A much-touted test of the U.S. anti-missile shield failed yesterday when the kill vehicle failed to launch due to an unknown technical reason. The target missile launched successfully from Kodiak Island, Alaska about a quarter hour prior to the kill vehicle’s failure. The $85 million test was the first test in two years for the $10 billion a year program. A successful hit would have allowed the U.S. Administration to consider deploying a rudimentary system based on the current technology. Michael Wynne, the Defense Departments head of procurement told reporters that, while the goal had been set to have something up and running by the end of this year, “I’m not constrained by timing, exactly.”
Of the eight tests run so far on the program, five of them have scored kills in highly scripted conditions. Boeing is the prime contractor, working with Northrop Grumman for battle management and Raytheon for the kill vehicle. Lockheed Martin and Orbital Sciences contribute booster rockets.
Marines flew their MV-22 Ospreys aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge as part of a flight qualification program for air crew. Pilots performed at least five landings each over the last week on several of the five landing spots and conducted at least two short takeoffs each. The star-crossed Osprey program, beset with safety issues early on and accusations of false safety reporting, initially brought some skepticism among the Kearsarge crew, according to the Navy newsletter. The successful landing, though, seemed to dispel initial wariness. Bell Helicopter, Textron and Boeing all have hands in the new Marine workhorse designed to replace the ancient CH-46E and CH Ch-54D helicopters.
A Russian official against stated his country’s intent to continue helping Iran with its nuclear efforts, saying that his upcoming visit to Tehran to sign a nuclear fuel delivery agreement “depends on Tehran’s readiness to sign the contract.” The two countries have been wrestling over technical details of the fuel delivery agreement, which is sometimes characterized as requiring spent fuel to be returned to Russia (often by Russians) and sometimes characterized as not requiring this safeguard (usually by Iranians). The project was to cost a total of $800 million.
