January 23, 2006
Anti-Missile Missiles Can't?
KINETIC ENERGY KILL FOR BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
A new report from the Congressional Research Service presents a skeptical overview of the development of kinetic energy interceptors -- anti-missile missiles -- for defense against incoming ballistic missiles.
"The data on the U.S. flight test effort to develop a national missile defense (NMD) system are mixed and ambiguous. There is no recognizable pattern to explain this record nor is there conclusive evidence of a learning curve over more than two decades of developmental testing."
item\archived | Secrecy News
report (10pp) http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL33240.pdf
~How much has been spent since the Reagan years on a national missile defense system? Remember Star Wars? Heads are gonna roll! (I joke because I care.)
Mock-up of KEI Interceptor (36 feet long, 36 inches diameter). Raytheon is developing the kill vehicle, Orbital is designing the booster, ATK will provide the engine, and Aerojet will provide the Divert and Attitude Control System. (Orbital photo) @
[photo Northrup Grumman not CRS or FAS]