The U.S. Navy plans to deploy an Aegis-class destroyer in the eastern
Mediterranean by January to help guard Israel against an attack by Iraqi Scud missiles.
U.S. officials said a program of six tests of the Aegis will be conducted to develop an emergency deployment
sea-based ballistic missile defense against short- to medium-range ballistic
missiles.
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An Aries target is seen seconds after lift-off from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, in Kauai, Hawaii, on Nov. 22. Three and one-half minutes later the target would be intercepted by a developmental Standard Missile-3, launched from the Pearl Harbor-based Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie. AP Photo/US Navy
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The first test was successfully conducted Thursday in
the Pacific Ocean.
The officials said in January the destroyer will participate in
an exercise with Israeli air defense and its air force in an effort to
bolster missile defense, Middle East Newsline reported.
They said the U.S. destroyer will remain off the
Israeli coast to protect against any Iraqi medium-range missiles fired
toward Tel Aviv and the surrounding area.
The Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy said the Aegis Ballistic
Missile Defense system successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched from the
Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. On Thursday,
a developmental Standard Missile 3 [SM-3] was fired from the Aegis ballistic
missile defense cruiser USS Lake Erie and acquired, tracked and diverted
into the target.
"This was the third consecutive target intercept," a Defense Department
statement said. "The primary objective of this test is to demonstrate the
Aegis BMD [ballistic missile defense] system capability to engage the
ballistic missile target in the ascent phase of flight."
Officials said the Pentagon has collected extensive engineering
evaluation data for analyses in preparation for future
flight tests. They said this data will be evaluated to incorporate changes
any changes in the system.
"There are no problems with interoperability," a defense official said.
"But there are problems with the Aegis radar and its ability to distinguish
between a Scud warhead and missile debris. This is a major challenge that
the system faces."
The last Aegis test was conducted on June 13 and was deemed the first
successful intended intercept by the
Aegis. Since then, the project has accelerated its flight-testing objectives
and Thursday's test marks the beginning of a six flight test series to
develop an emergency deployment sea-based ballistic missile defense against
short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.
Raytheon Missile Systems is the prime contractor for the development of
the SM-3 Missile. Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems
manages the development of the Aegis Weapon System installed in Aegis
cruisers and destroyers.
