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.
Under a late summer sun, Air Force basic trainees practice safely rearming a retired F-16 Fighting Falcon at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, with mock AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Nearby, a bulldozer levels the ground where the rest of this first new airbase training range will sit.
