The U.S. Defense Department is on track to field its national missile defense system next year with an untested radar, according to an unreleased General Accounting Office report (see GSN, Aug. 21).

Defense officials have said they do not have enough money to integrate the radar into two missile intercept tests set to take place before the overall system is fielded (see GSN, April 18).  Some lawmakers are concerned, however, that an untested radar could render the system useless.

“If the radar does not work, the system will not be able to intercept incoming missiles,” said Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), who requested the report.

Raytheon produced the Cobra Dane radar, which is currently based in Alaska to gather data on Russian missiles.  The Pentagon is adding software to enhance the radar’s ability to track missiles for the new defense system, but the GAO said that capability should first be tested (see GSN, Dec. 18, 2002).

The Missile Defense Agency “does not plan to demonstrate through integrated flight tests whether the radar’s software can process and communicate data on the location of enemy missiles in ‘real time,’” the report says.

The Cobra Dane radar is set to be assisted by a less advanced early warning radar in California, sea-based radar on Navy vessels, ground-based Army missile radars and the current fleet of U.S. early warning satellites, according to MDA spokesman Rick Lehner (Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg.com, Sept. 22).

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