Testing complete, new missile defense technology to be loaded on Navy ships

The U.S. Navy has finished testing the next generation of its Aegis ballistic missile defense system and given the green light to put it on at least nine cruisers and destroyers by 2015, officials said.

The Aegis BMD system is a collection of sensors, computers, weapon launchers and weapons with the ability to track a missile or rocket via satellite and shoot it down.

The second-generation system, built by Lockheed Martin, provides advanced missiles and improved target identification capabilities, as well as computer and software upgrades, officials said.

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