JMSDF destroyer JS Myoko to get Aegis BMD capability
Lockheed Martin received a $40.4 million contract modification to provide Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability to the Aegis-equipped Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer JS Myoko.
JS Myoko is the third of four Japanese destroyers scheduled for outfitting with the Aegis BMD Weapon System. JS Kongo, which successfully intercepted a ballistic missile with its Aegis BMD Weapon System in a December test, was the first Japanese ship equipped with Aegis BMD. Installation of Aegis BMD aboard the second destroyer, JS Chokai, is under way in Nagasaki, Japan.
The Aegis BMD Weapon System integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, the SM-3 missile and the Aegis Weapon System’s command and control system. The Aegis BMD Weapon System also integrates with the Missile Defense Agency’s BMDS, receiving cues from and providing cueing information to other BMDS elements.