Missile Defense System Takes out Test ICBM Threat

Intercept test, against ICBM target, conducted circa May 2017. (U.S. Missile Defense Agency)

The Missile Defense Agency recently conducted a test of the missile defense system. This test required two Ground-Based Interceptors against a target that served as the ICBM threat. The first hit the target, then the second scanned the results and hit the next biggest target.

From Defense News:

In the Monday test, the lead GBI destroyed the ICBM’s reentry vehicle “as it was designed to do,” according to the agency’s statement.

The trailing GBI “then looked at the resulting debris and remaining objects, and, not finding any other reentry vehicles, selected the next ‘most lethal object’ it could identify, and struck that, precisely as it was designed to do,” the statement adds.

The ICBM target was launched from the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, which is over 4,000 miles away from the GBI interceptors buried in silos in the ground at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

The above photo captures the launch of an interceptor during 2017’s test.

One of the big reasons that Vladimir Putin has issues with our missile defense systems is that he fears what we are capable of doing. His theory goes along the lines that the technology for these defense systems would improve to the point that they would be able to intercept “at the point of ICBM launch”… Negating his capabilities.

Consequently, he and others don’t believe the “defense” part of this system.

However, the Chinese and Russians are working to achieve an advantage over us in this and other systems. The ship based laser in AW1ED’s article, and this development, could be added to the list of “good news” that we’ve been receiving over the past few days.

You can read details here.

Category: Nukes