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Caption:
Kauai, Hawaii (May 25, 2006) -- A standard missile - 2 (SM-2) is
launched from the Pearl Harbor-based Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG
70) as part of a U.S> Navy missile defense demonstration. The
demonstration, in cooperation with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA),
was the first sea-based intercept of a ballistic missile in its
terminal phase. A short-range target was launched from the Pacific
Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. Shortly thereafter, it was
intercepted by the SM-2. Previous MDA / U.S. Navy ballistic missile
tests have utilized the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) to intercept threats
in the midcourse phase of flight, outside the Earth's atmosphere. Those
tests have resulted in six intercepts in seven attempts. While there is
a limited emergency capability available against midcourse threats,
there is no terminal phase capability other than the existing Patriot
Advanced Capability (PAC-3). U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)
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