process that
gets better, better and better."
Acheiving 5 out of 6 ballistic missile intercepts over three years of testing,
with the sea based element of the
Ballistic Missile Defense System, Aegis BMD
the Missile Defense Agency, MDA,
Navy
and the Aegis test team
aim to learn and improve
from what is arguably the most challenging test to date,
the engagement of a separating
medium range ballistic missile target off Hawaii
over the skies of the Pacific ocean.
In Staller Valkyrie, FTM 04-2
The objective of a Staller Valkyrie,
also called the FM-8,
for Lake Erie and its crew
is to continued testing the Aegis BMD Block 04
initial ballistic missile
engagement capability.
Conducted in two phases
A preparatory tracking exercise, leading up to a flight test accompolished
by achieving a lethal intercept of a Group B
ballistic missile target
called MRT.
Significantly, the MRT is a multi stage, separating target with a booster and
reentry vehicle.
The first such engagement attempted by Aegis BMD
using its SM-3 missile.
Previous tests had been against
unitary, non-separating ballistic missile targets.
With Aegis BMD testing in full swing,
a lot has happened since the conclusion of the Stellar Dragon Campaign
in March 2005.
In Moorestown, New Jersey,
Aegis combat system engineering agent for the Navy's BMD program office
Lockheed Martin coordinates activities across the Aegis BMD team
to ensure the success of the flight test.
large amounts of data are analyzed from Stellar Dragon
and in full tracking exercise using an MRT,
the same target used for the flight test.
Lessons learned have gone into the development and testing of the latest
Aegis BMD weapon system configuration.
Using this configuration of the first Block 04 Aegis BMD cruisers
and short and medium range ballistic missile engagement capability for the
current Aegis BMD long-range surveillance and tracking mission.
These Aegis BMD cruisers are available for emergency activation if called on.
Development and testing of the Aegis BMD weapon system configuration
continues at Lockheed Martin's computer
program test site.
Here Lockheed Martin engineers work with programmers from Computer Sciences
Corporation, CSC
in Mooristown
on Aegis BMD Block 04 computer programs.
Integrated testing of the Aegius BMD weapon system
takes place at the maintenance combat system engineering development sites
CSEDS, in Moorestown.
In the mini suite,
Lockheed Martin and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dogwood, engineers
thoroughly test the Aegis BMD combat system.
Testing demonstrates the effectiveness of
human machine interfaces, equipment and computer program modifications to
Aegis weapons system, supporting Aegis BMD Long-Range Surveillance
and Track, LRS&T and ballistic missile engagement capabilities.
In addition to this testing extensive analysis and planning going to
developing each Aegis BMD test scenario.
With the first use of the separating MRT target, hundreds of simulations of
the Aegis Weapon System using Lockheed Martin's Medusa program are run.
This is to predict and verify a firing solution four Aegis BMD capability
against a potential class of ballistic missile threats including this test scenario.
In Tucson, Arizona, Raytheon's Missile Systems Division
conducts its own missile performance analysis,
as well as continuing the testing and development of the SM-3 missile
with its Kinetic Warhead
or KW.
The SM-3 missile is now under production in the Blk I
and IA configurations.
SM-3 Blk I missiles are ready for installation and designated
Aegis BMD equipped cruisers.
Adding this sea-based ballistic missile engagement capability as part of the
initials Aegis BMD role.
The FTM 04-2 flight test is the second use of a production
SM-3 Blk I missile in a test event.
In Laurel, Maryland, is the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, APL.
APL is the technical direction agent for the Aegis BMD
program providing technical assistance with the Aegis Weapon System and
Standard Missile-3 development and testing.
Inside APL's Guidance System Evaluation Laboratory, GSEL,
engineers evaluate SM-3 missile functionality using actual flight
hardware and software.
High fidelity testing validates that simulations accurately predict
Aegis BMD system performance capability to close the fire control loop.
Working closely with the rest of the Aegis BMD community,
APL conducts this testing, increasing confidence in flight test success.
At the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Port Hueneme, California,
Aegis BMD team members, military, government and civilian, meet at the
Mission Control Panel
also called the MCP,
assessing mission readiness issues and preparing status.
Speaking about the challenges of the text Rear Admiral Kathleen Page the
former teachers ballistic missile defense program director
opens the MCP.
(Rear Admiral) "Remember we're about results
"not rhetoric
"and so if we go through
"this mission control panel
"for firing mission number 8,
"all the way through target launch
"our objective collectively
"and for each and everyone of us
"is to get to the point where we will be able to
"look Admiral Meyer in the eye and tell him
"as of T=0
"we did everything we knew how to do
"to make this firing mission a success."
After presentations and deliberation
the test is approved to proceed.
The first flight test against a medium range separating target is on.
During October, Lake Erie, it's crew and Aegis BMD test team
prepare for the flight test in pearl harbor.
With a series of in port
Waterfront Integration Tests.
Used during these tests is the dock side simulators
affordable version of Lockheed Martin's land-based Aegis combat system interface
simulator, ACSIS.
ACSIS supports Aegis BMD tactical weapon system training for navy personnel
at the waterfront.
Especially important for simulating a realistic MRT separating
ballistic missile.
The dockside simulator injects simulated ballistic missiles called dynamic test
targets
into the SPY-1 radar computer program.
This provides threats scenario representations
with objects of varying radar cross sections
representing potential targets.
Lake Erie systems are checked out.
Test equipment is installed
including the telemetry data acquisition and analysis shell.
The virtual operational missile.
Video and photographic data collection equipment and weapons system data
analysis workstations,
and officers and crew
continue their training.
Of particular importance is the systems integration and installation
of the latest
Aegis BMD Block 04 weapons system configuration.
Used for the first time
as part of the continuing development of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
engagement capability.
Before the flight test begins
A sea trial takes Lake Erie out to the Pacific Missile Range on a
tracking exercise.
An ARAV-B ballistic missile vehicle having similar characteristics
to the MRT,
is used for the TRACKEX.
Joining Lake Erie
are Aegis BMD equipped ships destroyer USS Hopper, DDG-70
and cruiser USS Port Royal, CG-73.
Port Royal like Lake Erie is operating the new Aegis BMD weapon
system configuration
It is also here to conduct a simulated SM-3 engagement against the ARAV-B.
Port Royal and Hopper
have no test equipment or Aegis test members aboard.
Instead
accompanying the ships are members of the Navy's Operational Tested Evaluation
Force, OPTEVFOR,
providing an independent an objective evaluation of the operational
effectiveness and suitability of Aegis BMD.
Hopper is one of the most recently converted Aegis destroyers with
Aegis BMD Long-Range Surveillance and Track,
LRS&T capabilities.
This provides the opportunity to conduct operationally evaluation of a destroyer
using the Aegis BMD
LRS&T configuration.
Stellar Valkyrie retesting contains the objective of demonstrating operational
realism used in the Stellar Dragon campaign earlier in 2005.
All three ships operate in a war cruise environment with an intelligence
overlay for all events.
Intelligence from Third Fleet commander assigns Lake Erie,
Port Royal, and Hopper
the mission to perform surveillance on country Red's radical regime,
and watch for a launch of a ballistic missile near friendly country Green.
First demonstrated during the Stellar Dragon campaign
the ships use mission planner,
the automated mission planning function
which assists the radar systems coordinator in developing Aegis
SPY radar search doctrine
and setting up search sector parameters
to prepare for a potential ballistic missile launch.
On the Pacific Missile Range Facility launchpad is a ARAV-B ballistic missile.
A Terrier Oriole Group B threat representative test vehicle.
Positioned more than 350 miles from country Red's missile launch
facility are Lake Erie and Port Royal.
Each is traversing within an assigned
operational area.
Positioned closer to the country Green's defended areas is Hopper.
Hopper is conducting an LRS&T mission.
Officers and crews of the ships working from an intelligence overlay
and as part of their training
no potential launch sites and enemy order of battle
don't know the precise possible ballistic missile launch time.
They wait, ready to detect, track and perform a simulated SM-3 engagement.
Also passing target information
two other BMDS elements.
The ships detect the ARAV-B ballistic missile at about the same time
as it enters the radar search sector with their Aegis SPY-1 radars.
The ARAV-B is a separating ballistic missile
likely the MRT
scheduled for the flight test.
These separating targets are a greater
challenge for Aegis BMD.
Since they present of smaller radar cross section to the SPY-1 radar.
For a successful engagement
SPY-1 must keep the ARB-B in track
and identifying its parts
after separation.
"All stations, this is Captain, batteries released, FIS is Green."
"Deck control, killing track, 10000 Eagle."
"3..2..1.."
"Fire Authorized."
"Eagle away, 10000."
"All stations, FIS is Red."
"Time to intercept, 4 5 seconds."
"Mark India, 10000."
The Aegis BMD team and Lake Erie
uses the TRACKEX exercise to verify Aegis BMD
crew, ship and combat system readiness
before the flight test begins.
TRACKEX also verifies ARAV-B vehicle performance characteristics.
Aboard Port Royal and Hopper
OPTEVFOR evaluates officers and crew operating Aegis BMD
and how the ships perform against the ARAV-B.
In addition to the Aegis BMD ships participation in TRACKEX,
other assets are involved
tracking in gathering test data during the TRACKEX.
Testing with Aegis BMD
is the transportable radar sensor experimental
or TPSY-X.
An X-Band radar prototype for the
THAAD weapons system
collecting data to support the MDA's forward based radar development efforts.
Another objective of these tests is to verify Aegis BMD tactical voice and
data communication links.
TRACKEX used Link-16 with the Aegis BMD ships
sending and receiving data with other Ballistic Missile Defense System
elements
and testing voice as well as data communication links.
Lake Erie and Port Royal fire no live SM-3 missiles
but conduct
simulated SM-3 engagement processing against the ARAV
ballistic missile.
Operating in a war cruise environment
they successfully detect
and track the ARAV-B,
gathering data,
exercising BMDS operational communication links
in an Aegis BMD weapon system engagement configuration.
With TRACKEX over
the ships head back
to pearl harbor.
From here Port Royal proceeds on duties assigned
while Lake Erie, Hopper and the test team
arrived in port.
For the next two weeks the Aegis BMD
test team reviews ARAV-B TRACKEX results.
(Captain) "We had a great week I think operationally at sea
"from the engineering perspective
"it was an opportunity to get underway, track the ARAV-B target
"to ensure that we had
"the results of the systems integration test, and all the engineering runs that we had
"done here before
"were correct
"we were able to go for mission day."
Before departing Pearl Harbor,
Lake Erie stops at weapons station magazine Pearl Harbor.
Here an SM-3 Blk I is loaded into a cell in the aft
MK-41 launching system.
Inside this canister
is the fleet ready SM missile.
And will engage the MRT
during the firing event.
There are only 3 days
until the flight test and completion
of Stellar Valkyrie.
On November 14th,
Lake Erie departs Pearl Harbor with its
crew and members of the Aegis BMD team
for another ballistic missile defense flight test, FTM 40-2.
Lake Erie transits further than ever before to reach its test
operational area.
This is because of the longer range of the MRT ballistic missile target.
With Lake Erie is Aegis equipped destroyer USS Hopper, DDG-70,
participating for the first time in an Aegis BMD flight test.
Hopper is one of a growing number of Aegis BMD equipped
destroyers at sea
and alert ready today,
providing LRS&T capabilities back to other
BMDS elements,
acting as a remote BMDS sensor.
Hopper's mission is to gather test data and exercise its surveillance and
tracking capabilities against the MRT.
Using its Aegis BMD LRS&T configuration.
After detecting in tracking the MRT
Hopper will transmit this data over Link-16 back to other
BMDS assets.
At their battle stations in the early morning hours
are the officers and crew
who assigned to in-service Navy combat ships
USS Lake Erie and USS Hopper who will execute
the flight test.
Continuing the test objective of operational realism,
the ships receive intelligence report from Commander, Third Fleet
to perform active BMD defense of allied country Green
Both Lake Erie and Hopper are maneuvering in their assigned operational patrol area.
Their crews are at space warning condition yellow readiness,
awaiting a hostile ballistic missile firing.
For the flight test
Aegis Auto BMD doctrine missile engagement is used.
With Auto BMD doctrine,
the Aegis system automatically computes a recommended time to fire and engaged the
target with an SM-3 missile.
Aegis can fire the SM-3 automatically
but as part of the firing loop in this test
the Aegis BMD system will alert the missile system supervisor, MSS, when to
press the fire key.
After a series of increasing threat levels
Lake Erie and Hopper
receive their latest intelligence reports
Set space warning Red
weapons tight.
They are at the highest state of alert for a ballistic missile launch.
They get no know target launch countdown.
They must be ready to react to hostile actions and detect a threat launch.
Knowing where to direct SPY-1 radar search volume is important for
early target detection.
Lake Erie's radar systems controller
uses mission planner, the automated mission planning function
to help set up the ship's SPY-1 radar search doctrine and search sector
parameters within the operational area.
The engagement again the MRT is
the longest range attempted to date
by Aegis BMD.
Inside the MRT
is a simulated threat payload.
The target for Lake Erie's SM-3.
With its operational test scenario it will take about 6 minutes from the time
when the MRT is launched
before the SM-3
can reach and destroy its ballistic missile target
"10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..mark"
"Target is lift off"
A side mounted video camera of the a MRT provides a real time view
as it climbs above the atmosphere and up into space.
Aegis SPY-1 radar on Lake Erie and Hopper
detect the target as it enters the radar search sector.
during the flight of the MRT,
the reentry vehicle separates from its booster.
"fireball fireball fireball track number 3007"
Seconds later Hopper transmits the MRT track data over Link-16
back to the ballistic missile defense system, BMDS.
"Auto engage is ordered."
"Battle shot is enabled."
After the set space warning red weapons free is announced
Lake Erie's Commanding Officer authorizes the vertical launching system
in preparations to fire. "All stations this is Captain, FIS is green"
"Clear to fire"
"killing track 3 0 0 5 eagle."
SPY-1 radar transitions to target track
and distributes information to Aegis weapons system.
SPY-1 radar processing determines that the target is in its
ballistic flight stage
and Aegis system declares the MRT track as engagement quality.
Now SPY-1 identifies the reentry vehicle.
Aegis processes the target automatically for engagement in the Auto BMD mode
and initiates the
engagement order to the missile system supervisor or MSS.
Upon receiving the recommended
fire alert, MSS presses the
fire authorization variable action button.
Shortly after SM-3 launch, the SPY-1 radar system acquires and
tracks the SM-3 missile.
"ll stations, this is Captain, FIS is red."
The Aegis weapons system continuously updates its precision fire control
solution to engage the target.
Acceleration commands computed by the Aegis weapons system are transmitted to
SM-3 missiles by SPY radar uplink message data
keeping it on a target intercept path.
After the second stage burnout
and separation
this weapon systems updates the SM-3 with both it's and the
targets position and velocity data.
With the longer MRT and flight path,
the Aegis weapons system gives data commands to the SM-3 missile
to perform two sequential pulse burns
with only a small delays between pulses.
This is the first time in a flight tests the SM-3's Third Stage Rocket Motor,
TSRM,
executes a burn burn ditch.
After the second TSRM pulse burn is complete while coasting,
missiles performed a pitch maneuver,
safely ejecting the nosecone
while maintaining a collision course on the target.
the third stage attitude control system
orients the missiles
so that is points at the target.
Before the KW is ejected, the Aegis system gives phase three
uplink information to the TSRM
providing Aegis target and object track data to the SM-3.
With SPY radar accuracy
the Aegis weapons system is able to put the target
dead center into the SM-3's field of view.
In this animated view of opposing sequence
the KW acquires the MRT
after ejection from the third stage.
The KW using its infrared IR seeker
correlates its tracks through those received from Aegis.
To distinguish the target from other objects
quickly driving the KW to the target with divert guideance.
A square around the target image indicates that the target is
in track and KW divert guidance has commenced.
A direct target hit!
The target is destroyed.
The KW intercepts the MRT at the desired aimpoint.
An impressive history-making event
for Aegis BMD.
It's sixth success out of seven firings.
The test provided important data gathering opportunity
with a variety of optical sensors and radar systems observing FTM 04-2.
Sensors clearly show them the lethal MRT destruction by the Aegis
SM-3 missile.
This is a slow-motion Halo II airborne system recording of the KW
target impact
showing the SM-3 third stage,
its nose cone,
and the KW.
Here is the MRT.
These images show the KW impacting the target
with its simulated threat payload.
Lake Erie uses the Aegis BMD
kill assessment capability
and missile downlink system testbed
to evaluate the intercepts success.
A live videoconference link between Lake Erie
PMRF
and other BMDS sites allows the MDA community and guests
to witness the success.
The team is ecstatic and
proud of the test results they see
and know all the path ahead has even greater roles in
the first MRT intercept.
(Rear Admiral)"Missile Defense is a tough business as we all know.
"But together there's nothing that we can't accomplish."
(Captain)"We took a capability to sea in a operational realistic scenario
"We tracked a realistic threat like object and we engaged it successfully."
But the MDA
Navy and Aegis BMD team
is ready for the challenge.
Making the previously impossible... possible.
Guarding our nation,
our armed forces,
and our friends.
We are Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense. And we deliver.