Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 Block IIA variant anti-ballistic missile system completed a second round of successful tests for the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency.

Crew members on the USS John Finn on Friday launched the SM-3 Block IIA missile to successfully destroy a a land-launched target that resembled a ballistics missile.

The target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii, and tracked using the AN/SPY-1 radar and Aegis Baseline 9.C2 weapon system. Sailors aboard the John Finn launched the SM-3 IIA upon acquiring and tracking the target.

"This was a superb accomplishment and key milestone for the SM-3 Block IIA return to flight," Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves, MDA director, said in a press release.

The SM-3 Block IIA missile system, being developed by the United States and Japan, is designed to combat missile threats outside the earth's atmosphere. It defends against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile attacks, and is designed to operate as part of the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System.

This SM-3 Block IIA "kill vehicle" uses the velocity of a 10-ton truck traveling 600 mph. Known as "hit-to-kill," this technique looks like a bullet colliding with another bullet.

The European missile defense system uses the SM-3 Block IIA solution, and Poland plans to deploy the system to complete Phase 3 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach.

"This second intercept for the SM-3 Block IIA is a success we share with the Missile Defense Agency and the country of Japan, our cooperative development partners," Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems, said in a press release. "Together, we are building the most advanced solutions for ballistic missile defense."

This latest successful test follows a failed SM-3 Block IIA test in 2017.

Related Links
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

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Aegis Combat System Demonstrates Success During At-Sea Test Against Medium Range Ballistic Missile
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