Defense Technology International - April 2008 - (Page 24) DISPATCHES GLOBAL EARLY ARRIVAL NATO missile defense program accelerates test schedule JORIS JANSSEN LOK•THE HAGUE he integrated testbed under construction for NATO’s Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense program is on track for its first major test in September. Risk-reduction tests, in the form of constructive simulation scenarios with national theater missile defense assets, started months ahead of schedule at battle labs in the Netherlands (December), the U.S. (January) and France (March), project o cials report. The T tems to work together as part of a cohesive missile defense system. Initial operational capability, which will integrate available assets, is scheduled for mid-2010. By mid-2016, o cials say the system should be capable of a “robust level of protection of deployed forces against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.” NATO is debating whether to expand the missile defense system to cover not just deployed forces, but NATO terriJORIS JANSSEN LOK/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL NATO’s integrated testbed will be used to evaluate systems for theater ballistic missile defense. tests verified technical and system interoperability. The industry consortium responsible for the missile defense program’s systems engineering and integration agreed last year to start interoperability testing nine months early, says French Brig. Gen. (ret.) Michel Billard, NATO’s missile defense program manager. The integrated testbed, based at NATO’s Consultation, Command and Control Agency in The Hague, opened on Feb. 14. It will test architecture designed to allow mainly European and U.S. missile defense sensors, interceptors and battle management command-and-control sys24 tory in Europe as well—and if it should be integrated with U.S. missile defense components proposed for the Czech Republic and Poland. The first big trial comes in September, when NATO takes part in the Netherlands-hosted training event called Joint Project Optic Windmill (JPOW X). The Build 2 version of the testbed, scheduled to be ready by June, will provide additional capabilities for this. JPOW XI, which is scheduled for mid-2010, is slated to be the formal certification event for the missile defense program’s initial operational capability. When fully deployed by 2016, the mis- sile defense program will integrate three NATO command, control and communications (C3) systems with national sensors and shooters, based in space, air, on land and at sea. The C3 systems include: Bi-Strategic Command Automated Information System at the strategic operational planning level. Air Command and Control System at the tactical tasking and execution level. NATO General Purpose Communications Segment as the communications backbone. The U.S. will provide space-based sensors, notably Defense Support Program (DSP), space-based infrared system (Sbirs) and space tracking and surveillance system (STSS) assets, while airborne sensors will be from Germany (EuroHawk) and the U.S. Land-based sensors will be the Raytheon AN/TPY-2 forward-based radar plus a variety of radar systems deployed or developed by France, Germany, Italy, Poland and NATO. Aegis-equipped ships from the U.S. and Spain, as well as Thales Smart-L/S1850M radar-equipped ships from France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, will provide early-warning capability at sea. The U.S. will be the sole provider of weapons to engage boost phase or upper-layer theater ballistic missile threats. These will include the airborne laser and Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) and Aegis ballistic missile defense systems. Lower-layer defense will be by: Medium Extended Air Defense Systems (Meads) from Germany, Italy and the U.S. Patriots from Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. SAMP-T Block 1 systems from France and Italy. Sea-based systems on ships provided by France and Italy (firing upgraded MBDA Aster missiles) and the Netherlands and Spain (firing Raytheon’s Standard Missile SM-3s). The industry team putting together the integrated testbed is led by U.S.-based Science Applications International Corp. and includes Datamat (Italy); EADS Astrium (France and Germany); IABG (Germany); Qinetiq (U.K.); Raytheon (U.S.); Thales with TNO Defense, Security and Safety (Netherlands); and ThalesRaytheonSystems (France/U.K.). I • • • • • • • Read Janssen Lok’s posts on DTI's weblog, Ares, updated daily: AviationWeek.com/ares AviationWeek.com/dti DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2008 http://AviationWeek.com/ares http://AviationWeek.com/dti
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