US Test Missile Misses its Pacific Target

Monday, February 1, 2010 at 11:31 am under World Breaking news

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE: The Air Force says a missile-intercept test failed when a long-range missile launched from California missed a target missile launched from a Pacific island because of radar problems.

A statement posted on the Vandenberg Air Force Base Web site says the target missile was launched from the Kwajale in Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Sunday at about 3:40 p.m. local time (2340 GMT) and the long-range interceptor missile was launched from California’s central coast shortly after.

The statement says both missiles launched and flew without trouble but the system’s sea-based X-band radar did not perform as expected and the interceptor missed its target. The statement says officials from the Missile Defense Agency that conducted the test will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure.