U.S. Missile Fails in Test to Intercept Target

February 18, 2002 - 0:0
WASHINGTON -- A missile that the U.S. military hopes will be part of the Bush administration's controversial Missile Defense Program failed to intercept its target during a test on Saturday, the U.S. army said. The PAC-3 Missile, made by Lockheed Martin Corp., was supposed to intercept a cruise missile target in Saturday's test in New Mexico, Reuters reported. Two other older Raytheon Co. PAC-2 missiles also were launched as part of Saturday's test. The army said only one of the two missiles scored a successful hit, destroying a drone aircraft. The "hit-to-kill" missiles are designed to collide with their targets in flight at high speed. But opponents of the anti-missile system have argued that technological problems could prevent the program from becoming a viable defense system for the United States.