THAAD Test Halted by Target Malfunction

A test of a U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile interceptor failed to come off yesterday when the target missile had to be destroyed shortly after launching, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 24).

An anomaly in the Hera missile forced safety officers at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to destroy the target two minutes into its flight, said Missile Defense Agency spokeswoman Pam Rogers.

The cause of the failure will be investigated, Rogers said.

The THAAD interceptor was not launched.  The system is being developed for use against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the upper atmosphere (Associated Press/Army Times, Sept. 13).

Meanwhile, the Missile Defense Agency over the next two months plans to study data from a successful test of its Ground-based Midcourse Defense system in order to determine the configuration of the next test, Inside Missile Defense reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 5).

While the primary goal of the Sept. 1 test was not interception, the interceptor kill vehicle brought down a target missile over the Pacific Ocean.

The test was aimed at “demonstrating the ability of the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Beale Air Force Base [in California] to acquire, track and report the target warhead, and also to assess the performance of the interceptor missile’s rocket motor system and exoatmospheric kill vehicle,” according to an agency statement.

Data from that test will help the agency determine whether to include countermeasures in the next interceptor flight in order to “confuse” the system, said Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, head of the Missile Defense Agency.

A nighttime flight and salvo test are also being considered.

A salvo test would involve launching more than one target missile, and is “likely” to occur in 2008, an agency spokesman told Inside the Army.  Such a test would be more realistic than a single-target flight, as an enemy might easily fire more than one missile.

Timing of a night test “depends on [the Federal Aviation Administration] giving approval for a launch window,” the spokesman said.

Missile defense critics told Inside Missile Defense that their concerns have not been resolved by the successful test.

“While yes, they did achieve an intercept, this is in no way, shape or form, an end-to-end test of the system,” said Victoria Samson of the Center for Defense Information.  They are missing key components of the GMS system … they don’t having a working (concept of operations), and they are still dependent on a-priori information.

“Today’s intercept was the sixth out of 11 attempts, the first one in near four years, and the only one to date with the operationally configured warhead.  This system has much left to prove,” she added (Liang/Roque, Inside Missile Defense, Sept. 13).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.