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THE US MILITARY will try to intercept an intercontinental ballistic missile in a landmark test of a defense system that comes amid broad tensions over North Korea’s weapons program, the Pentagon says.
Scheduled for Tuesday, the test is the first time the military will attempt to intercept an ICBM. Previous trials have been against intermediate-range missiles, which are slower.
Experts will launch a ground-based interceptor from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California at a mock-up of an ICBM fired from the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.
The exercise will check the performance of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which has had a checkered record in previous tests.
Though it succeeded in the last test in 2014, it failed during the three prior attempts.
The technology behind the GMD is extremely complex, and the system uses globally deployed sensors to detect and track ballistic missile threats.
In a move that the Pentagon says is akin to hitting a bullet with another bullet — though at far higher speeds — the missile launches into space, then deploys an “Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle” that uses kinetic energy to destroy the incoming target.
If the test is successful, it will prove that America has an effective ground-based defense against ICBMs, albeit on a limited scale.
The system will comprise 44 interceptors by the end of the year, so it could thwart an attack from a rogue state or a volley of rockets.
But the interceptors, based in California and Alaska, would be overwhelmed by a full-scale attack from countries like Russia or China, which could fire dozens of missiles at a time.
North Korea this year has conducted a series of missile tests as it strives to build an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States.
Pyongyang carried out two atomic tests last year, and has accelerated its missile launch program, despite tough UN sanctions aimed at denying Kim the hard currency needed to fund his weapons ambitions.
President Donald Trump has called Kim a “madman with nuclear weapons.”
- © AFP 2017.
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Wow. I kind of assumed they could already do this…
@Matty Kineven: Same, I thought they could do with all sorts of missiles. Slightly more worried now.
@Heroin Chic: It’s okay! We can hide in my Mummy’s basement and play Minecraft forever and ever!!
@Matty Kineven: yay
@Heroin Chic: You should be worried. Because, in response to the US developing this technology, the Russians, Chinese and others have, and continue, to develop multiple warhead ICBMs to counteract this so-called “defence” technology; i.e. the US are basically feeding a new and more deadly nuclear arms race. What they, along with the Russians, Chinese and others should do is comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treat (NNPT) and start the process of eliminating nuclear weapons. They should also pressurise other nuclear weapons states into signing the treaty – not just North Korea, but also India, Pakistan and Israel. This is the only way to make the world a safer place from nuclear war.
President Donald Trump has called Kim a “madman with nuclear weapons.”
Kettle, pot and black are three words that spring to mind.
@ benny , lets not give simpleton Trump credit for anything approaching the level of tech know how it would take to do this . If Kim tweeded he liked trumpleltons hair do ,hed be invited to the white house to read their state secrets in a private booth full of hookers
@Benny McHale: Dumb and dumber comes to mind.
The United states of America is a rouge nation that is totally out of control. America Has Been at War 93% of the Time – 222 out of 239 Years – Since 1776 and that’s a fact.
@Frank: that’s just a statistic on it’s own. Without giving context to each war it fought, it’s meaningless.
@Frank: also, it needs to be updated
@Frank: never mind frank your pay master and supper good guy Putin is already taking care of it because he never goes to war, only America and it’s proxies do isn’t that right
@Frank: Your pulling stats out your hole
@Frank: “a rouge nation”….. Have you tried telling them to cut back on the makeup?
With America in charge, what could go wrong?
Having been only back from super 2 week Road Trip of the USA…They should concentrate on getting their public toilets standards from Third World to World Class especially at the Californian beaches… what I saw in Oceanside was shocking…think about fixing the homeland first before blowing the feck outa what ever country is trending as a possible threat!.
@David O Connor: Whereas in Dublin there are no Public Toilets…problem solved
@David O Connor: I was in Amsterdam last year I had to put coins to use the toilet. And let me tell you it was smelly and disgusting. Here in CA there are public toilet in all gas station, in beaches even a rest stop in the middle of the desert, and they are totally free for everyone even for tourist like you. Almost all thebtime they are very well maintained. I dont think 3 world country provides free toilet not even Europe, and yes free toilet paper too.
@David O Connor: what a weird comment.
A pie in the sky for example the Russian rocket the SS-X-30 SATAN 2 – has 10 warheads and after re-entry hits targets at Mach 27 – 20700+mph, that is what you call the end of the world, finito, goodnight, so long etc etc. This defensive rocket is about as useful peotection as a paper bag froma blow of a hurl. Article does kinda state that.
@Austin Rock: I suppose it’s a test to see whether the concept can be entertained.
Like Israel’s Iron Dome and other missile defence systems, they might work but they can be overwhelmed by sheer volume.
@Austin Rock: Mach 27…Jesus… lot of energy in that. Hard to think of anything but the ground stopping that. Sounds like destroying them before re-entry is the only practical solution. Well that, and not firing them obviously… I have an app that shows the blast radius from various nuclear weapons, allows you to place the “blast circle” anywhere on the map to show effects of selected warhead. Interesting and scary. Check it out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=es.smvarela.nukeblast
“GMD is extremely complex, and the system uses globally deployed sensors to detect and track ballistic missile threats” Weres the Malaysia Airlines Flight so?
@Murr Paul:
Was Malaysia Airlines a ballistic missile threat?
Ah sure its grand , the auld USA run by a mad man , no problems here, really no difference between Him & Kim!
Maybe they should aim it at the white house and if it fails it’ll still be win win.
What else is there to do with the cash no that all are other issues are sorted
Well if they can put a bozo in the white house, knocking a bullet out of the air should be easy!
And if they miss which way is it going?
Trump is a bozo
Wow go Donald go.
@Sallins Man:
Donald is alert, hands-on and a front liner when it comes to sussing global threats.
Note the way he swatted away the Montenegrin Prime Minister this week in Brussels at that NATO summit to allow clear sight of the horizon for any ICBMs.
“We missed it by 137 miles???”
#obscure
@Brian Dunleavy: not obscure at all
Megabucks spent whilst their own people in USA go homeless
@eastsmer An intercontinental missile has the potential to make a lot more people homeless.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: and diplomacy is far more likely to prevent an attack.
Very, very dangerous.
How about a revolutionary thought – not waste trillions of dollars on nonsense weapons and instead put the money into finding a cure for cancer
have your say