A failed U.S. ballistic missile intercept test with Japan was the result of human error, Defense News reported.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s review of the June test found a sailor mistakenly used the wrong input for the defense system, causing a launched missile to self-destruct before reaching its target, the outlet reported.
According to Defense News, the USS John Paul Jones destroyer tracked the target missile, then launched a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile using the Navy’s Aegis combat system. The missile “did not intercept the target,” according to the agency.
A tactical datalink controller, which is in charge of data exchanges between ships and aircraft, accidentally identified the incoming missile as friendly, Defense News reported, citing an unnamed source.
The SM-3 missile self-destructed in flight as a result of the reading.
“As unfortunate as this might be, it’s a good thing that this wasn’t a technology issue or
