U.S. PAC-3 successfully intercepts Scud missile in test

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.