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Brahmand Defence & Aerospace News: May 11, 2012



KAUAI, HAWAII (BNS): The US Navy has successfully tested an advanced variant of a sea-based missile interceptor by
shooting down a short-range ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

The missile defence test, involving the Raytheon-made Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block 1B missile, was conducted by the US Missile
Defense Agency (MDA) and the US Navy on May 10.

First, the target ballistic missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, located on Kauai, Hawaii at 8:18 p.m. Hawaiian
Standard Time (0618 GMT) and it flew on a northwesterly trajectory towards a broad ocean area of the Pacific Ocean.

Following the target launch, the Navy's Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) detected and tracked the
missile with its onboard AN/SPY-1 radar.

Equipped with the second-generation Aegis ballistic missile defence (BMD) weapon system, the missile cruiser then developed a fire
control solution and launched the SM-3 Block IB interceptor missile.

The SM-3 manoeuvered to a point in space, as designated by the fire control solution, and released its kinetic warhead. The warhead
acquired the target, diverted into its path, and, using only the force of a direct impact, engaged and destroyed the threat in a hit-to-kill
intercept, the US MDA said.

This was the first successful live fire intercept test of the SM-3 Block IB interceptor and the second-generation Aegis BMD 4.0.1
weapon system, the Missile Defense Agency said.