Lockheed Martin announced that the USS Pinckney (DDG 91) successfully completed Flight Test Other 40 (FTX-40), also known as Stellar Banshee, using its Aegis Combat System to detect, track and perform an engagement against a live advanced hypersonic Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) target using a simulated SM-6 Block IAU.
FTX-40 tested a real-world hypersonic scenario, showcasing several capabilities. Stellar Banshee introduced a new target and simulated missile, marking the successful use of the latest Aegis software in a virtualized configuration for a Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Flight Test mission.
“Our Aegis Combat System successfully defended against a simulated hypersonic threat,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Solutions at Lockheed Martin. “Aegis Baseline 9’s hypersonic defense advantage against a MRBM target brings incredible capability that allows our warfighter to see the unseen, sooner, ensuring our sailors get in front of threats quickly.”
Aegis also features sea-based and land-based configurations.
The FTX-40 simulated engagement previews future Aegis live fire intercept missions and is the third test for the Capability Package 24/Ballistic Missile Defense 5.1.5 system, including the Sea-Based Terminal Increment 3.
Last year, industry and government teams successfully executed FTX-23, otherwise known as Stellar Sisyphus, demonstrating a two-part developmental test of sensor-tracking and communications-link capabilities. The teams successfully intercepted a MRBM target using the SM-6 Dual II Software Upgrade interceptor missile in FTM-32.
