Aegis cruiser will attempt to shoot down missile in test off Hawaii

WASHINGTON (AFP) Dec 11, 2003
A US Aegis cruiser will attempt to shoot down a medium range ballistic missile Thursday in a test over the Pacific near Hawaii, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

The test is designed to evaluate the sea-based Aegis weapons system's capacity for long range surveillance and tracking of a medium range missile.

The cruiser USS Lake Eerie will use a Standard-3 missile to try to shoot down the target missile at Barkings Sands Missile Range near Hawaii.

The test is the third in a series of six to develop a sea-based missile defense system effective against medium range missiles.

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