Missile Defense Test Yields Successful 'Hit to Kill' Intercept

American Forces Press Service ^

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2006 – The Missile Defense Agency and the Navy conducted a successful "hit to kill" missile defense test yesterday off the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The test involved the launch of a Standard Missile 3 from the Aegis-class cruiser USS Shiloh to hit a "separating" target, meaning that the target warhead separated from its booster rocket, officials said.

"Hit to kill" technology uses direct collision of the interceptor missile with the target, destroying the target using only kinetic energy from the force of the collision.

It was the seventh successful intercept test involving the sea-based component of the nation's ballistic missile defense system in eight attempts, Missile Defense Agency officials noted.

"We are continuing to see great success with the very challenging technology of hit-to-kill, a technology that is used for all of our missile defense ground and sea-based interceptor missiles," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency director.

At about noon Hawaii time -- 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time -- a target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai. USS Shiloh's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense 3.6 Weapon System detected and tracked the target and "developed a fire control solution," officials said. About four minutes later, the USS Shiloh's crew fired the SM-3, and two minutes later the missile intercepted the target warhead outside the Earth's atmosphere, more than 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean and 250 miles northwest of Kauai.

This was the USS Shiloh's first missile defense test since completing modifications and upgrades to its SPY-1 radar and advanced communications system to make it capable of serving as a sea-based missile defense platform. It was also the first time the new weapon system configuration and a new missile configuration were used during the intercept mission.

Three Aegis destroyers also participated in the flight test. One Aegis destroyer, equipped with a modified version of the Aegis ballistic missile defense weapon system, linked with a land-based missile defense radar to evaluate the ability of the ship's missile defense system to receive and use target data via the missile defense system's command, control, battle management and communications architecture.

Two other Aegis destroyers stationed off Kauai, including one from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, performed long-range surveillance and track exercises. This information can also be used to provide targeting information for other missile defense systems, including the ground-based long-range interceptor missiles now deployed in Alaska and California, to protect all 50 states from a limited ballistic missile attack, officials said. This event marked the first time an allied military unit participated in a U.S. Aegis missile defense intercept test.

Another U.S. Navy Aegis cruiser used the flight test to support development of a SPY-1B radar modified by the addition of a new signal processor, collecting performance data on its increased target detection and discrimination capabilities.

(From a Missile Defense Agency news release.)

[pissant]

I've seen vids of some of the technology used in missile defense. Very nifty stuff.

[pissant]

I saw a similar post of yours earlier. Very cool. Thanks

[hsalaw]

Two other Aegis destroyers stationed off Kauai, including one from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, performed long-range surveillance and track exercises.

I was interested to see the Japanese participation, and then read the article you posted which indicates that Japan has been involved for some time in the Aegis testing - and development as well? Good for them. I know they have something in their constitution which limits their military involvement with other countries; I imagine the N. Korea threat is trumping that.

[SandRat]

don't know

[syriacus]

What a change from a few years ago....Missile defense is succeeding. Tom Daschle sank, then disappeared.

Daschle embarassed himself when he attempted to ridicule supporters of the missile defense program. He meant to imply that they were mindless, but made himself look like an idiot.

June 8, 2001:
Tom Daschle, newly reseated Senate Majority Leader,* says
of the Missile Defense program "This isn't rocket science here"

Here is an exact transcript of Daschle's words.

Whether or not we want to violate the ABM treaty
especially with a concept [NMD program] that we may not know
...or...
that we do know now does not work
is something that also mystifies me.
I mean
Every aspect of the debate and the consideration
that is given this whole program
is... is troubling to me.
I... I mean... I...there's a disconnect there.
I mean...It just seems common sense....
I mean...there's no brain..
This isn't rocket science here...

Yes it IS rocket science....
that's the problem..
Hadn't thought about that..
As I just think out loud ....
as I meander through here.
(laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh)

*Jeffords had recently defected

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

No problem...except for Gore.
He would look at the result and cry "Bush's fault. It's global warming that caused this!!"

[Paul Ross]

Japan has been involved for some time in the Aegis testing

We sold them four Aegis systems, for their "Kogo" class ships (identical to our Arleigh Burke designs), which they built, and we outfitted with the system...which they paid for. Which is a big deal in these circles. They have participated in our upgradings and - and development as well?

Not yet. Anyways...we know precisely what we have to do. We just need to get the politicians out of the way. Especially important that the Administration recognize that they were lied to "Big Time" by the Russians in exchange for the insane "Framework" attached to the Treaty of Moscow. It needs to be promptly and permanently jettisoned. Reagan never negotiated with SDI. It wasn't a bargaining chip for him. It was a fundamental core national value. Our right to safeguard ourselves is not negotiable.

Good for them.

Yes. We just have to be extra diligent that the technology doesn't leak as our quiet propeller technology leaked via Mitsubishi around 1984 or so to Russia. So far so good. The Japanese appear to be on board with operational and systemmic confidentiality with Aegis.

[Paul Ross]

Thanks for the link!

This portion is significant, because it is so confounding that the Administration subsequently went and deliberately killed Navy Area Wide in December, 2001...precisely the opposite direction of what Murdock clearly also advocated as politically essential:

The Bush administration could frustrate BMD opponents even further by testing boost-phase anti-missile technology. Designed to demolish hostile rockets as they slowly rise from their launch pads trailed by jets of hot gases, a low-tech, sea-based Aegis missile could splinter such a weapon relatively easily. Such tests would demonstrate that America could stop incoming rockets in both their boost- and space-flight phases. Later on, learning to destroy warheads as they descend in their terminal trajectories would round out a "layered defense."

What was amusing was the reminders in this article, wherein it describes Putin and the Russians "agreed" to killing the ABM treaty...when in fact it hadn't been in force since the demise of the Soviet Union. A treaty which the Soviets had flagrantly violated anyways with their SA-300 missiles, deploying over 10,000 of them along the periphery for a national missile defense, and the Krasnoyarsk Radar to help provide target tracking and control. And so far, they have also not been following through on the warhead reductions of the stupid Treaty of Moscow.

E.g., the Russian Generals rather brazenly announced three years ago that they are indeed keeping intact their stash of SS-18s until 2017 with over 2,300 warheads thereto just by itself. They also have a hot assembly line going turning out the newly perfected Topol-M which they persistently brag on being the best, most survivable mobile missile ever with MaRV, Stealth and FOBS capability. Immune to our kinetic interceptor technology. Which they got Bush to agree to limit.

Mean while Bush is pushing pell-mell to, in effect, unilaterally disarm the United States ahead of schedule pursuant the Treaty of Moscow. The MX is gone. Half to two-thirds of the Minuteman are gone or going. The Tridents are being cut by a third, or more if he gets his way. The B-1B is cut in half. The B-52 is almost gone. The US is not manufacturing tritium for the warheads which we have, and they are becoming inoperable.

This dangerous deterioration in our strategic deterrent posture (particularly as Putin and company shows his true Communist-Dicatatorship stripes) truly needs to be confronted and debated in the Congress. W and Condileeza Rice appears to not be paying attention. But the Left obviously won't raise the issue, because they want us to unilaterally disarm...and the Republicans won't break party unity, such as it is, over strategic nuclear issues...for fear of losing the one area where the public still has confidence in them...nuclear national security. Informing the public that things are deteriorating could have serious and embarassing political repercussions. So they are stalling hoping that we just get lucky.

But the solid conservatives are going to have to break ranks.

It appears that the Administration...and the U.S....are being played for saps by Pooty-Poot...and the people of the U.S. are being placed gravely at risk as a result...all for a delusory promise that someone's dangerous wishful thinking is not turning into reality.

[Paul Ross]

I saw a similar post of yours earlier. Very cool. Thanks

You're welcome. You'll note the footnotes are a treasure trove of links to solid information. It looks like we need to push hard, get a national movement going to deploy a solid Seabased NMD. No arbitrary or foolish political limits on essential capabilities to defend our national security.

Faustian bargains.

[bert]

.....My son .....

We conclude it's in the genes. :)

[Paul Ross]

If we whack NK's missile, you'll hear the libs screaming.

I doubt that. I think they will go either of two ways. They will either very quietly say, yes good, and then go onto their butt monkey, of the usual litany of saying that "this wasn't a real test because the NK missiles are so primitive, etc." OR some of them will even try to take credit for it. Hillary might have some of her stooges like Sandy Hamburglar claim that "clinton's military R&D" made this possible....sigh. They are not called DemonRATs for nothing.

[baseball_fan]

can it intercept before hitting Tokyo?

"At about noon Hawaii time -- 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time -- a target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai. USS Shiloh's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense 3.6 Weapon System detected and tracked the target and "developed a fire control solution," officials said. About four minutes later, the USS Shiloh's crew fired the SM-3, and two minutes later the missile intercepted the target warhead outside the Earth's atmosphere, more than 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean and 250 miles northwest of Kauai."

looking at Microsoft's virtual earth map, the distance from N.Korea to Japan appears to be approx 700 miles. since the test missle intercepted the target warhead 250 miles from its origin and 100 miles high, i assume the answer is clearly yes. if the N.Koreas were trying to hit Hawaii, i assume they would need a higher trajectory than if they were trying to hit Japan (in a worse case scenario versus just flying over Japan as a test like last time). a lower trajectory might be more difficult but there are still a few hundred miles available (700-250=450 mi margin of safety?) just a guess.

very impressive. peace through strength!

[pissant]

Yes, we need to keep pushing. I know the Airborne Laser system is very very promising as well.

[syriacus]

Thanks for providing the background to our chess game with Russia.

[syriacus]

Bookmarked!!

[syriacus]

My son was a part of this test at the Kauai site. One of the Engineers that built and launched the target missle -- sorry just a Dad puffing his chest out a little.

You are deservedly proud.

[GOPJ]

bump

[JoeGar]

My son was a part of this test at the Kauai site.

44 YEARS AGO I was a part of the testing of our anti-missile system at White Sands Missile Range. Missiles would be fired into White Sands from Green River, Utah, and a Nike Zeus would be launched to intercept them. One of my jobs was analyzing close-up photos of the "bullet trying to hit another bullet" in order to calculate miss distance. Our ABM system has been under development a long, long time.

[Sacajaweau]

Ronnie WAS RIGHT ALL THE WAY!!...from the morality issues to the security issues.

Kudos to your son!! (and Dad for supporting his commitment).

[SandRat]

or could it be that he stayed in Scouting to earn Eagle Rank with 4 palms and the Bronze Hornaday Award (the equivalent of another 4 Eagle Projects in Conservation/Nature/Environment -- Upholding Values America needs to return to???