06 July 2001

Defense Department Report: Next Missile Defense Test

The U.S. Defense Department (DOD) says the fourth in a series of missile defense tests designed to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles will be conducted July 14 over the central Pacific Ocean.

A modified Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile, fitted with a mock warhead and a single decoy, will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, DOD said July 6. An interceptor missile carrying a prototype "kill vehicle" -- a computer-guided device with sensors -- will be launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, about 4,800 miles (7,680 kilometers) away in the central Pacific.

"About 10 minutes later the intercept should take place at an altitude of approximately 140 miles (224 kilometers) above the central Pacific Ocean during the midcourse phase of the target warhead's flight," DOD said.

The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) is conducting the flight test July 14 in a launch window scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. and run to 1 a.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), the announcement said.

This integrated test includes a satellite-based missile warning system, a ground-based early warning radar, a prototype X-band radar on Kwajalein Atoll and a battle management system at the Joint National Test Facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"Since the system is in its research and development phase, these elements serve as either prototypes or surrogates for system elements which are in the developmental stage and have not yet been produced for actual operational use," the announcement said.

This will be the fourth intercept test of the Mid-course Defense Segment (formerly National Missile Defense) research and development program, DOD said.

The first test on October 3, 1999 resulted in the successful intercept of a ballistic missile target, the announcement said. The second test took place on January 19, 2000, but failed to intercept the incoming missile because of a clogged cooling pipe in the "kill vehicle." A third test on July 8, 2000 also failed to intercept the incoming missile because the "kill vehicle" did not separate from the booster rocket, the DOD announcement said.