White Sands missile test phenomenal'
By Jason Gibbs Sun-News reporter
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_4044160
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE - It was a picture-perfect pre-dawn Wednesday and
a picture-perfect launch at White Sands Missile Range.
Hundreds of miles above southern New Mexico, it was a picture-perfect impact
between two missiles.
The morning sky above the Tularosa Basin was painted in every color of the
rainbow - hues ranging from iridescent purples to emerald greens and pastel
blues, pinks and electric whites against the darkness of space.
The pre-dawn art show was the result of the third of five tests planned at
White Sands Missile Range to determine the effectiveness of THAAD - Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense missile. And military officials said the test
went better than they could have hoped.
"This was phenomenal," said U.S. Army Col. Charles Driessnack, the project
manager for the Missile Defense Agency's THAAD program. "It performed as
expected."
The test demonstrated the THAAD's ability to "completely destroy that
warhead so that no chemical or nuclear residue would contaminate areas"
below the explosion, Driessnack said.
During the test firing, the airspace above the 3,200-square-mile missile
range was cleared, including orbiting satellites, said Jim Eckles, a
spokesman for the missile range.
Also, roughly 80 to 90 families were evacuated from surrounding ranch land
during the test and traffic was halted on area highways.
The target - a Hera missile that closely mimics the characteristics of the
more infamous SCUD missiles - was launched shortly after 5:17 a.m.
Wednesday. It took to the skies from a location on the far northern reaches
of the bombing range's territory, about 100 miles north of the Organ
Mountains, 25 miles north of Highway 380.
It carried a canister of inert material to simulate chemical or biological
elements that could be mounted on an enemy missile, Driessnack said. The
target missile rose roughly 200 miles above the Earth before beginning the
final stage descent toward land.
The THAAD was launched close to the southern end, on the east side of the
Organ Mountains. The object of the THAAD missile is to provide a weapon to
intercept incoming missiles during the "terminal" phase, when only seconds
remain before it would strike an intended target.
A crowd of roughly 75 spectators, military personnel and defense department
contractors, gathered near the WSMR Museum in the predawn hours to view the
test.
As the target missile launched, it streaked into the still-dark sky, looking
like a comet with a long, white tail. As it got to the second firing stage,
red fire bloomed out of the leading edge of the missile.
Minutes later, the THAAD was launched, giving a little pirouette before
speeding upward.
"Get up there baby," one observer shouted.
For a couple of minutes, the crowd held their collective breath, waiting to
see if the impact would occur as planned.
When the target missile was destroyed, sending a brilliant white,
mushroom-like cloud into the dark sky, the crowd began to applaud and cheer
wildly.
" We smashed it," several people cheered as the rainbow colored contrail
gave way to the cotton ball
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cloud of destruction above.
Eckles said contrails and explosions from previous tests have been seen as
far away as Phoenix and Tucson. On Wednesday, Phoenix residents again were
treated to a colorful contrail pattern over the Arizona skies, while
closer-to-home reports were received from Lordsburg, Silver City and Doña
Ana County from early risers who observed the same display.
"All evidence is that it was totally destroyed," Driessnack said of the
target missile during an interview after the test was complete. "We knew
from the last test, 60 days ago, that it was working as it should."
He said the test indicates THAAD could be ready for emergency deployment "as
soon as a year from now."
While the previous two THAAD flight tests, also conducted at WSMR, were
focused on interceptor fly-out and performance, the remaining flight test
program is providing verification of the integrated THAAD element at
increasingly difficult levels.
Further testing, both at White Sands and in the Pacific, is planned. In all,
the nine-year program to develop the defense system has cost about $4
billion dollars, and is expected to come up roughly $48 million over budget
when complete, Driessnack said.
It's the latest step in filling a president directive issued in December
2002 to build a defensive system capable of countering missile threats to
our homeland as well as our deployed forces and allies.
Driessnack said the system could be used "to protect our East and West
coasts" from missile attack.
The United States and North Korea are in a diplomatic stalemate following
the communist country's recent test firing of the long-range Taepodong-2
missile. The missile, which U.S. officials believe to be capable of reaching
American soil, exploded some 40 seconds after launch.
When fully operational, the THAAD system will provide quickly-deployable
protection from missile attacks in any region needed, including homeland
territory, Driessnack said.
Jason Gibbs can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
THAAD fast facts
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system includes four main
components:
Launcher: Highly mobile, able to store, transport and fire interceptors.
Interceptors: Designed to intercept its target both in and out of the
atmosphere using hit-to-kill lethality.
Radar: Largest mobile X-band in with world. It provides search, track,
discrimination and fire control updates to the interceptor.
Fire Control: Communication and data-management backbone, links THAAD
components together and to external units as well as the entire Ballistic
Missile Defense System.
Source: Missile Defense Agency
Gregory S. Williams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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