U.S. military aims to install $1B missile defense radar at Hawaii site

HONOLULU — The U.S. military wants to install missile defense radar in Hawaii to identify any ballistic missiles that are fired from North Korea or elsewhere, officials said Tuesday.

The $1 billion system would spot warheads on missiles headed for Hawaii and other U.S. states, and provide that information to ground-based interceptors in Alaska designed to shoot them down. It would be able to distinguish warheads from decoys that are designed to trick missile defense systems.

The radar would help give the Alaska missiles “better eyes,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii and a supporter of the project.

So far, lawmakers have appropriated $61 million for planning but not funds for construction. Schatz, who serves on the defense subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he doesn’t have much doubt about the likelihood of follow-on funding.

The radar would be about 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 meters) wide and 60 feet to 80 feet (18 to 24 meters) high, according to the Missile Defense Agency.

It will likely have a flatface surface like one in Shemya, Alaska, instead of a ball-like appearance of other military radar. Experts say the larger the face, the more precisely it will be able to distinguish between warheads and decoys.

The agency is studying two possible locations for the radar, both of which are on Oahu’s North Shore. It’s collecting public comment through July 16.

U.S. concerns about the threat from North Korean missiles spiked last year as North Korea test-fired longrange missile over Japan and threatened to launch ballistic missiles toward Guam, a major U.S. military hub in the Pacific.