Missile Fails To Hit Its Target In Key Test Of Country's Ballistic Missile Defense System

[Purveyor]

Source: AL.com

Military officials said they will work to find the reason a missile fired from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California failed to intercept a target over the Pacific Ocean in tests held Friday.

The test was the first in more than four years involving shooting down a surrogate missile incoming towards the U.S. and was supposed to serve as a showcase for the country's missile defenses.

The Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Air Force 30th Space Wing, Joint Functional Component Command, Integrated Missile Defense and U.S. Northern Command conducted the integrated exercise and flight test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense element of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense system.

The missile launched from Vandenburg was supposed to intercept the long-range ballistic missile target fired from the Army's Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean but failed to do so.

Read more: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/07/missile_fails_to_hit_its_targe.html

[KittyWampus]

1. reminds me of the constant stream of FAIL stories from the Reagan years & Star Wars.

I want my money back.

[Purveyor]

2. At best, missile defence could take out a few missiles from rogues states such as NKorea when

they have the means to deliver.

The folly that such a system to could intercept a full scale attack by Russia/China or any other country with more than a handful of intercontinental missiles is laughable and goddamned expensive.

[loudsue]

3. "Goddamned expensive"....yep. EXACTLY what the mic wants it to be.

Keep those tax dollars rolling.

[Fuddnik]

4. Still trying this stoopid shit.

[Crowman1979]

5. Education? Helping the poor? SCREW THAT!

We've got a failing missile defense system we have to fund!

[Triana]

6. STILL? Shit. Look up the PATRIOT missile system...

I worked for a defense contractor in the 1980s on this project and they were doing this shit back then. It never worked. The project was insanely over budget and off schedule. It didn't work then. It doesn't work now. I can't believe they're still messing with this shit! And we're STILL PAYING FOR IT!



http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/gao/im92026.htm

[Strelnikov_]

7. "I had a guaranteed military sale with Ballistic Missile Defense. . . .

"I had a guaranteed military sale with Ballistic Missile Defense. Renovation program. Spare parts for 25 years. Who cares if it worked or not?"

[JackRiddler]

8. GOING ON THIRTY YEARS OF THIS PLUNDER

[PuffedMica]

17. Thirty years? More like 50

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_Zeus

Nike Zeus
ABM
Strategic Defense Initiative

Once started, it never ended.

[JackRiddler]

20. True, thanks for reminding me.

Except the original ABM programs were limited by the ABM treaty. At any rate, this illusion has been enriching contractors for at least that long!

[RC]

9. Sounds like somebody forgot to turn on the homing beacon in the target.

And even when the homing beacon is on, it can fail to hit the target.

[MsPithy]

10. The West Wing, season 2, episode 12.

137 miles, nuf said.

[watoos]

11. The Cheneys' could care less, Mrs. Cheney is a bigshot at Lockheed Martin.

Just follow the money.

[L0oniX]

12. Gee I really feel safe now. Too much going to the NSA ...and not enough going to actually defend us?

This government, military and its political system are really whacked out.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

13. Japan has an anti-missile system, yet is still concerned about N. Korean weapons facilities

This according to NHK news. The Japanese military is confident in their anti-missile capabilities, but is concerned that the large number of nuclear missiles N. Korea is building will overwhelm Japan's defenses.

NHK World News

[rwsanders]

14. Obviously someone forgot to turn on the homing beacon. Helped all the "successful" tests during the

Bush administration.

[Purveyor]

15. I remember THAT. Thank you for posting. eom

[Festivito]

21. Worse yet, maybe they DID have it on ... again ...

... and just wasted our tax dollars for Republican supporters for even less of a good result.

Years without testing it. Years.

[Bigmack]

16. Am I in some kind of time-warp? Is it 1985? "Missile Fail"? No Shit! nt

[Duckwraps]

19. I think Russia had a major failure last week also. One carring nav sats nt

[KansDem]

18. Any other SoCal folks remember Vandenburg launch terminations?

I remember growing in SoCal during the 1950s-1970s, the rare Vandenburg launch that resulted in a test missile having to be destroyed while in flight over the ocean.

It was like a huge Fourth of July display. Colorful, but expensive.

[Doctor_J]

22. well then - better give DoD more money!

that's the only way to fix this

[Doc_Technical]

23. The only way to take out an ICBM

is to disable it during the boost phase before it can
deploy its warheads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIRV

[AverageJoe90]

24. Damn. They'd better fix this shit.....

Because if N. Korea or Iran ever DOES decide to attack us, and if this system ends up failing to save lives, someone in the DoD is gonna have a LOT of fucking explaining to do. Fucking lazyasses better stop wasting our tax dollars and make this thing work or abandon it altogether.....