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The US launched an interceptor missile from Hawaii which missed its target, according to Defense Department officials. This defense test, conducted on Wednesday, set out with the aim of having the missile hit a dummy missile.
This interceptor was an SM-3 Block IIA missile from the Raytheon Company. The failure of the test is supported by two Defense Department officials, who confirmed it anonymously.
According to them, the missile missed its incoming target and authorities are now trying to determine the cause of this failure.
“The Missile Defense Agency and US Navy sailors manning the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex (AAMDTC) conducted a live-fire missile flight test using a Standard-Missile (SM)-3 Block IIA missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, Wednesday morning,” said Mark Wright, a Defense Department spokesman.
The official denied a defense test failure. According to the anonymous sources, officials are allegedly hiding the failure due to North Korea’s participation in the upcoming Olympic Games.
The Second Allegedly Failed Defense Test
There was another highly discussed defense test targeting this missile in June 2017. At the time, the test might have failed, but nothing was disclosed for sure. However, in January 2017, US officials successfully tested the same missile.
This test came as a novelty, as it is the first time that the missile was launched from the shore, rather than from a warship.
The SM-3 missile does not raise concerns, as it targets intermediate-range missiles from adversaries. After successful testing, it could be used as a defense element in the Pacific region.
According to news sources, last August, the US successfully intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile near the coast of Hawaii.
Also, in November of the same year, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that achieved a higher and longer flight than expected. Analysts claimed that this would be able to reach Washington or other areas from the continental US.
Image source: Pixabay
