Boeing announced Tuesday that its industry team has completed construction of a second interceptor test silo for the Missile Defense Agency’s ground-based midcourse defense system at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The first GMD test silo has been in use at Vandenberg since 2006. “Having this second test silo to launch interceptors will allow us to test upgrades to the GMD system more quickly, improving the MDA’s ability to stay ahead of evolving threats,” said Norm Tew, Boeing’s GMD program director. The new silo also has the ability to be configured for tactical operations as well as testing, said Boeing. The GMD system is an element of the nation’s overall ballistic missile defense architecture and is currently the only defense against long-range ballistic missiles.
While the Space Force is still making long-term plans to establish high-fidelity live and virtual test and training ranges in the coming years, officials say they're also working with operators to identify near-term gaps and quickly field capabilities to address them.
