Defense News:
WASHINGTON — The final ground-based interceptor for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system — designed to protect the homeland from intercontinental ballistic missiles threats from North Korea and Iran — is now in place at Fort Greely, Alaska, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency has confirmed.
“MDA and Boeing emplaced the 44th interceptor in its silo at the Missile Defense Complex at Ft. Greely on Thursday, Nov. 2,” the agency said in a statement sent to Defense News.
The agency planned to have all 44 required interceptors in the ground and ready to respond to threats by the end of 2017.
It’s been a monumental year for the GMD system as it went up against an ICBM-class target for the first time in a May test, completely obliterating the threat. Previous tests had featured intermediate-range ballistic missile targets that approached ICBM speeds.
