THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502130221
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 24 lines
``STAR WARS'' TEST SPOILED: Problems in a long-proven radar system at NASA's Wallops Island missile facility spoiled the Navy's plans Friday for the first at-sea test of a ``Star Wars'' defense system.
The balky range radar could not be brought back on-line during the 6-9 a.m. ``launch window,'' forcing officials to schedule a new attempt for early Sunday.
In the test, an ``attack'' missile fired from Wallops is to be intercepted and destroyed over the Atlantic by a missile fired from the cruiser Richmond K. Turner.
The ``theater missile defense'' system is designed to work outside the atmosphere, destroying enemy missiles in space. The land-based Patriot missile batteries that became famous during the Persian Gulf War are ``area'' defenses, intercepting their targets at a much lower altitude. by CNB