Missile interceptor misses target

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

NEW YORK, JULY 8. The Missile Defence Test over the Pacific in the early hours of Saturday, a key phase in the U.S. National Missile Defence programme, failed, the Pentagon said. The missile interceptor not only missed the target but did not even try to hit it.

According to officials, the ``kill vehicle'' which was to guide itself in the path of a dummy warhead did not separate from the booster to activate the sensors. The failure is attributed to its not receiving the necessary signals. The interceptor passed the target ``harmlessly''.

The $ 100 million test is the third in the series and second to fail. ``... We have more engineering work to do,'' said Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, Director of the Defence Department's Ballistic Missile Defence Organisation.

Analysts said the failure could mean a delay in the overall National Missile Defence programme, whose target date is 2005. More tests are scheduled before the target date. The next one is planned for this Fall.

Saturday' test was delayed by more than two hours. A modified Minuteman Inter Continental Ballistic Missile with a dummy warhead was fired from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and several minutes later, the interceptor was fired from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. The intended 25,600 km- an-hour collision was set 225 km above the earth.

Political elements

More than its technical nature, the third test had all political elements. The National Missile Defence system will be a major foreign policy issue in the coming presidential elections. The President, Mr. Bill Clinton, is due to take a decision on the programme which has evoked serious objections not only within the country but from Russia and China as well. Mr. Clinton will take a decision by the Fall. He favours a modest missile defence programme. Hardline Conservatives on Capitol Hill and the likely Republican nominee, Mr. George W Bush are pushing for a more comprehensive programme which will protect not only the 50 States but U.S. allies as well.

Even before the test got under way, it was maintained that the outcome would have little bearing on Mr. Clinton's decision, which was in the direction of moving towards building a missile defence system. Critics have been saying this is not feasible. Politically it was argued that a move in the direction of a national missile would set in motion a new nuclear arms race.

The Pentagon says a missile defence system using 100 interceptors would cost around $ 36 billions. Moscow has maintained that the tests are the first step toward global ``nuclear instability'' and China sees a Taiwan angle. Allies of the U.S. have also expressed reservations.

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