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2 September 2006

Missile Defense Agency: http://www.mda.mil

http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/pdf/06news0020.pdf

1 September 2006

Missile Defense Exercise and Flight Test Successfully Completed

Air Force Lieutenant General Henry “Trey” Obering III, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced today it has successfully completed an important exercise and flight test involving the launch of an improved ground-based interceptor missile designed to protect the United States against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack. The flight test results will help to further improve and refine the performance of numerous Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) elements that will be used to provide a defense against the type of long-range ballistic missile that could be used to attack an American city with a weapon of mass destruction.

The interceptor missile was launched at 10:39 am PDT (1: 39 pm EDT) from the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site, located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. For this exercise, a threat-representative target missile was launched from the Kodiak Launch Complex, Kodiak, Alaska.

The exercise was designed to evaluate the performance of several elements of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), and mission objectives included demonstrating the ability of the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., 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, which is the component that collides directly with a target warhead in space to perform a “hit to kill” intercept using only the force of the collision to totally destroy the target warhead. Initial indications are that the rocket motor system and kill vehicle performed as designed. Program officials will evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test. Although not a primary objective for the data collection flight test, an intercept of the target warhead was achieved.

The test also successfully exercised a wide variety of components and subcomponents as part of the evaluation of system performance, including improved missile silo support equipment, booster/kill vehicle separation, kill vehicle sensor cooling, kill vehicle orientation and positioning and several more. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system currently has interceptor missiles deployed at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Other components of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense include the upgraded Cobra Dane radar in the Aleutian Island chain of Alaska and the upgraded early warning radar at Beale AFB, Calif. A forward deployed air-transportable X-band radar is currently stationed in Japan, and several U.S. Navy Aegis-class cruisers and destroyers with the advanced SPY-1 radar have been modified for integration into the command control, battle management and communication element of the ground-based interceptor system. The new Sea Based X-band radar mounted aboard a large sea-going platform will be integrated into the system later this year, and for this exercise it was used to track the target missile as part of its on-going radar calibration process.

News media point of contact is Rick Lehner, Missile Defense Agency, at 703-501-9157.

Video and still photos will be available to the television network pool in Washington, DC. Point of contact is Chris Taylor at (703) 697-8001. Video and still photos will also be available through the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) in Washington. Point of contact is Cheryl Irwin at (703) 697-5331.

Eyeballing Ballistic Missile Defense In this image provided by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the first of nine ground-based Interceptors is lowered into its silo at the Missile Defense Complex at Fort Greely, Alaska, July 22, 2004. The nine interceptors installed at Fort Greely are designed to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles before they reach U.S. airspace. (AP Photo/Missile Defense Agency) In this Dec. 10, 2004 image provided by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, a ground-based Interceptor missile is lowered into its silo at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. There are two interceptors in California, and nine at Fort Greely, Alaska, that are designed to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles before they reach U.S. airspace. (AP Photo/Missile Defense Agency)

Missile Defense Complex Fort Greely, AK http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=alaska&ie=UTF8&om=0&z=13&ll=63.949286,-145.721626&spn=0.064381,0.271912&t=k&iwloc=A

Missile Defense Complex Fort Greely, AK http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=alaska&ie=UTF8&om=0&z=15&ll=63.954375,-145.733299&spn=0.016092,0.067978&t=k&iwloc=A

Missile Defense Complex Fort Greely, AK http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=alaska&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=63.950455,-145.736775&spn=0.008047,0.033989&t=k&om=0

Vandenberg Air Force Base Launch Facilities, CA http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=vandenberg+afb,ca&ie=UTF8&z=13&ll=34.611171,-120.609112&spn=0.120655,0.271912&t=k&om=0&iwloc=A

Vandenberg Air Force Base Launch Facilities, CA http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=vandenberg+afb,+ca&ie=UTF8&om=0&z=15&ll=34.636739,-120.599155&spn=0.030154,0.067978&t=k&iwloc=A

Vandenberg Air Force Base Launch Facility,CA http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=vandenberg+afb,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=34.581991,-120.62881&spn=0.015087,0.033989&t=k&om=0

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Captions by Associated Press	MDA Images: http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/html/images.html
An interceptor missile launched from the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, moves to its target Friday, Sept. 1, 2006, in California. The 54-foot missile destroyed a mock warhead in space over the Pacific Ocean on Friday in a key test of the nation's missile defense system, a Missile Defense Agency spokesman said. More than $100 billion has been spent on America's missile-defense system since 1983. (AP Photo/The News-Press, Rafael Maldonado)	The USS Shiloh, a U.S. Navy's Aegis-equipped destroyer, arrives at the port of Yokosuka, home to the Navy's 7th Fleet near Tokyo, Tuesday morning, Aug. 29, 2006. The 9,957-ton Shiloh with the capability of intercepting ballistic missiles will be deployed at the base to beef up Japan-U.S. joint missile defense. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
The control room of the USS Shiloh, a U.S. Navy's Aegis-equipped destroyer, is shown to media upon its arrival at the port of Yokosuka, home to the Navy's 7th Fleet near Tokyo, Tuesday morning, Aug. 29, 2006. The 9,957-ton Shiloh with the capability of intercepting ballistic missiles will be deployed at the base to beef up Japan-U.S. joint missile defense. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)	The missile launcher system is shown to the media on the deck of the USS Shiloh, a U.S. Navy's Aegis-equipped destroyer, upon its arrival at the port of Yokosuka, home to the Navy's 7th Fleet near Tokyo, Tuesday morning, Aug. 29, 2006. The 9,957-ton Shiloh with the capability of intercepting ballistic missiles will be deployed at the base to beef up Japan-U.S. joint missile defense. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, USAF, left, shows Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld one of the ground based interceptor missiles at the missile defense site at Ft. Greeley near Fairbanks, Alaska Sunday Aug. 27, 2006. (AP Photo/Robert Burns )	Source Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld climbs a ladder out of the ground based interceptor missile silos at the missile defense site on Fort Greely, Alaska, Aug. 27, 2006. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, U.S. Air Force. (Released) Camera Operator: STAFF SGT. D. MYLES CULLEN
This time-exposure photo made available by the U.S. Department of Defense shows a test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), held in White Sands, NM, Wednesday, July 12, 2006. THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles high within the Earth's atmosphere or just above the atmosphere in the final moments before it strikes its target. (AP Photo/US Department of Defense) ** MANDATORY CREDIT **	The Sea-Based X-Band Radar, a component of the nation's developing ballistic missile defense program, is seen of Point Panic, near Oahu, Hawaii, Monday, Jan. 9, 2006 completing a 15,000-mile trip from Corpus Christi, Texas. The phased-array radar, atop an oil rig-like platform, whose support pylons each are as long as a Trident missile submarine, is headed for its home port of Adak, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Advertiser, Jeff Widener) SBX1 Birdseye: http://eyeball-series.org/sbx1-birdseye.htm
In a photo provided by the U.S. Navy, a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is launched from the Aegis cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), during a joint Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy ballistic missile flight test, Thursday, June 22, 2006, off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Two minutes later, the SM-3 intercepted a separating ballistic missile threat target, launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The test was the seventh intercept, in eight program flight tests, by the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, the maritime component of the "Hit-to-Kill" Ballistic Missile Defense System, being developed by the Missile Defense Agency. The maritime capability is designed to intercept short to medium-range ballistic missile threats in the midcourse phase of flight. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy Photo)	In a photo provided by the U.S. Navy, a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is launched from the Aegis cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), during a joint Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy ballistic missile flight test, Thursday, June 22, 2006, off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Two minutes later, the SM-3 intercepted a separating ballistic missile threat target, launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The test was the seventh intercept, in eight program flight tests, by the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, the maritime component of the "Hit-to-Kill" Ballistic Missile Defense System, being developed by the Missile Defense Agency. The maritime capability is designed to intercept short to medium-range ballistic missile threats in the midcourse phase of flight. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy Photo)
This photo provided by the Department of Defense shows a Standard Missile-3 interceptor being launched from the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii, Wednesday, March 8, 2006. The test was part of an effort by the United States and Japan to further develop their technology to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles mid-flight. The test aimed to check how well a Japanese-designed clamshell nose cone separated from a U.S.designed interceptor missile. (AP Photo/Department of Defense)	This photo provided by the US Navy Friday Nov. 18, 2005 shows a Standard Missile Three (SM-3)as it is launched from the vertical launch system (VLS) aboard the Pearl Harbor based Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70), during a joint Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy ballistic missile flight test Thursday. Minutes later, the SM-3 intercepted a separating ballistic missile threat target. The achievement is considered significant because medium- and long-range ballistic missiles typically have at least two stages. Intercepting such missiles after they separate is difficult because sensors must be able to distinguish between the body of the missile and the warhead. All previous tests of the sea-based missile defense system involved short-range missiles that stay intact. (AP Photo/US NAvy)
An SM-3 missile is launched from the USS Lake Erie in the Missile Defense Agencys latest test of its sea-based midcourse ballistic missile defense capability Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005, more than 100 miles off Kauai, Hawaii. The SM-3 intercepted a target ballistic missile, similar to a Scud, that was launched from Barking Sands, Kauai. The short-range no-notice missile defense test was the fifth success in six test launches. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)	This photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows a Standard Missile - 3 or SM-3, as it is launched from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie during a joint Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy ballistic missile flight test Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005, off Hawaii. Minutes later, the SM-3 intercepted a separating ballistic missile threat target, launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The launch was part of a test by the Navy to intercept and destroy a warhead as it separated from its booster rocket. This is the first time a ship at sea has shot down a multi-stage missile. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
An Arrow anti-ballistic missile interceptor is launched from its mobile platform Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004, at the Point Mugu Sea Range in Calif. The missile was launched as part of a joint Israel/United States developmental test. The Arrow missile failed to intercept an air-launched missile over the Pacific and both fell into the water, said Chris Taylor, spokesman for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. This was the second in a series of tests following a previous successful test in which a target that represents a real threat to Israel was intercepted and destroyed. (AP Photo/US Navy)	In this image provided by the Missile Defense Agency, a Ground-based Interceptor missile is seen in 2004 before being installed in its silo at Fort Greely, Alaska. There are two interceptors in California and nine interceptors at Fort Greely, that are designed to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles before they reach U.S. airspace. (AP Photo/Missile Defense Agency)
A payload launch vehicle carrying a missile interceptor is launched from Meck Island in the Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific on Dec. 3, 2001, for a test interception of a ballistic missile target over the Pacific. Russia expressed regret Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002, over the U.S. decision to begin deploying strategic interceptors to defend the United States from missile attack, a move Moscow said would destabilize the international security system and lead to anew arms race. (AP Photo/HO, Department of Defense)	FILE--Laser technicians at TRW's Capistrano Test Site in Southern California verify the alignment of components located inside the megawatt-class Alpha chemical laser, designed and built for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's Space Based Laser program. Defense giant Northrop Grumman Corp. launched a $5.9 billion unsolicited bid Friday to buy TRW Inc., and TRW called the offer "regrettable" since it came just days after its chief executive announced his departure. (AP Photo/HO) Creation Date 05/21/2001
In this Oct. 2, 1999 handout photo, a rocket with a test kill vehicle attached to the top is shown prior to launch on Meck Island in the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean as a part of the U.S. National Missile Defense (NMD) program. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed disappointment Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 at the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty but said it would pose no military threat to Russia. (AP Photo/Ballistic Missile Defense Organization-Department of Defense)	Maj. Gen. Ronald Kadish, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, stands next to a killer vehicle nose cone during a Pentagon news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 to discuss Saturday's missile test of an interceptor over the Pacific. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, points early Saturday, July 8, 2000, in the Pentagon in Washington to a chart showing the sequence of events in the failed test of a U.S. missile interceptor over the Pacific Ocean late Friday. Because the interceptor's "kill vehicle" did not detach from the booster, it never activated the on-board sensors and other high-tech devices that it would use to intercept the dummy warhead, Kadish said. (AP Photo/Linda Spillers)	The U.S. Air Force ait-2 launch vehicle streaks skyward Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 15, 1999, from the Kodiak Launch Facility on Kodiak Island in Kodiak, Alaska. The sub-orbital 56-foot rocket reached an altitude of over 1000 miles and flew over 1300 miles to a splashdown off the southern Oregon coast. It demonstrated technologies associated with ballistic missile defense efforts along with being used as a live target by early warning radars on the west coast. The flight marks the second successful launch from the 40 million dollar state-run facility and sets the stage for the first orbital launch now scheduled for September 2000. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Mark Farmer)
An artist's concept shows a space based sensor emplaced at high altitiude to boost phase surveillance and tracking, and a midcourse surveillance stystem that will enable detection of all objects in low earth orbit, ballistic missile warheads, decoys and debris. This is one of the defense concepts being explored in the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, April 1985. (AP Photo)	This artist's conception, from the Union of Concerned Scientists, illustrates the potential complexity of any space based missile defense system in 1986. Future Star Wars systems could include thousands of satellites in each of several layers, confronting weapons designers with unprecedented problems in the areas of space transportation, computer software and survival against attack. (AP Photo)
An artist's concept shows an earth-generated laser beam being reflected toward a high altitude target by a space-based mirror. This is one of a number of strategic ballistic missile defense concepts being explored in the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, April 1985. (AP Photo)	This is an artist's illustration of a space-based nuclear power source as part of the technology program within the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, to defend from attack by strategic ballistic missiles, April 1985. The program to field a 100 kilowatt nuclear power demonstration in space by the 1990s is known as SP-100 and is a joint effort of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Engery, and NASA. (AP Photo)