According to the Missile Defense Agency, the Jan. 31 major test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System, in which an interceptor fired from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., was to intercept a ballistic missile target launched from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific, “did not perform as expected” because of a problem with the Sea-based X-band radar portion of the system. Both the interceptor and target vehicle launched successfully but there was no intercept. According to an MDA release, program officials plan “an extensive investigation” to find the cause.
An independent federal study will assess whether military aviators are at higher risk of cancer than the general public under a new law enacted this week. President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan Aviator Cancer Examination Study Act into law Aug. 14.