The Missile Defense Agency and the Navy have completed a successful “hit to kill” missile defense test off Kauai, Hawaii, launching a Standard Missile-3 from an Aegis-class cruiser, USS Shiloh, on June 22. The test was the seventh successful intercept test in eight attempts involving the sea-based component of the system, according to MDA officials. It was the first time out for the refitted Shiloh and was the first time an ally participated in a US Aegis intercept test. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force provided one of the three Aegis destroyers used in the test.
Unmanned aerial vehicles are fair game for U.S. Special Operations Command’s armed overwatch platform competition, Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. James C. “Jim” Slife told reporters on Feb. 26. However, the MQ-9 Reaper drone might not be up to the challenge in its current form, he suggested during…