SUCCESSFUL MISSILE-INTERCEPT IN US DURING TEST

According to a US Missile Defense Agency news release, an ICBM target was successfully intercepted during a test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) element of the nation’s ballistic missile defence system on May 30, 2017. “The intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment for the GMD system and a critical milestone for this programme,” said MDA Director Navy Vice Admiral Jim Syring. This was the first live-fire test event against an ICBMclass target for GMD and the US ballistic missile defence system. During the test, an ICBM-class target was launched from the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Multiple sensors provided target acquisition and tracking data to the command, control, battle management and communication system. The sea-based X-band

radar, positioned in the Pacific Ocean, also acquired and tracked the target. The GMD system received the target tracking data and developed a fire control solution to intercept the target. A ground-based interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and its exoatmospheric kill vehicle intercepted and destroyed the target in a direct collision. During the flight test, Northrop Grumman Corporation’s advanced battle management and launch control capabilities successfully guided the kill vehicle. The GMD system is built by Boeing and Raytheon has built the upgraded exoatmospheric kill vehicle.