The ship, equipped with the second-generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system by Lockheed Martin, fired a Standard Missle-3 Block IA guided missile, which destroyed the target’s re-entry vehicle.

The USS Lake Erie has conducted a number of tests of the missile system on the Pacific. In February 2008, the Navy cruiser, based at Pearl Harbor, fired one of the missiles, downing a spent U.S. spy satellite that was falling out of orbit. The satellite had lost power and become uncontrollable, raising fears that it would break up and spread debris over a wide area as it fell to Earth.

The Aegis system, developed at Dahlgren in King George,  is an integrated ship-defense system. It is named after the shield of Zeus in Greek mythology. There are two Aegis-related tenant commands at Dahlgren: the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Field Activity and the Aegis Training and Readiness Center, where sailors and officers are trained to operate the systems.

Navy photo of General Atomics launcher prototype at Dahlgren.

General Atomics’ version of the launcher is  being evaluated at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgen Division, according to the Office of Naval Research. The equipment was delivered in June. BAE Systems Inc. delivered the first prototype to the King George County base in January. Each of the companies is working on designs for the newest generation of Navy weapons. Railguns use a massive pulse of energy to propel a projectile along parallel rails at great speed. Testing has been underway at Dahlgren  since  2006. Here’s my most recent story on the project, and video of a test shot.