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U.S. Anti-Missile Test Mimicking Iran Attack Fails

(Reuters) Jim Wolf - A U.S. attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile mimicking an attack from Iran failed after a radar malfunction in a test over the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, the Defense Department said. "The Sea-Based X-band radar did not perform as expected," the agency said. The SBX radar is a major component of U.S. defenses against long-range missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads. It was the first time the U.S. had tested its long-range defense against a simulated Iranian attack. The test coincided with a Pentagon report that Iran had expanded its ballistic missile capabilities and posed a "significant" threat to U.S. and allied forces in the Middle East. The Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Review released on Monday said Tehran had developed and acquired ballistic missiles capable of striking targets from the Middle East to Eastern Europe and had fielded increasing numbers of mobile regional ballistic missiles. The report also singled out Syria's short-range missiles as a "regional threat," saying Damascus may have chemical warheads available for some of its missiles.
2010-02-02 07:49:07
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