US Navy tests BQM-177A Target with USNS Alan Shepard.

According to information published by U.S. Navy on October 4, 2021, Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) helped test the capabilities of the BQM-177A, the Navy's next-generation Sub-Sonic Aerial Target (SSAT) while operating in the Western Pacific.
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BQM-177A Sub-Sonic Aerial Target (Picture source: Twitter account of sUAS News)

This sub-sonic aerial target replicates modern subsonic anti-ship cruise missile threats launched from air, land, surface and subsurface to test the effectiveness of shipboard air defense systems and is used for fleet training. Capable of speeds in excess of 0.95 Mach and a sea-skimming altitude as low as 6.6 feet, the BQM-177A has no equal when it comes to delivering realistic anti-ship missile threat emulation, according to program managers at Naval Air Systems Command.

The BQM-177A provides threat emulation for air-to-air engagements. The BQM-177A’s aerodynamic design and performance capabilities provide high-dynamic, high-subsonic and sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missile threat emulation. This versatile aerial target supports a variety of mission requirements by carrying a wide array of internal and external payloads. These include proximity scoring, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), passive and active RF augmentation, electronic counter-measures, infrared (IR) augmentation (plume pods), chaff and flare dispensers, and towed targets.

The Navy is in the process of replacing current air-to-air target simulators with the BQM-177A.

Alan Shepard, a fleet ordnance and dry cargo ship, was selected as the first vessel in the U.S. Navy’s Combat Logistics Force operating in the Western Pacific to help test the new capability.

Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific and Task Force 73 is the U.S. 7th Fleet's provider of combat-ready logistics, operating government-owned and contracted ships that keep units throughout 7th Fleet armed, fueled, and fed. USNS Alan Shepard delivers ammunition, food, repair parts, and fuel to U.S., allies’ and partner nations’ navies operating in the region.

The BQM-177A is the US Navy’s next-generation Sub-Sonic Aerial Target (SSAT). While it provides formidable threat emulation for air-to-air engagements, the BQM-177A’s aerodynamic design and unmatched performance capabilities make it the best choice for highly-dynamic, high-subsonic, sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missile threat emulation.

Capable of speeds in excess of 0.95 Mach and a sea-skimming altitude as low as 6.6 feet, the BQM-177A has no equal when it comes to delivering realistic anti-ship missile threat emulation.