Space

Missile Defense Agency to Conduct Ground Test Exercise

07-NEWS-0050
26 October 2007

As part of our continuing emphasis on operationally realistic testing, the Missile Defense Agency will conduct a comprehensive distributed ground test (GTD-02) involving the Ballistic Missile Defense System, to include all fielded sensors, command and control, battle management and communications, and interceptor locations.

Ground Tests are an operationally realistic yet cost-effective means of exercising the entire Missile Defense System, via numerous "real world" scenarios to demonstrate and evaluate overall system performance, along with tactics, techniques and procedures.

The exercise will begin next week, and is scheduled for completion within two weeks. In addition to U.S. MDA assets (elements and personnel from U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Pacific Command, the Army, Navy and Air Force), British and Canadian elements and personnel will also participate.

BMDS elements will include the Cobra Dane radar at Shemya, Alaska; the Sea-based X-band radar, now in the Pacific Ocean; Ground-Based Midcourse Defense fire control nodes at the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. and Fort Greely, Alaska; and interceptor missile sites at Fort Greely and Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Radars aboard U.S. Navy Aegis ships will also participate in the exercise as well as interceptor fire control systems aboard the ships.

News media point of contact is Rick Lehner, Missile Defense Agency, at (703) 697-8997 or richard.lehner@mda.mil