Naval test interceptor destroys missile
WASHINGTON: An experimental naval interceptor shot down a short-range ballistic missile target during a test over the Pacific Ocean, missile defence officials said.
The kill on Thursday was the fifth in six tries for the interceptor, called a Standard Missile-3, said Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defence Agency.
During the test, a target ballistic missile, similar to a Scud, was launched from the island of Kauai at 4pm.
The USS Lake Erie, a cruiser equipped with the Aegis radar system and stationed 160km offshore, tracked the ballistic missile and then fired the interceptor to shoot it down. Two minutes later, the missiles collided.
The SM-3 interceptor would be deployed on ships later this year, Lehner said.
Also involved in the test was the Aegis destroyer USS Russell, which tested some of its missile-tracking systems.
The SM-3 does not have the range of the experimental land-based national missile defences located in Alaska and California, and it is envisioned for use in protecting allies or US forces from short-range ballistic missiles launched over a body of water. – AP
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