U.S. PAC-3 successfully intercepts Scud missile in test
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has expressed satisfaction with the
performance of the PAC-3 anti-missile defense system.
U.S. Army officials said the system has demonstrated reliability in a
series of tests to defend against theater ballistic missiles. The PAC-3 is
the latest version of the Patriot missile, originally developed for defense
against enemy aircraft.
On Saturday, the PAC-3 succeeded in the latest test when it intercepted
a Scud-class missile. The test was conducted over the White Sands Missile
Range
in New Mexico and was the seventh straight success for PAC-3.
In the test, two PAC-3 missiles intercepted an incoming Hera ballistic
missile. The Hera is meant to simulate a Scud-class missile fired by Iraq
during the 1991 Gulf war.
U.S. Army officials said an earlier-generation PAC-2 missile was also
fired to destroy the Hera.
"Preliminary test data indicate that the PAC-3 and PAC-2 missiles
intercepted their assigned tactical ballistic missile targets and all other
test objectives appear to have been met,'' the U.S. Army said in a
statement.
The PAC-3 missile is more than five meters long [17 feet] and is
designed to protect U.S. bases from short- and medium-range ballistic
missiles. But U.S. defense sources said PAC-3 can also be used to protect
cities from missile attack.
Raytheon integrates the PAC-3 system. The seeker for the interceptor was
developed by Lockheed Martin.
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
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