The U.S. Navy and Spain’s maritime forces have conducted a series of cooperative air defense test exercises with the Aegis Weapon System that ended in several live missile firing events.
The USS Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer and Spanish frigate Cristobol Colon were used for the training that set out ships and an E-2 Hawkeye aircraft to share a common tactical picture through the Aegis AN/SPY-1 radar and Tactical Data Links, the Navy said Friday.
Arleigh Burke also faced a number of subsonic anti-ship cruise missile targets with the Aegis Integrated Air and Missile Defense and Area Defense.
“While our combat systems suites are slightly different, the way we operate and execute missions are quite similar,” said Cmdr. Tom Myers, Arleigh Burke commanding officer.
“My crew and I are grateful for the opportunity to deepen our operational relationship with our Spanish allies and enhance interoperability initiatives between our two navies.”
This was the first interoperability test on the latest Aegis Baseline 9.C1 with a foreign ship and combat systems ship qualification trial with Spain.
The Aegis Combat System is the sea-based element of the U.S’s Ballistic Missile Defense System and is designed to simultaneously engage against land targets, submarines and surface ships and defend against aircraft and missiles.
