Rear Adm. Douglas Williams, acting director of the Missile Defense Agency, said MDA plans to conduct the first test flight of its Aegis missile defense platform designed to defend a U.S. territory by the end of 2024, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.
“We’re going to do our first flight tests with the Aegis Weapon System deployed on Guam with the SM-3 IIA in the December 2024 timeframe,” Williams said Wednesday at a symposium.
Williams assumed the acting director position on Aug. 1.
AWS is an automated weapons control and command-and-control system equipped with the AN/SPY-6 radar outfitted to detect and track missiles.
The rear admiral noted that MDA also intends to kick off testing of the Next-Generation Interceptor within the next three to five years.
In 2021, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin received contracts to conduct technology development and risk reduction work on NGI, which is part of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense program and is meant to protect the U.S. against intercontinental ballistic missile threats.
Williams, who was named director for test at MDA in 2022, said the agency hopes to start NGI testing in 2027 and expects operational testing of the interceptor to occur at the end of 2029.
