USS Ross Firing a SM-2 Missile Is the Most Magnificent Thing You’ll See Today

“Unforgettable” is a good word to describe the live-fire event that was organized and witnessed by the sailors on board the Ross destroyer. Like all such demonstrations, it required a lot of preparation work and its success made everyone proud. It proved that the equipment is on point, the crew is prepared and that Ross is ready to perform just as well in real combat situations.

The objective of the Live Fire With a Purpose exercise (LFWAP) that was held at the beginning of this month, was to demonstrate air defense in a maritime environment. USS Ross (DDG 71), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, launched a Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), successfully neutralizing a subsonic sea skimming target (compared to supersonic ones, these types of missiles fly close to the water surface, which makes them harder to detect and target).

Designed to be able to tackle ships, submarines and aerial threats at the same time, and to engage in long range attacks, Ross is a force to be reckoned with. The AEGIS Weapon System, which is considered the only fully integrated electronic detection and fire control system available in the world, is what coordinates the ship’s weapons. And what remarkable weapons they are – from Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, to antisubmarine rockets and a 5-inch rapid-fire deck gun.

But that’s not all. Ross also boasts an advanced underwater surveillance equipment, to hunt down submarines, and electronic warfare countermeasures, plus passive detection systems that make it a considerable force in any type of environment.

The LFWAP demonstration was performed as part of the At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield 2021 exercise. USS Ross is on patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, in Rota, Spain.