US officials still plan to activate a ballistic-missile defence system in the wake of a discomfiting flight-test failure, but have become shy about committing to a fast-approaching year-end deadline.
President George Bush is "firmly committed to moving forward" on a two-year-old initiative to convert a former missile defence testbed into an operational system, the White House says.
The US Missile Defense Agency has installed all the components of what is called the Block 2004 "initial defensive capability" (IDC) for the Boeing ground-based missile defence system, and has certificated the crews for the mission, says agency chief Lt Gen Trey Obering.
The capability encompasses seven interceptors in Alaska and California, two upgraded early-warning radars on the US Pacific Coast, an Aegis radar-equipped US Navy cruiser and a battle management centre in Colorado. All that remains is agreeing tactics and procedures for command and control of a system designed to engage a limited attack by intercontinental ballistic missiles, says Obering.
The sobering results of the flight-test failure on 15 December, in which a "minor glitch" caused the Orbital Sciences booster rocket for the missile interceptor to automatically shut down during the pre-launch sequence, are not expected to affect plans to activate the system, but it is unclear if the schedule has changed. Obering avoided answering a direct question about whether the IDC can be achieved by the end of 2004, and the White House's statement of support dropped any reference to the year-end deadline set in December 2002.
stephen trimble / washington dc
Source: Flight International
