U.S. fails to intercept test missile target

The briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. REUTERS/Al Drago

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. warship failed to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile test target on Saturday, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said.

"The objective of the test was to demonstrate the capability of a ballistic missile defense-configured Aegis ship to detect, track, engage and intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target" with a salvo of two Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Dual II missiles, the agency said in a statement.

"However, an intercept was not achieved," it said without giving further details. It did not say where the test was conducted.

The MDA, an agency under the Department of Defense, routinely conducts missile defense tests. It has previously conducted successful intercept tests using types of SM-6 missiles.

Reporting by Michael Martina in Washington Editing by Matthew Lewis

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