A SOFTWARE glitch has left the Pentagon wondering what really happened in the
missile defence test two weeks ago, in which a missile shot down a dummy warhead
(New Scientist, 21 July, p 12).
The glitch affected the sophisticated new radar system built on Kjawalein
Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the spot where the interceptor missile was
launched. The radar identified and tracked the dummy warhead, which was launched
from California, and guided the interceptor. However, the radar couldn’t assess
what happened after the impact.
The radar was primarily designed to guide the interceptor, but it could also
be…
