201116-D-N0801-0001

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 16, 2020) A SM-3 Block IIA is launched from USS John Finn (DDG 113), an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System-equipped guided-missile destroyer, as part of Flight Test Aegis Weapons System-44 (FTM-44). FTM-44 is a developmental test satisfying a Congressional mandate to evaluate the feasibility of the SM-3 Block IIA missile's capability to defeat an ICBM threat. The SM-3 Block IIA was originally designed and built for the Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile threat set. (Missile Defense Agency photo)