Boeing, Missile Defense Agency Demonstrate Advanced Missile Defense Capability in Successful Flight Test
Source: Boeing Test validates modernization of Ground-Based Interceptors to meet wider array of threats Boeing and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully demonstrated an advanced interceptor capability for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which defends the U.S. from rogue-state long-range intercontinental ballistic missile threats. The test included launching a Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) into space with a three-stage booster in two-stage mode, allowing the GBI to release the kill vehicle earlier in flight, providing an earlier opportunity to intercept and defeat a missile threat. The new capability, made possible through digital system modelling software upgrades, gives operators the real-time choice between a two-stage or three-stage interceptor, depending on the threat's location and speed. The stage mode determines when the [...]