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SUNNYVALE (BNS): US defence majors Lockheed Martin and Boeing have put forward their respective proposals before the US Missile Defense Agency for the concept definition and program planning phase of the Next Generation Aegis Missile (NGAM).

Under the programme, the US intends to develop an improved weapon system against emerging longer-range ballistic missile threats, and the NGAM is a key component of the “Phased Adaptive Approach” for missile defence in Europe.

The NGAM programme envisages the design and development of a new Aegis missile that will provide early interception capability against intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile threats.

The new missile will be designed for integration into the Aegis Weapon System, with the Aegis BMD 5.1 and the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, both ashore and at sea, according to Lockheed which has designed and developed the Aegis Weapon System.

The bids by Boeing and Lockheed have been submitted in response to the US Missile Defense Agency's concept definition and programme planning contract for the Next-Generation Aegis Missile which is slated to begin in 2011, with deployment scheduled for the 2020 time frame.