NATO’s interim Command and Control system for territorial missile defense passed its second live fire test Nov. 1, facilitating a successful missile defense engagement by German assets, using information from U.S. early warning radars, the alliance said.
The test of NATO’s growing capability was part of the German air force air-breathing target and theater ballistic missile live firing at the NATO Missile Firing Installation on Crete, Greece from Oct. 31-Nov.1.
This was the second live fire test for the alliance’s interim missile defense architecture (Defense Daily, Aug. 26, 2011). The first was held before the interim capability was declared operational at NATO’s Chicago Summit (Defense Daily, May 22).
The NATO system transmitted early warning information from the USS Laboon (DDG-58), an Aegis destroyer, to the alliance firing range. The German Patriot batteries were able to “see” the target before German radars would have picked it up and successfully engaged the target.
The exercise information flow and situational awareness was provided by NATO’s territorial missile defense command and control in Ramstein, Germany.
In January, NATO signed an approximately $3.9 million contract with ThalesRaytheonSystems to deliver the Ballistic Missile Defense Interim Capability element at NATO Air Command, Ramstein, Germany (Defense Daily, Jan,. 24).