GAO: SM-3 Block IIA suffered glitch while achieving intercept in December 2018 flight test, triggering delays

By Jason Sherman / July 30, 2020 at 4:09 PM
The Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptor suffered a previously unreported fault during a key flight test in December 2018, a glitch serious enough to give senior Pentagon leaders pause about pivoting from development to production despite the fact the weapon intercepted its intended target, a congressional audit revealed. The glitch triggered further technical reviews that delayed an eventual green light for production by 10 months, according to the Government Accountability Office in its recently released annual report on missile defense...

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