The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system, which uses computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. As of , a total of Aegis-equipped ships have been deployed, and 71 more are planned see operators. The word " Aegis " is a reference that dates back to Greek mythology, with connotations of a protective shield, as the Aegis was the buckler shield of Zeus, worn by Athena.
There are three lengths: in 5. The empty weight for an 8-cell module is 26, lb 12, kg for the self-defense version, 29, lb 13, kg for the tactical version, and 32, lb 15, kg for the strike version, thus incorporating anti-submarine warfare ASW systems and Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles TLAM.
Shipboard torpedo and naval gunnery systems are also integrated. Individual ships may not carry all variants. Weapons loads are adjusted to suit assigned mission profile. Known as "the Shield of the Fleet", the SPY high-powered 6 megawatt radar is able to perform search, tracking, and missile guidance functions simultaneously with a track capacity of well over targets at more than nautical miles km. This means that with proper scheduling of intercepts, a large number of targets can be engaged simultaneously.
In December , Lockheed Martin released a promotional video heralding the 50th anniversary of the Aegis combat system. The division responsible for the Aegis systems became Government Electronic Systems. By the late s, the U. Navy replaced guns with guided missiles on its ships. These were sufficient weapons but by the late s, the U. Navy recognized that reaction time, firepower, and operational availability in all environments did not match the anti-ship missile threat.
The requirements of both tracking and targeting these missiles was limited by the number of radars on each ship, which was typically 2β4. As a result, the U. Navy decided to develop a program to defend ships from anti-ship missile threats. The name was suggested by Captain L. Stecher, a former Tartar Weapon System manager, after an internal U. Navy contest to name the ASMS program was initiated.
