Navy's part of U.S. missile defense system passes "critical" test
A U.S. Navy destroyer fired a missile that intercepted and destroyed a mock intercontinental ballistic missile over ocean waters northeast of Hawaii Monday night, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said. The Aegis-class vessel used a Standard Missile-3 model Block II A to hit the target.
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Weapons System "is the naval component of the U.S. Missile Defense System," the MDA explained.
The successful test "was an incredible accomplishment and critical milestone" for the Aegis program," observed MDA Director Vice Admiral Jon Hill. He said it showed the "missile can defeat an ICBM-class target, which is a step in the process of determining" its usefulness in a multi-layered "defense of the homeland."
The target was launched from a test site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
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