The United States completed a successful missile defense test over the Pacific on 1 September 2006. A ground-based interceptor fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California hit a dummy ballistic missile that had been launched from Kodiak, Alaska. The interception occurred at 1746 GMT.
The test was originally set for Thursday but delayed a day by bad weather in Kodiak. Defense officials said beforehand that the main goal was to confirm the improved interceptor could acquire its target, not necessarily to achieve a hit.
The system had previously succeeded in five of 10 intercept attempts, with the last success dating to October 2002. Interceptors had failed to lift from their silos in December 2004 and February 2005. This was also the first test since North Korea's 4 July 2006 launch of multiple missiles.
Seven Democratic lawmakers had sent Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a letter questioning the system's reliability, arguing that scripted tests, in which launch times are known and only one missile is used, do not reflect realistic conditions. Missile Defense Agency director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said future tests would be made "even more challenging," with each costing $80 to $100 million. The next run is expected in late 2006 or early 2007.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.