The Hindu : US missile test successful

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 17, 2002

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US missile test successful

Washington, March 16. The Pentagon scored its fourth successful missile interception when a ground-based interceptor missile destroyed a dummy warhead over the Pacific in a test, Pentagon officials said. ``Intercept was achieved at 9:41 p.m. (local time)'' on Friday, said a spokeswoman, Cheryl Irwin.

Roaring into space from the Kwajalein Atoll, the interceptor released a ``kill vehicle'' that sought out and struck the target exactly 30 minutes after it was launched from Vandenberg Air Force base in California, Ms Irwin said. It was the third consecutive intercept for the Pentagon's ground-based mid-course missile defence system, formerly known as the National Missile Defence system. In six tests, it has hit its target four times.

The latest test was almost identical to the previous three except that this time the ``kill vehicle'' had to distinguish the warhead from three balloon decoys, two more than in previous tests. Past tests have been criticised by opponents of the missile defence programme.

— AFP

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US missile test successful