Posted at 6:09 p.m., Friday, June 22, 2007
Missile test off Kaua'i a success
Associated Press
The U.S. military intercepted a mid-range target missile in a test off Kaua'i this afternoon, marking the ninth time it has successfully shot down a missile from a ship at sea. Two of the past attempts failed.The USS Decatur fired an interceptor missile from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, hitting the mid-range target's simulated warhead 100 miles above the Earth, the Missile Defense Agency said in a news release.
The target separated mid-flight, meaning the interceptor missile had to distinguish between the warhead and booster rocket for "the kill."
About four minutes later, the Decatur launched an SM-3 missile, which collided with the target, destroying it over the Pacific Ocean, 250 miles northwest of Kauai, the agency said.
The test marked the first time a Navy destroyer intercepted a target missile. Previously, only Navy cruisers had done so.
The frigate Mendez Nunez tracked the target, marking the first time a Spanish navy ship participated in an Aegis missile test. Japanese and Dutch navy ships have tracked missile targets during previous tests.
Cruisers are similar to destroyers in that they both handle missions ranging from hunting submarines to tracking ballistic missiles. But destroyers are smaller than cruisers, displacing only some 8,400 tons in the water compared to 9,600 tons.
The vessels also carry fewer sailors. A destroyer has about 323 officers and enlisted sailors on board compared to 364 on a cruiser.
The military plans to make destroyers an integral part of the sea-based Aegis ballistic missile defense system it is building to protect the U.S. and its allies against missiles from North Korea.
The Pacific Fleet will install long-range missile tracking and mid-range missile interception technology on 13 destroyers and three cruisers by 2009.
The military is equipping two Atlantic Fleet destroyers with the same capabilities.
The Aegis ballistic missile defense system refers to the technology the military has mounted on Navy ships to intercept mid-range missiles. There's another program, Ground-based Midcourse Defense, that's designed to shoot down missiles midway through their flight with interceptors fired from Alaska and California.
Both complement other systems designed to shoot down missiles in their final stages of flight, the Patriot system already in use and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system under development.
The Missile Defense Agency is also developing lasers that will shoot down missiles just after they are launched.
