Aegis Missile Defense System Fails in U. S. Navy Test off Hawaii

The U.S. Navy’s Aegis-equipped warship failed to intercept a ballistic missile test target during a test conducted off Hawaii on Saturday.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said it conducted what it called Flight Test Aegis Weapon System 31 in cooperation with the U.S. Navy on May 29.

"The objective of the test was to demonstrate the capability of ballistic missile defense (BMD)-configured Aegis ship to detect, track, engage and intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target with a salvo of two Standard Missile-6 Dual II (BMD-initialized) missiles. However, an intercept was not achieved," the MDA said in a release.

The agency did not reveal where the test was conducted, or offer additional details on the incident.

The MDA said program officials launched an "extensive review" to find the cause of any problems that may have prevented a successful intercept.