Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
Last Updated
August 4, 2021
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System, is the sea-based component of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). It uses the SPY-1 radar and variants of Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) or Standard Missile-6 to intercept ballistic missiles during midcourse or terminal phases of flight. The system is integrated on certain U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class Cruisers (CG) and Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG). The land-based variant, known as Aegis Ashore, is currently deployed in Deveselu, Romania as part of the NATO missile defense system.
Aegis BMD is a component of the Aegis Combat System, an integrated naval weapon system that provides air and fleet defense against enemy aircraft and cruise missiles using variations of the Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), and the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM), and ship defense systems such as the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS). It also controls the firing of Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.
aegis bmd
Deployments
As of 2021, there are 90 U.S. Navy surface combatants equipped with the Aegis Combat System: 22 Ticonderoga-class Guided Missile Cruisers (CG) and 68 Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG). Forty-seven of these ships are Aegis BMD-capable (42 DDG and 5 CG). The Navy projects that the number of Aegis BMD ships will increase to 65 by FY2025.1
https://missilethreat.csis.org/system/aegis/
