Hawaii Missile Defense Test Failed To Intercept Target

The interceptor was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official says a missile interceptor failed to hit its target in a test conducted in Hawaii on Wednesday.

The official was not authorized to discuss the outcome and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said test data is being analyzed to determine why the interceptor, known as a Standard Missile 3 Block IIA, did not hit the target..

This Aug. 29, 2017 photo provided by the Department of Defense shows a medium-range ballistic missile target is launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The U.S. military has shot down a medium range ballistic missile during a test off Hawaii. The Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai Island launched the target missile late Tuesday, Aug. 29. Sailors aboard the destroyer USS John Paul Jones tracked the target with radar and then fired an interceptor missile to shoot it down. The test comes amid ongoing North Korean ballistic missile tests. Earlier Tuesday (Latonja Martin/Department of Defense via AP)
This file photo provided by the Department of Defense shows a medium-range ballistic missile target as it launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai. AP

The failed test was first reported by CNN.

The Missile Defense Agency, which manages U.S. missile defense systems, issued a statement saying the interceptor was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, but did not reveal the outcome.

The interceptor is being developed in cooperation with Japan and is to be deployed on land as well as aboard ships.

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