Feds: Boeing missile system misses target

The U.S. missile-defense system managed by Boeing Co. failed to intercept a target in a test today, the second unsuccessful attempt this year.

The Missile Defense Agency “was unable to achieve a planned intercept of a target over the Pacific Ocean,” Richard Lehner, a spokesman, said in a statement today. Lehner said both the test interceptor and target successfully launched.

The Raytheon Co. “hit to kill” interceptor also successfully released from the intercept to hunt the target and a Boeing designed sea-based radar “performed as planned,” Lehner said.

“Program officials will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure,” Lehner said.

The test repeated a Jan. 31 exercise that failed to intercept the target because of a classified glitch with the sea-based radar. Under a 1998 accord, Boeing is the prime contractor for the system and oversees interceptor boosters, warheads, radars, and command and control equipment.

The last successful intercept was on December 2008 for the system designed to defend the United States from a small number of missiles fired from Iran or North Korea.

Prior to today's attempt, the program has accomplished 8 successes in 14 tests since 1999.

There are 26 missiles in silos at Fort Greely, Alaska, and four at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

In the 12 years Boeing has had the approximately $18 billion contract, it has overseen testing and development of interceptors made by Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Virginia; warheads by Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon; and command and control software made by Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp.

The contract ends next year. The MDA is completing the work in a program worth as much as $10 billion. It issued Dec. 2 a request for proposals on a 7-year contract for future development, fielding and sustainment of the system.