Next-gen Raytheon missile interceptor hits mark

Raytheon’s latest missile interceptor hit an intermediate-range ballistic missile target in the first test with the interceptor launched from a land-based system, the company and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said.

In a test flight late Monday over the Pacific Ocean, a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile made by Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems was fired from a land-based Aegis Ashore site in Hawaii and intercepted a target missile launched from a plane thousands of miles away, the MDA said.

The test marked the third successful intercept in five attempts since early 2017 for the SM-3 Block IIA variant.

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Besides the land-based launch, the most recent test was Block IIA’s first intercept of an intermediate-range ballistic missile target and the first to use tracking data from remote sensors, known as "engage on remote."

Based on preliminary data, the test met its objective, and program officials will continue to evaluate system performance, the MDA said.

Co-developed with Japan, the Block IIA has larger rocket motors and a bigger, more sophisticated kinetic warhead to defend larger areas and counter evolving threats.