MDA Conducts Successful Rocket Motor Test for Kinetic Energy Interceptor

Posted on: Sep. 11th, 2007 || Source: Missile Defense Agency | E-mail Article | Print Article

Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency director, announced today the successful completion of an important Stage 1 rocket motor test for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) program. Conducted at the Alliant Techsystems (ATK) test facility in Promontory, Utah on Sept. 6, this was the third successful Stage 1 test in the past 18 months.

The Stage 1 rocket motor ignited properly and successfully completed a full-duration "burn" during the test, meeting test objectives which included an elevated firing temperature and a successful performance of the new hybrid booster nozzle throat.

KEI is a three-stage, solid-fueled ballistic missile interceptor that is approximately 40 inches in diameter and 466 inches long. The KEI will be capable of carrying the future multiple kill vehicle system now in development, which involves a “shotgun” approach to missile defense using several small interceptor kill vehicles aboard a single missile to defeat not only a hostile missile warhead but also any decoys or countermeasures that could be present.

KEI will use high-acceleration rocket motors to intercept intermediate and intercontinental ballistic missiles during their boost, ascent and midcourse phases of flight. The KEI remains on schedule to conduct a booster rocket flight test in 2008.

The KEI will be an important future element of the overall Ballistic Missile Defense System as part of an integrated, layered defense against ballistic missiles of all ranges, during any phase of their flight.
(Released 11 Sept 2007)

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