Experimental US-Japan missile tip passes first test

Washington, Mar 9: An experimental missile tip, designed by Japan and the United States in a landmark missile-defence cooperation effort, worked without apparent hitch in its first flight test, the Pentagon said.

In a drill off Hawaii's Kauai island, a US cruiser with an advanced Aegis weapon system successfully launched a Standard Missile (SM)-3 tipped with the innovative ''nosecone'' at a simulated target, the Pentagon's Missile Defence Agency said yesterday.

The new hardware is designed to open like a clam shell to more quickly release the so-called kill vehicle, which is built to dart into the path of an oncoming warhead and destroy it through collision.

By contrast, in its standard configuration, the SM-3 missile must maneuver to eject the barrel-shaped kill vehicle -- a tricky process known as ''pitch and ditch.'' Separately, the White House said North Korea fired two short-range missiles yesterday in a test that US officials said proved the country's nuclear programme posed a threat to the region.

The component research on the missile tip was split 50-50 between Raytheon Co of Waltham, Massachusetts, and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd under a joint US-Japanese research program begun in August 1999. Raytheon builds the SM-3 missile.

The test was ''an important milestone in the project and is an example of the close coordination between the US and Japan in ballistic missile defence,'' said Chris Taylor, a Pentagon spokesman. ''The advanced nosecone worked as planned.'' Japan is a key partner in the multibillion-dollar US drive for a layered shield against ballistic missiles. Its interest soared after North Korea fired a multistage Taepodong 1 missile across the Sea of Japan on August 31, 1998, its first such ballistic missile test in more than five years.

China has declared that Japan's missile defense plans could undermine the regional power balance and spark a fresh arms race.

In December 2003, Japan announced it would join the United States in fielding a layered anti-missile bulwark, using both Aegis-equipped destroyers and upgraded Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile systems.

Among its related steps, Tokyo is modifying the first of up to four Kongo-class destroyers with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence system, linchpin of the sea-based part of ballistic missile defence.

That work is being done by Lockheed Martin Corp under a three-year, 124 million dollar contract. Lockheed, the Pentagon's largest supplier, has integrated the experimental SM-3 missile nosecone into the Aegis system, which is a maritime weapon of choice for South Korea, Norway and Spain, in addition to the United States and Japan. Australia also is buying it.

REUTERS