The latest U.S. Navy Aegis ships fitted for the ballistic missile defense (BMD) program can now handle anti-air warfare roles as well, according to Navy and industry sources. More Arleigh Burke-class destroyers may get the ballistic-missile modification, as well. Ships used in early BMD tests have been unable to handle air-defense roles due to processing limitations on older military computers and the nature of the test program. But the latest Aegis BMD ship, the cruiser Shiloh, is fitted with Aegis BMD version 3.6, restoring the multimission capabilities of the Aegis system.
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