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Missile fired from Kodiak shot down by interceptor missile
September 28, 2007
Kodiak - A test missle was fired from Kodiak, Alaska Friday and was successfully shot down by an interceptor missile over the Pacific Ocean, according to officials at the Pentagon.
The $85 million test of the national missile defense system was conduced with the help of a tracking radar from Juneau.
“This was a very operationally realistic test,” said Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency.
The test was a rerun of one that was supposed to have taken place in May but was scrubbed when the target misfired.
The Missile Defense Agency said in a statement it completed a test "involving a successful intercept by a ground-based interceptor missile designed to protect the United States against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack."
A target missile was launched from Kodiak, simulating a hostile incoming missile aimed for the United States. Moments later an interceptor missile was fired from a base on the California coast.
Pentagon officials said the test objectives included demonstrating the ability of the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., to acquire, track and report incoming missiles.
The multibillion-dollar missile defense project has had mixed success over the years. Friday's ground-based missile test marked six successful tests out of 10 attempts, Missile Defense officials said.
The Bush administration proposes a missile defense system of 40 interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, along with 4 at Vandenberg and 10 to be located in Poland. The ground-based interceptors would be guided by a series of radar sites, including one proposed for the Czech Republic.
© AlaskaReport News
http://alaskareport.com/news907/z46726_kodiak_missile.htm
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