A ballistic missile interceptor made by Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems failed to hit its target in a Jan. 31 test of a land-based version of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system.
The Pentagon didn’t announce the test and didn’t immediately report the results of the test launch from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.
But Missile Defense Agency director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves issued a statement confirming the Raytheon Standard Missile-3 Block IIA fired from an Aegis Ashore test site didn’t achieve a successful intercept.
The attempt to intercept an air-launched, intermediate-range ballistic missile target was the first time the latest version of Raytheon’s SM-3 was launched from the Aegis Ashore system, and the first time both ground- and space-based sensors were used to remotely cue the launch of the interceptor.
“We always make progress every time we conduct a test,” Greaves said. “While we are disappointed that we did not demonstrate a successful intercept, we did demonstrate significant advances in capability and collected valuable test data that will allow us to further improve our capability and capacity of the ballistic missile defense system.”
The MDA said it will conduct an extensive investigation of any anomalies that may have prevented a successful intercept.
The test was the third intercept flight for the SM-3 Block IIA, a larger, faster version of the mainly ship-based SM-3 developed jointly with Japan. The land-based system uses Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Weapon System, originally developed for ships.
A ship-launched SM-3 Block IIA intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target during a test in February 2017.
A similar missile missed its mark in a June intercept test, and after an investigation it was determined that a sailor erroneously caused the missile to self-destruct.
A spokesman for Raytheon Missile Systems referred questions about the most recent test to the Missile Defense Agency.
