A U.S. military missile intercept test failed in Hawaii on Wednesday, potentially having implications for Japan as it moves forward with plans to introduce the costly Aegis Ashore system on its soil.
A Standard Missile-3 Block IIA was launched from Kauai Island in Hawaii using the Aegis Ashore technology — a land-based variant of the Aegis missile defense system — but it failed to hit a dummy projectile launched from an aircraft, a U.S. official said.
The test came after the United States approved a plan in early January to sell four SM-3 Block IIA missiles to Japan as the allies look to counter the rising missile and nuclear threat posed by North Korea. The missile is used to target intermediate range missiles.