Pentagon Confident Over Upcoming Missile Defense Test

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 01, 2001

Pentagon Confident Over Upcoming Missile Defense Test

The Pentagon expressed confidence Friday over a ground-based missile defense test planned Saturday as part of the controversial National Missile Defense (NMD) program, saying a successful test would lead to more complicated and realistic tests soon.

"We are confident that our test tomorrow will proceed as planned," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.

If an interceptor rocket succeeds in shooting down a mock warhead over the Pacific in the test, the Pentagon will conduct more complicated tests in the next phase, such as including defensive measures in the "attacking" missiles to confuse the interception, he said at a news briefing.

The test, tentatively scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST (0200 GMT) Saturday and 1:00 am EST (0600 GMT) on Sunday. It will be the fifth of its kind.

During the test, a mock warhead will be fired from a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. About 20 minutes later, an interceptor missile will be fired from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

About 10 minutes later the intercept would take place at an altitude of approximately 140 miles (225 kilometers) above the central Pacific Ocean.

Past glitches had been fixed after two of the four previous tests failed, said Kadish. But he added that if the interceptor misses in the test, it would not be regarded as a failure. "There is some chance that we missed something, and that's why we're testing."

Many countries have expressed opposition to Washington's plan to build an NMD system, saying it would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty signed by the U.S. and former Soviet Union, thus disrupting the foundation for a strategic international stability.

US to Launch Missile Defense Test Saturday