Navy approves Aegis system upgrade

The Navy has given full certification to Lockheed Martin Corp.’s newest upgrade of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System.

The system has now been certified as capable of responding effectively to short-range ballistic missiles as the missiles re-enter the atmosphere in their final stage of flight, as well as to defeat longer-range ballistic missiles above the atmosphere, company officials said in an announcement today.

By early this summer the Aegis BMD version 3.6.1 will be installed on 17 of the 18 Navy Aegis-equipped ships, and by summer 2010 the version will also be outfitted on three additional Aegis-equipped ships based on the East Coast that are being modified to perform ballistic missile defense, the officials said.

The Aegis system, the sea-based element of the nation’s BMD system, is designed to track missile threats ranging from sea-skimming cruise missiles to ballistic missiles in space.