Reply #20: Pentagon Scrubs Missile-Defense Flight Test-2nd day in a row

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first flight test in nearly two years of a planned U.S. missile-defense shield has been scrapped two days in a row this week because of bad weather, the Pentagon (news - web sites) said on Friday.



Strong rain squalls over the Kwajalein atoll launch site in the central Pacific caused the latest postponement, Richard Lehner, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, said shortly after the decision to scrap the test. A new attempt might be made later in the day, he said.


The Pentagon had not previously publicized the test.


An exercise deemed successful may set the stage for President Bush (news - web sites) to declare the system on alert to shoot down a warhead that could be fired by a potential foe like North Korea (news - web sites).

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1895&ncid=1895&e=9&u=/nm/20041210/us_nm/arms_missile_usa_dc