Accession Number:

ADA399464

Title:

Missile Defense: Review of Results and Limitations of an Early National Missile Defense Flight Test

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC

Personal Author(s):

Report Date:

2002-02-01

Pagination or Media Count:

45.0

Abstract:

For a number of years, the Department of Defense has been researching and developing defenses against ballistic missile attacks on the United States, its deployed forces, friends, and allies. In 1990, the Department awarded research and development contracts to three contractors to develop and test exoatmospheric kill vehicles. The Department planned to use the best of the three vehicles in a follow-on missile defense program. One of the contractors, Rockwell International, subcontracted a portion of its kill vehicle design work to TRW. TRW was tasked with developing software that could operate on a computer onboard the kill vehicle. The software was to analyze data collected in flight by the kill vehicles sensor which collects real-time information about threat objects, enabling the kill vehicle to distinguish an enemy warhead from accompanying decoys.

Descriptors:

• *FLIGHT TESTING
• *ANTIMISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS
• COMPUTER PROGRAMS
• GUIDED MISSILES
• DETECTORS
• DEFENSE SYSTEMS
• ATTACK
• ENEMY
• INTERCEPTORS
• WARHEADS
• KILL VEHICLES

Subject Categories:

• Antimissile Defense Systems

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE