05 July 2013

Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Intercept Fails

Boeing GMD Description
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that a test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, part of the Missile Defense System, failed to intercept as planned. The target was a long range ballistic missile fired from the Marshall Islands. The interceptor was launched from Vandenberg AFB. 

According to the Wikipedia program summary, recent estimates of inception-to-date program costs through 2017 are $40.9 billion.

Boeing is the prime contractor for GMD, and describes the program on its web site:
The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) System is the first and only operationally deployed missile defense program to defend the homeland against long-range ballistic missile attacks. The system provides early detection and tracking during the boost phase, midcourse target discrimination, precision intercept and destruction of inbound ICBMs through force of hit-to-kill technology.

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