November 17, 2005 :: The Missile Defense Agency :: News
The Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy today successfully conducted a significant test of the Aegis missile defense system. The test involved for the first time a “separating” target, meaning that the target warhead separated from its booster. Previous tests were against unitary (non-separating) targets representative of “SCUD”-type ballistic missiles. A separating missile requires the system to discriminate between targets, as well as presenting a smaller and faster target. “This test is very important and I’ll go as far as to say historical,” said Rear Adm. Kathleen K. Paige, program director of the sea-based missile defense project. “It verifies ballistic missile defense is real, that it is available today operationally at sea.” The Associated Press notes that senior representatives from the navies of Australia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Spain watched the test with Paige on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
As reported by the MDA press release, a medium-range separating target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The USS Lake Erie, outfitted with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense 3.0 Weapon System, detected and tracked the target. The USS Lake Erie launched the SM-3 interceptor some four minutes later. Six minutes after launch the interceptor successfully destroyed the target warhead more than 100 miles in space above the Pacific Ocean and 375 miles northwest of Kauai.
The test, designated as Flight Test Maritime 04-2 (FTM 04-2), was the seventh such test of the Aegis ship-based system, six of which have now been successful. The MDA reportedly plans three more sea-based tests next year. (Article)
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
