The United States successfully carried out the eighth intercept test of its sea-based missile defense system on June 22, with a Aegis-equipped Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer taking part for the first time, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said. The "hit-to-kill" test involved a Standard Missile-3 interceptor missile fired by the U.S. Navy's Aegis cruiser USS Shiloh off Hawaii to shoot down a warhead separated from an incoming ballistic missile outside Earth's atmosphere. The SM-3 successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target with a separating re-entry vehicle outside the Earth's atmosphere. The test was sponsored by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency-sponsored test and was listed as Flight Test Maritime-10. It marked the seventh time the Aegis BMD Weapon System has successfully guided an SM-3 to a ballistic missile target intercept and the second time that the system intercepted a ballistic missile with a separating re-entry vehicle.
U.S. Navy ships equipped with earlier versions of Aegis BMD capability have been on operational duty since September 2004.
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060627-094034-5786r
My question: is the Airborne Laser (ABL) ahead of schedule? Check this link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11961673/
If the Aegis Destroyer we had in the neighborhood shot their Type-0 Dong down, would they be able to tell? It would be very funny, and also very useful, if they didn't know.