During a Missile Defense Agency test, USS Lake Erie successfully employed a SM-3 Block IB to engage a
sophisticated, separating short-range ballistic missile target.
The test also marks an important milestone for the Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) to missile defense in Europe, demonstrating PAA Phase 2 SM-3 Block IB capabilities planned for deployment in 2015 at a land-based Aegis Ashore site in Romania and aboard Navy ships to protect U.S. interests on the continent.
[thumb] http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2013/may/mst-051613-second-generation-aegis-bmd-system-successfully-intercepts-target.html[/thumb]