Product Profile: Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System

The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System is a US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide a last line of defense against ballistic missiles. Aegis BMD (also know as Sea-Based Midcourse) is designed to intercept ballistic missiles post-boost phase and prior to reentry. It builds upon the Aegis Weapon System with the AN/SPY-1 radar and Standard missile technologies. Aegis BMD equipped vessels can transmit their target detection information to the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, and/or engage potential threats using the SM-3.

The current system uses the Lockheed-Martin Aegis Weapon System and the Raytheon RIM-161 STANDARD Missile-3 (SM-3). Notable subcontractors and technical experts include Boeing, Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Honeywell, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (Lincoln Lab).