The U.S. Defense Department has announced a successful test of an interceptor missile that destroys an intercontinental ballistic missile. © AP
US destroys ICBM in test using missile developed with Japan
The SM-3 Block 2A
is being developed as the successor to SM-3 Block 1A to provide extended coverage for defense.
It is also expected to have improved capabilities to deal with ballistic missiles fired at a more lofted angle than a normal trajectory.
Japanese technology
is used in parts of the interceptor such as its nose cone.
The SM-3 Block 2A intercepted a mock ballistic missile in its first live target test in early 2017, according to Raytheon.
Nikkei Asia
A US Navy destroyer just shot down an intercontinental ballistic missile target for the first time
The SM-3 Block IIA
is an interceptor developed by Raytheon Missiles & Defense in partnership with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Tuesday’s intercept test
was the sixth time the ship-launched interceptor has been tested against a simulated missile threat.
Although the interceptor was originally built to take down intermediate-range ballistic missiles,
the US military has demonstrated a new capability.
«This first-of-its-kind test shows that our nation has a viable option for a new layer of defense against long-range threats,»
said Bryan Rosselli,the vice president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, in a separate statement.
As Tuesday’s ICBM intercept test
was a preliminary test of a new combat capability, the ICBM target did not deploy countermeasures.
Even though the test was not a complex, fully-operational evaluation, the test stressed the interceptor, pushing it beyond what it was initially designed to do.
The MDA said in its statement that the SM-3 Block IIA will be evaluated further.
A sea-based counter-ICBM capabilitywould augment the existing ground-based missile defense systems in place to protect the US from threats long-range missile threats,
such as those posed by China, Russia, and more recently North Korea.
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SM-3 Block IIA missile intercepts an ICBM-class target for the first time
The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
tested an SM-3 Block IIA interceptor against an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class target for the first time on 17 November,
potentially adding a significant new layer to US strategic defences.
For the test, designated FTM-44,
the ICBM-representative target was launched from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site,
located on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, toward the broad ocean area northeast of Hawaii”,
MDA spokesman Mark Wright said.
In this developmental test, the [US Navy Aegis-equipped] destroyer
used engage-on-remote capabilities through the Command and Control Battle Management Communications (C2BMC) network as part of a defense of Hawaii scenario.
After receiving tracking data from the C2BMC system, the destroyer la、unched an SM-3 Block IIA guided missile, which destroyed the target,
Wright said.Janes understands that USS John Finn (DDG 113) launched the interceptor. Wright said,
“the test met its primary objective”, which was to demonstrate the SM-3 Block IIA’s ability to intercept a target at ICBM speeds and ranges.
SM-3 Block IIA interceptors
were designed for intermediate-range missile intercepts (3,000–5,500 km) but the US Congress mandated it be tested against an ICBM-class target (greater than 5,500 km) before the end of 2020.
This event was the sixth flight test of an Aegis ballistic missile defence (BMD)-equipped vessel launching an SM-3 Block IIA.
It was scheduled for May but delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.