Technical Glitch Hinders U.S. Missile Defense Test

The United States must delay a test-firing of a Ground-based Midcourse Defense interceptor originally planned for this Friday due to defective electronic components, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, March 18)

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency will only simulate the interception of an incoming ballistic missile because of issues involving telemetry cards used to log actual test flight information, MDA chief Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said in a news conference.

The U.S. Defense Department plans to conduct an actual GMD test interception this December, once problems stemming from improper soldering of the cards have been resolved, Obering said.  He did not state whether Boeing Corp., the system’s main contractor, would be reprimanded for the technical issue.

U.S. missile defenses currently incorporate 20 ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and three interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  The Pentagon plans to test the interceptors against missiles that detach from their warhead payloads during flight (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, July 15).

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.