"This is a serious setback for a program that had not attempted a flight intercept test for two years," Philip Coyle, the Pentagon's chief weapons tester under late President Ronald Reagan ____________________________________ U.S. missile defense test flops WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first test in nearly two years of a multibillion-dollar U.S. anti-missile shield has failed after the interceptor missile shut down as it prepared to launch in the central Pacific, the Pentagon said. About 16 minutes earlier, a target missile carrying a mock warhead had been successfully fired from Kodiak Island, Alaska, according to a statement from the Missile Defense Agency. The aborted $85 million (44 million pounds) test appeared likely to set back plans for activation of a rudimentary bulwark against long-range ballistic missiles that could be fired by countries like North Korea. In 2002, President George W. Bush pledged to have initial elements of the program up and running by the end of this year while testing and development continued. An "anomaly" of unknown origin caused the interceptor to shut down automatically in its silo at the Kwajalein Test Range in the Marshall Islands, said Richard Lehner, a spokesman for the Pentagon's missile agency. The test followed a week of delays caused by weather and technical glitches, including malfunction of an internal battery aboard the target missile on Tuesday, he said. "This is a serious setback for a program that had not attempted a flight intercept test for two years," Philip Coyle, the Pentagon's chief weapons tester under late President Ronald Reagan, said in an e-mail exchange. The system is a scaled-down version of a ballistic missile shield first outlined in March 1983 by Reagan and derided by critics as "Star Wars." "NOT CONSTRAINED BY TIMING" Pentagon officials had hoped the test would set the stage for any decision by Bush to put the system on alert in coming weeks. Initially, the system is designed to counter North Korean missiles that could be fired at the United States and tipped with nuclear, chemical or germ weapons. "I'm not constrained by timing, exactly," Michael Wynne, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, said on December 8 in reply to a question about switching the system on. "But we'll see how (the test) goes and then we'll see from there." Because the mission was supposed to have exercised new hardware, software and engagement scenarios, it was officially described as a "flyby" rather than an attempted intercept. This meant gathering data was the primary goal, not downing the target, according to the Missile Defense Agency. When a shootdown has been the chief test objective, the system so far has succeeded five of eight times in highly scripted conditions. The last test, in December 2002, misfired when the warhead -- a 120-pound "kill vehicle" of sensors, chips and thrusters designed to pulverize its target on collision -- failed to separate from its booster rocket. Boeing Co., as prime contractor, put together the ground-based shield, which is to be folded into a system involving airborne, sea- and space-based elements. All told, the Pentagon is spending $10 billion a year on the project. Key subcontractors are Northrop Grumman Corp., for battle management; Raytheon Co., for the kill vehicle; and Lockheed Martin Corp. and Orbital Sciences Corp., which build the booster rockets. link
Absolutely pathetic. Please don't throw good money after bad. It's one thing when an interceptor doesn't take out its target, but not launching at all? We've been launching missiles for many decades now. Perhaps some elementary school children could help out.
Military? Did you read this? Fat, no-talent contractors bilking me and you and every other taxpayer. This isn't about the military. It's about bad decisions, a lack of science, and corporate crime. Blech. But I have to give you credit SmallTaxxx, that might win the award of the biggest non-sequitor reach to achieve an "oh you liberals attacking the military blah blah" post/phone-call-to-Rush/whatever. Hilarious.
Thanks for the award, Beeb. I did in fact read the entire article. The contractors are developing this for the military. It is a national defense project, therefore it is military-related. Not a non-sequitor. I've grown tired of the liberals around here pouncing on every bit of bad news related to the military and posting it up here. The only real excitement is whether No Worries can edge out SerfCheetah in getting it posted first. Can you put some positive stuff up every once in a while? Beeb, with your expert knowledge of physics perhaps you could help these guys out? A little pro-bono side job for you to protect our country? I myself, having been *classically* trained in physics by the likes of Marj Corcoran and Steve Baker, could also lend them a hand!
"Key subcontractors are Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., and Orbital Sciences Corp." ____________ Duh.
I fully support a strong US military and intelligent programs such as the Airborne Laser System. Priorities...
I've grown tired of conservatives pouncing on every bit of bad news related to the military and trying to spin it into good news, while "blaming" liberals for having the nerve to make a post about it. If you want to keep your head in the sand, you should start growing feathers, and maybe someone will make some boots out of you someday. That would be more useful than this fiasco Bush and his friends are pushing, so the friends can make some nice change. I agree with KC that the airborne laser system, under development, has far more promise, and should be pursued with vigor. I would take the billions being wasted on this anti-missile missile and spend it on that, and supplying our troops in Iraq, since they have been put there, with every bit of equipment they need and aren't getting. You could do that and have money left over to improve conditions for the families of the troops, and a host of other things. I trying, but sometimes it's hard to... Keep D&D Civil!!
We don't need no missile defense system, that's so cold war. Of course GWB thinks we do and he talks to God every day, so I must be wrong.
lmao, Bigtexxx. Indeed. No Stevenson? No Dunning? A shame. But in any event, classical and quantum physics will get you very close to the same place. Hitting a projectile with a projectile is incredibly difficult. Hitting a self-guided, maneuverable projectile that is constantly changing its speed, heading and acceleration? Egads. I do like the airborne laser stuff quite a bit. Believe me, as someone living on the west coast, I'd like to see our money go somewhere that works! Kim will first probably take out San Franci... Wait a minute. It's all falling into place! Our town votes 92% for Kerry, and then Bush's missile defense project, stationed in Alaska to protect us, starts experiencing "anomalies."
I'm sure this has the North Koreans quaking in their boots. If we're going to get serious about stopping them we should be taking those billions we're throwing away on an unrealistic and unworkable missile defense and spending in on trying to get better intel about what's going on in NK. Even an airborne laser isn't going to do us anygood if we can't determine where and when a missile is being launched at us.
We aleady have the early warning capability to determine where and when a missle is launched. Now we need a way to defend against it. Its not about making NK 'quake in their boots,' its about making them irrelevant.
