Japan Aegis BMD JFTM-1 (日本 ナレーション)

(Japanese Narration) The first successful intercept of a medium range ballistic missiles (MRBM) by an allied Navy ship. The JS Kongo (DDG-173) successfully detected, tracked and engaged the "separating" target launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) with the Aegis BMD weapon system, firing the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Blk IA missile for a successful intercepts outside the earth's atmosphere. JFTM-1 was the first time that a Japanese ship was designated to launch the interceptor missile, a major milestone in the growing cooperation between Japan and the U.S. Previous participation had been limited to tracking and communications exercises.