U.S. scores sea-based missile defense test success

From Gertz, sub req'd, excerpted:

WASHINGTON — The United States has succeeded in what officials called an important sea-based missile defense test to could intercept Iran's Shihab-3 intermediate-range missile.

U.S. officials said the missile defense had no connection to the North Korean crisis and that the missile intercepted was not a Taepodong model.

The Missile Defense Agency said the U.S. Navy launched a Standard Missile 3, or SM-3 Block IA, interceptor that destroyed a missile with a separating warhead. The SM-3 was fired on June 22 off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii from the USS Shiloh, an Aegis-class cruiser modified to conduct the ballistic missile defense mission.

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