Navy Will Test Anti-Missile Rocket Over Pacific Ocean

Washington -- The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy will test an anti-missile rocket fired from a guided- missile cruiser over the Pacific Ocean January 25.

The Pentagon said in a brief announcement the missile test is part of a program to test and develop anti-ballistic missile systems designed to intercept and destroy long-range missiles before they can strike the United States.

The Navy will launch a prototype interceptor missile from the Aegis-class, guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean to intercept an Aries target missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii, the Pentagon announcement said.

It will become the first test of a ship-launched interceptor's performance in space, the Pentagon said.

Instead of testing whether the interceptor can hit an enemy missile in space, it will be a test of the interceptor's guidance system, the Pentagon said, thus allowing engineers to make any necessary corrections before the first scheduled intercept test later in the spring.