Thursday, May 24, 2012
Japanese destroyer shoots down missile in test off Kauai
POSTED: 08:08 p.m. HST, Oct 28, 2010
LAST UPDATED: 10:43 p.m. HST, Oct 28, 2010
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A Japanese naval destroyer has shot down a ballistic missile in space in a test off Kauai.
The U.S. and Japanese militaries said today the JS Kirishima fired an interceptor missile that shot down a separating medium-range missile target about 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean.
The Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS Russell and cruiser USS Lake Erie tracked the target missile.
Two other Japanese destroyers successfully shot down ballistic missiles in similar tests in previous years.
Japan has installed Aegis ballistic missile defenses on four Kongo-class destroyers.
The U.S. fired the test's target from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.
The Kirishima detected the target, tracked it, then fired the SM-3 interceptor missile.
