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Feb 2, 2010

US missile test fails

WASHINGTON - A MAIDEN US attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile mimicking an attack from Iran failed after a malfunction in a radar built by Raytheon Co, the Defence Department said. The Missile Defence Agency said both the target missile, fired from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, and the interceptor, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, had performed normally after launch on Sunday. 'However, the Sea-Based X-band radar did not perform as expected,' the agency said on its web site. Officials will investigate the cause of the failure to intercept, it said.

The SBX radar is a major component of the ground-based midcourse defence, the sole US bulwark against long-range missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads. Raytheon and Boeing, which manages the overall system, had no immediate comment. Harris Corp, which provides systems engineering for the SBX radar, said their technology was not involved. It was the first time the United States had tested its long-range defense against a simulated Iranian attack. Previous drills have imitated a flight path from North Korea, another country in a standoff with the international community over its nuclear program. -- REUTERS