US missile defence test fails: Pentagon

Program officials will conduct an extensive review to determine the cause or causes of any anomalies which may have prevented a successful intercept,” it said. The anti-missile weapon has run into repeated technical problems,with tests delayed after two failures in 2010. The United States has 30 of the ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California,at a cost of about $34 billion.

They are supposed to counter the potential threat posed by North Korea,which has tried to develop long-range ballistic missiles. The Pentagon wants to deploy an additional 14 ground-based interceptors to bases in Alaska,at a cost of about $1 billion,also in response to what Washington deems a growing threat from North Korea.

Some lawmakers also are pushing to open a new missile defence site on the country’s East Coast,in case Iran or other adversaries obtain long-range missiles. Critics of the missile defence program are sure to seize on the test result as further proof that the system faces insurmountable technical hurdles.