Aegis Open Architecture Delivers Again on the Range

WHITE SANDS, N.M. --- In a successful test of its advanced fire control system, Lockheed Martin's Aegis Open Architecture Weapon System performed a successful missile firing from the U.S. Navy's "USS Desert Ship" at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR).>> During the test in early September, the Aegis Fire Control System launched and guided an SM-6 missile Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM) to a successful low-altitude intercept of a target drone. Upon further development of the SM-6 and a new integrated fire control interface, future tests will take on targets beyond the radar line of sight, extending the range at which Aegis-equipped ships can engage air threats.>> This test of the latest Aegis Fire Control System and the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) -- installed on the USS Desert Ship, the Navy's land-based, live-fire test bed for surface-to-air weapons -- is the second successful test this summer, and follows the Aug. 25 light off of the Aegis Open Architecture Weapon System recently installed on USS Bunker Hill in San Diego.>> "The test at White Sands and the success of Aegis Open Architecture in the Navy's Cruiser Modernization Program highlight Aegis' ability to continually leapfrog ahead in capability for the warfighter," said Orlando Carvalho, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Surface-Sea Based Missile Defense line of business. "Aegis is the first choice for integrating new missiles, and its open architecture design will integrate new technologies for decades to come.">> Aegis Open Architecture will allow the Navy to stay on technology's leading edge through its innovative use of commonly-available commercial off-the-shelf computing hardware and open system software, enabling the service to more easily implement technology refreshes and capability upgrades to the weapon system as they are developed in the future.