U.S. test-fires missile interceptor destined for Europe

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States has announced the first live firing test of a missile interceptor destined to be stationed initially in Romania and then elsewhere in Europe, according to the Guardian.

The test of the system, known as Aegis, comes amid tensions between NATO and Russia over the annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

The Obama administration's current European Phased Adaptive Approach calls for the first Aegis Ashore site to be operational in Romania in 2015, with a second site to follow in Poland in 2018.

The test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawaii late on Tuesday marked a significant milestone for the system, which is designed to protect U.S. and NATO forces in Europe from a ballistic missile attack.

A Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, said the test "is important because it's similar to the system that's being shipped to Romania for deployment by the end of next year".

During the test the Aegis system used on U.S. warships around the world detected, tracked and engaged a simulated ballistic missile target using Raytheon's Standard Missile 3 Block IB, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the companies.

Lockheed said it was the first test of the Aegis system using a land-based missile launcher.

Riki Ellison, founder of the non-profit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said the test meant NATO's missile defense shield, developed at a cost of around US$800m, was becoming a reality. He said the Aegis missile defense system had achieved 28 successful test intercepts over the past 11 years.

Shipment of components required for the facility that will house the Aegis Ashore weapon in Romania, including the deckhouse, radar and vertical launch system, would begin this summer, said Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner. Interceptors would follow when the facility was built, he said.

The land-based system uses the same SM-3 missile deployed on Aegis warships and holds 24 SM-3 missiles at one time. The system could be expanded to hold more launchers and missiles, Raytheon said, according to the Guardian.

Russia has previously criticized U.S. plans to put missile defense systems in nearby countries and the Obama administration subsequently scaled back the program, which had originally included ground-based radar and interceptors in the Czech Republic and Poland.