WASHINGTON Ñ The United States plans to conduct its first missile defense interception test since the Pentagon suspended activities determined to be in violation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

The NMD test on Saturday will also be the first since the Sept. 11 Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington. The U.S. efforts to form a coalition against terrorism and recruit Russia led to an understanding to suspend several tests.

The test will involve the launch of a long-range missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The modified Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile, will carry a mock warhead and a single decoy. Officials said the Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization was to have conducted this test on Oct. 24.

Officials said 20 minutes after launch of the target missile, the interceptor will be fired. The interceptor is meant to destroy the target missile about 10 minutes later during the midcourse phase of the target warhead's flight.

"This will be an integrated system test, with all representative system elements participating: space-based missile warning sensor; ground-based early warning radar, the prototype X-Band radar at Kwajalein Atoll and the battle management, command, control and communications system located at the Joint National Test Facility in Colorado Springs, Colo. and Kwajalein Atoll," a Pentagon statement said on Thursday.

The United States has succeeded in two out of four attempts to intercept an intercontinental ballistic missile. Officials stressed that the planned launch will not violate the ABM treaty.

Last month, the Pentagon suspended two tests that was to have used a ship-borne Aegis radar to track ballistic missiles. The tests, officials said, would have violated the ABM treaty, which bans the development and testing of sea-based missile defense systems.

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