Another Navy ballistic missile intercept reportedly fails in Hawaii
The United States Navy has reportedly failed in testing a ballistic missile intercept again.
The test shoot of the SM-3 Block IIA fired from test site in Hawaii failed Wednesday, CNN initially reported, but the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) refused to confirm the news.
MDA spokesman Mark Wright acknowledged that the test had been conducted in a statement.
“The Missile Defense Agency and US Navy sailors manning the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex (AAMDTC) conducted a live-fire missile flight test using a Standard-Missile (SM)-3 Block IIA missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, Wednesday morning,” he said.
The failure would mark the second such unsuccessful test in a year.
Last year, the same test failed when the launched missile self-destructed before reaching its target.
US officials have reportedly said the reason for Pentagon not to acknowledge the failure is “sensitivities” around the issue of North Korea.
Officials: US missile defense test failed in Hawaii early Weds. Pentagon not publicly acknowledging key ballistic missile defense test failure & officials tell @barbarastarrcnn there is a decision to not talk about it, in part because of sensitivities surrounding North Korea.
— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) January 31, 2018
The nuclear powers, whose leader, Kim Jong-un has been engaged in a war of words with President Donald Trump, appears to be progressing towards the capability to strike the US mainland with nuclear-armed missiles.
During his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump suggested that Pyongyang is approaching the know-how.
“North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening,” said the president less than 24 hours before the failiure.
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