A test of America's homeland missile defense system found a problem. Why didn't the Pentagon say so?

[Zorro]

If North Korea ever unleashed nuclear-armed missiles against America, the defense of U.S. cities and towns would depend to no small degree on something called a divert thruster.

These small rocket motors would be counted on to keep U.S. anti-missile interceptors on target as they hurtled through space toward the incoming warheads.

If the thrusters malfunctioned – and they have a record of performance problems – an interceptor could veer off-course, allowing a warhead to slip through. The consequences could be catastrophic.

So a lot was at stake when the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency conducted the first flight test of a new and supposedly improved version of the thruster on Jan. 28.

http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-missile-defense/

[peace13]

1. I guess I never remember them actually working. nt

[Igel]

2. They work better than detractors want to think.

They don't work as well as their promoters want to think.

Of course, the article is amusing in so many ways. A newly redesigned version of a component failed, meaning that all the ones currently deployed have the same problem? It's like saying that GM is testing a new brake system, and if it fails it means all current brake systems would fail.

The standard fall-back is "it failed, therefore it can never work." Lightbulb "research" had a long string of failures; I guess it means we'll never have lightbulbs.

If worse comes to worse, consider that the manufacture and design process are all domestic government spending and we can call it "stimulus spending."

[Orrex]

3. Have they ever worked against a missile whose course and target weren't known?

Asking sincerely--for all I know, that might be how they always test.

But do they ever have one team fire a dummy missile at some point in the open desert or ocean, while the other team sends the defensive missile to stop it? That would seem a more true-to-life test than simply aiming at a missile when you know where it's going.

[peace13]

5. Thank you for this explanation.

I appreciate your time! : )

[Iggo]

4. MAD's the only thing that works.

(And it's like abstinence in that it only works if you work it.)