Aegis verified on South Korean destroyer

KAUAI, Hawaii, July 30 (UPI) -- An Aegis Combat System installed on a South Korean warship has been verified as operational following a series of tests in Hawaii.

Lockheed Martin said the three weeks of trials on the destroyer Sejong the Great were conducted at the Pacific Missile Range facility off the island of Kauai.

"These trials prove that Sejong the Great's Aegis Combat System, ship and crew are fully ready for operational deployment," said Jeff Bantle, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, N.J. "This first-of-class ship brings unprecedented air defense, anti-submarine, anti-surface and self-defense capabilities to the Republic of Korea Navy."

During the trials the ship's Aegis Combat System was evaluated for combat-readiness through comprehensive surface, subsurface and anti-air warfare exercises as well as thorough testing of the system's tactical data link capabilities," Lockheed Martin said.

The anti-air warfare exercises included manned aircraft raids, electronic attack scenarios and live Standard Missile-2 and Rolling Airframe Missile air defense engagements.

Sejong the Great (DDG-991) was commissioned in 2009 and is the first of three KDX-III destroyers being built by the Republic of Korea.