***Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering is set to retire, ending his 35-year military career. Among his other accomplishments, Obering helped the National Reconnaissance Office secure an out-of-control spy satellite loaded with 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel. The office was concerned the fuel would kill people when the satellite landed. Using a missile interceptor, the agency shot down the satellite. (Source)
*** To protect itself against “possible missile attack,” Turkey intends to acquire eight missile defense systems, according to Murat Bayar, an undersecretary for Defense Ministry. The first target date is 2010. Turkey is negotiating with China, Israel, Russia, and the U.S. to obtain these systems. (Source)
*** An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile launched successfully earlier this week, according to the U.S. Air Force. Traveling about 4,220 miles over the Pacific, the missile’s targets were close to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. (Source)
*** For the first time, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Aegis radar systems worked together to destroy a warhead dummy target just below the 60-mile envelope of the earth’s atmosphere off the Hawaiian coast in June. According to MDA spokesman Rick Lehner, “THAAD radar was able to direct and cue the Aegis radar,” which was “very significant for the missile defense infrastructure to be able to pass along radar cues to other platforms like Aegis.” (Source)
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, working in concert with Lockheed Martin, successfully conducted a test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System in Hawaii last night. The intercept was the fifth successful test for THAAD system in five attempts.
KGMB9 News noted that this was first time the military needed to identify a mock warhead that separated from booster rockets. “Six minutes later,” the station reported, “an interceptor was launched from the Pacific Missile Range. It hit the mock warhead destroying it.” See the video at right.
The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin have more details on the successful test, which marked the 29th of 30 successful tests conducted since September 2005.
“Preliminary indications are that planned flight test objectives were achieved,” the agency reported in a release from Lt. Gen. Henry “Trey” Obering. “This test involved the intercept of a separating target (mock warhead separated from the booster rockets) in the ‘midendoatmosphere’ (inside the earth’s atmosphere). The target, representing a threat ballistic missile, was launched from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean at 4:16 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (10:16 p.m. EDT). Approximately six minutes later the interceptor missile was launched from a mobile THAAD launcher on the range facility.”
One additional THAAD test is scheduled at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii, by the end of the year.
“This successful mission once again proves THAAD’s outstanding performance, this time against a new target type. The THAAD Team has again met the challenge and delivered mission success,” said Tom McGrath, program manager and vice president for THAAD at Lockheed Martin. “As we meet our increasing flight test objectives, the protection THAAD will provide to our Warfighters, friends and allies around the world becomes more significant.”
Photos and video of the test are available on the Missile Defense Agency website.
*** Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering is set to retire, ending his 35-year military career. Among his other accomplishments, Obering helped the National Reconnaissance Office secure an out-of-control spy satellite loaded with 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel. The office was concerned the fuel would kill people when the satellite landed. Using a missile interceptor, the agency shot down the satellite. (Source)