Aegis Combat System + SM-3 / SM-6

Aegis is not a standalone missile but an integrated shipborne air defense system that brings the entire detection-engagement chain into a single computer architecture (CMS — Combat Management System). The core is the AN/SPY-1D phased-array radar (later SPY-6 on Flight III DDGs): four fixed antenna pairs on the superstructure of an Arleigh Burke-class DDG or CG-47 Ticonderoga CG, jointly providing 360° S-band coverage with tracks on hundreds of targets simultaneously. The CMS prioritizes threats, allocates missiles, and conducts engagements via Mark-41 VLS (Vertical Launch System) cells with SM-2/SM-6/SM-3 interceptors. Aegis Ashore is the same architecture on a ground installation (Romania, Poland, Japan).