Volume 10
Feb 2017 Edition
the continent ’ s only “ upper tier ” defense from the growing threat of ballistic missiles .
Earlier this year , the first land-based interceptors site became operational in Romania , further enhancing Europe ’ s protection . ( See More . May 21 , 2014 -The Missile Defense Agency and U . S . Navy launch an SM-3 ® Block IB guided missile from the Aegis Ashore Weapon System in Kauai , Hawaii . Courtesy of Raytheon and YouTube )
Standard Missile-3 – World ’ s only ballistic missile killer deployable on land or at sea .
The SM-3 ® interceptor is a defensive weapon used by the U . S . Navy to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats .
The flexibility of the SM-3 interceptor to be both land- and sea-based offers countries that do not have ballistic missile defense-enabled navies to take advantage of the incredible capacity to protect large areas of land .
This is often referred to as regional defense . The SM-3 missile can cover larger areas with fewer installations , when compared to other “ lower tier ” missile defense solutions .
This “ hit-to-kill ” interceptor uses a “ kill vehicle ” to collide with targets in space , a capability that ’ s been likened to hitting a bullet with a bullet .
The massive collision of the kill vehicle hitting its target obliterates the threat completely ; explosives are not necessary . The resulting impact is the equivalent of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph .
Land-based SM-3 Interceptor The SM-3 interceptor is a critical piece of the Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense in Europe . Currently , U . S . Navy ships carrying SM-3 interceptors deployed off Europe ’ s coast provide
The U . S . Aegis Ashore missile defense system at the Naval Support Facility in Deveselu , Romania became fully operational in 2016 . ( Image Credit : US Army Corps of Engineers )
Whether on land or at sea , the SM-3 interceptor continues to excel in testing . In 2014 , the Block IB variant was successfully launched for the first time from an Aegis Ashore testing site in Hawaii .
An SM-3 ® Block IB interceptor launches from the USS Lake Erie during a Missile Defense Agency test designed to hit a complex short-range ballistic missile target . ( Image Credit : Missile Defense
Agency )
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