Information on Cancelled Integrated Flight Test-16 for		 
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Element (08-MAY-03, GAO-03-767R). 
                                                                 
This report provides information on Ground-based Midcourse	 
Defense (GMD) element flight test known as Integrated Flight Test
(IFT)-16. This test was planned for the third quarter of fiscal  
year 2004 but was recently cancelled by the Missile Defense	 
Agency (MDA), the agency within the Department of Defense (DOD)  
responsible for developing the ballistic missile defense system  
and its elements. Specifically, GAO was asked to determine the	 
original purpose of IFT-16, how the test differed from IFT-14 and
-15, and what new information IFT-16 would have provided had it  
been conducted. 						 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-03-767R					        
    ACCNO:   A06865						        
  TITLE:     Information on Cancelled Integrated Flight Test-16 for   
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Element				 
     DATE:   05/08/2003 
  SUBJECT:   Ballistic missiles 				 
	     Defense capabilities				 
	     Defense operations 				 
	     Integrated Flight Test				 

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GAO-03-767R

GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 1 May 8, 2003

The Honorable Bill Nelson Ranking Minority Member Subcommittee on
Strategic Forces Committee on Armed Services United States Senate

Subject: Information on Cancelled Integrated Flight Test- 16 for Ground-
based Midcourse Defense Element Dear Senator Nelson:

At your request, we are providing information on a Ground- based Midcourse
Defense (GMD) element flight test known as Integrated Flight Test (IFT)-
16. This test was planned for the third quarter of fiscal year 2004 but
was recently cancelled by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the agency
within the Department of Defense (DOD) responsible for developing the
ballistic missile defense system and its elements. Specifically, you asked
that we determine the original purpose of IFT- 16, how the test differed
from IFT- 14 and -15, and what new information IFT- 16 would have provided
had it been conducted.

We found that the primary objective of IFT- 16 was similar to that of past
flight tests. The test was planned to assess the ability of GMD components
to work together as an integrated element, capable of engaging and
destroying a mock warhead. However, as described in the enclosure to this
letter, IFT- 16 engagement conditions and components differ from those in
earlier tests.

Had the Missile Defense Agency conducted IFT- 16, it would have
accomplished the following:

Increased the agency*s knowledge regarding the feasibility and
effectiveness of GMD*s initial defensive capability, which DOD still plans
to begin fielding in September 2004.

Provided an opportunity to assess GMD*s capability under new engagement
conditions. Also, IFT- 16 would have tested the GMD element in another
intercept region, designated as R15 (see the attachment for a depiction of
the intercept regions). A test in this region will now be delayed until
IFT- 17.

United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548

GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 2

Offered the first opportunity to flight test the radar at Beale Air Force
Base, California, in an upgraded early warning radar configuration, and to
flight test a new version of the battle management software. Flight tests
of both the battle management software and the radar will be delayed until
the radar certification flight* a non- intercept flight test denoted IFT-
16A* which is scheduled for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004.

Additionally, with the cancellation of IFT- 16, MDA expects to have a 13-
month gap between IFT- 15, planned for January 2004, and IFT- 17,
scheduled for February 2005.

Our analysis of the near- term flight test program provided in this report
and its enclosure is based on the system- level GMD test document,
Development Master Test Plan for the Ground- Based Midcourse Defense
Element (draft), 15 November 2002. We also received MDA*s comments on our
analysis and have incorporated them where appropriate. We conducted our
review during May 2003 in accordance with generally accepted government
auditing standards.

We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Defense; the
Chairman, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senate Armed Services
Committee; and the Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members of the Senate
Appropriations and Armed Services Committees. We will also make copies
available to other interested parties upon request. In addition, this
correspondence will be available at no charge on the GAO web site at
http:// www. gao. gov.

Please contact me at (202) 512- 4841 or Barbara Haynes at (256) 922- 7535
if you or your staff have any questions concerning this report. Randy
Zounes was a key contributor to this report.

Sincerely yours, Robert E. Levin Director Acquisition and Sourcing
Management

Enclosure

Enclosure Enclosure GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 3

Background

The Missile Defense Agency within the Department of Defense is developing
and testing components of the Ground- based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
element, which is intended to defeat long- range ballistic missile threats
in the midcourse phase of flight. 1 When fully deployed, the GMD element
will include (1) space- and ground- based sensors to provide early warning
and tracking of missile launches; (2) ground- based radars to identify and
refine the tracks of threatening reentry vehicles and associated objects;
(3) ground- based interceptors, each consisting of a three- stage booster
and exoatmospheric kill vehicle, to destroy enemy missiles through *hit-
to- kill* impacts outside the atmosphere; and (4) fire control nodes for
battle management and execution of the GMD mission. Figure 1 depicts the
principal components of the GMD element.

Figure 1: Components Of The Ground- Based Midcourse Defense Element

Source: GAO, based on MDA documents. 1 The midcourse phase of flight
refers to that portion of a ballistic missile*s trajectory between the
boost phase and reentry phase when the warheads and decoys travel on
ballistic trajectories above the atmosphere.

Enclosure Enclosure GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 4

Integrated Flight Tests

To assess its progress in the development of the GMD element, MDA conducts
integrated flight tests (IFTs). These tests are demonstrations of system
performance during which an interceptor is launched to engage and
intercept a target reentry vehicle (mock warhead) above the atmosphere.
Currently, integrated flight tests are limited to target launches out of
Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California, and interceptor launches out
of Reagan Test Site (RTS) in the western Pacific. 2 The Missile Defense
Agency is progressing with the development of the Ballistic Missile
Defense System (BMDS) Test Bed so that future integrated flight tests can
be tested under new engagement conditions* different closing velocities,
crossing angles, and interceptor flyout ranges.

Building on the existing infrastructure, the BMDS Test Bed adds an
interceptor launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base; target launch
facilities at Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska; a GMD fire control node at
Fort Greely, Alaska; upgraded communication links between test bed
components; and test infrastructure to support five new intercept regions
(see Figure 2). In parallel, the early warning radar at Beale Air Force
Base, California, and the Cobra Dane radar at Eareckson Air Station in
Shemya, Alaska, are being upgraded for the missile defense mission.
Finally, the ship- based Aegis AN/ SPY- 1 radar is available as a
forwarddeployed asset for early target tracking.

Figure 2: Intercept Regions Of Integrated Flight Tests

RTS RTS Kodiak Kodiak

VAFB VAFB Beale Aegis

2

Greely Cobra Dane

16

GBI Launch GBI Launch Target Launch Target Launch

20 # Intercept Region Intercept Region

3

XBR- P

15 1

RTS RTS Kodiak Kodiak

VAFB VAFB Beale Aegis

2

Greely Cobra Dane

16

GBI Launch GBI Launch Target Launch Target Launch

20 # Intercept Region Intercept Region

3

XBR- P

15 1

Source: Missile Defense Agency. 2 Reagan Test Site (RTS) was formerly
known as Kwajalein Missile Range (KMR).

Enclosure Enclosure GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 5

Near- Term Integrated Flight Tests

To address how IFT- 16 differed from earlier flight tests, we compared
IFT- 16 to past and near- term GMD flight tests. The results of our
analysis are shown in Table 1 at the end of this enclosure, which
contrasts the engagement conditions and hardware / software configuration
of IFT- 16 with those of IFT- 10, IFT- 14, and IFT- 15. To better
understand the table, we have defined its terms below.

Engagement Conditions Target Launch Location. The location from which the
target missile, which deploys the mock reentry vehicle and decoys, is
launched. The test bed will enable target launches out of VAFB,
California, and Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), Alaska. In all flight tests
to date, the target launch location has been VAFB. Interceptor Launch
Location. The location from which the ground- based

interceptor, which deploys the kill vehicle to engage the threat, is
launched. The test bed will enable interceptor launches out of either RTS
or VAFB. In all flight tests to date, the interceptor launch location has
been RTS.

Intercept Region. The area over which an intercept is to occur. (Refer to
Figure 2 for a pictorial representation of defined intercept regions.) In
all intercept flight tests to date (IFT- 3 through IFT- 10), the intercept
region has been *R1*, which is about 700 kilometers from RTS.

Closing Velocity. The relative speed at which the kill vehicle approaches
the designated target (mock warhead). In early integrated flight tests (e.
g., IFT- 3), the closing velocity was roughly 7 km/ sec (15,600 miles/
hr). The closing velocities of recent and future integrated flight tests
are classified.

Crossing Angle. The geometric angle between the velocity vectors of the
kill vehicle and designated target. A head- on collision has a crossing
angle of 180 degrees, whereas a *tail- chaser* is any engagement with a
crossing angle less than 90 degrees. In early flight tests (e. g., IFT-
3), the crossing angle was roughly 100 degrees. The crossing angles of
recent and future integrated flight tests are classified.

Weapon Task Plan / Engagement Category. A weapon task plan consists of
prelaunch instructions for generating an interceptor flyout solution that
guides the interceptor toward the target. Associated with the weapon task
plan is the type of engagement category, either *A*, *B*, or *C*, under
which the mission will be executed. 3 A weapon task plan is required
before an interceptor is launched, and in all flight tests to date, the
mission was conducted under a Category- A engagement.

3 The detailed definitions of Category A, B, and C engagements are
classified.

Enclosure Enclosure GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 6

Fire Control Radar. The primary radar for providing the necessary
targeting data to the fire control node that are used for generating a
weapon task plan. Pending the outcome of ongoing analysis, the use of the
Aegis SPY- 1 radar in future flight tests for engagement planning (fire
control) is under consideration. In all flight tests to date, the fire
control radar had been a surrogate midcourse *radar*, which was a
combination of a C- band transponder and the FPQ- 14 radar. 4 Midcourse
Radar. The midcourse radar provides refined targeting track data to the

fire control node for the generation of in- flight target updates.
Configuration The configuration of an integrated flight test refers to the
description of hardware and software assets used during a particular test.
The GMD element tested to date has been a functional representation of the
GMD element, but all tests included some surrogate and prototype
components.

Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV). The kill vehicles used in flight tests
so far have been prototype articles. Beginning with IFT- 14, a production-
representative kill vehicle will be flown that is similar to the
configuration to be fielded as part of Block 2004.

Booster. The payload launch vehicle (PLV), a two- stage booster system
consisting of modified Minuteman II motors and supporting subsystems, has
been the surrogate for the interceptor booster in all integrated flight
tests to date. It is scheduled to be replaced with two operationally
representative test bed boosters that are currently under development *
the Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) booster and the Boost Vehicle plus
(BV+). These boosters will first be used in intercept attempts in IFT- 14
and IFT- 15, respectively.

Fire Control Node. The fire control software is evolving to achieve more
functionality and to address interfacing issues (i. e., linking the fire
control component with other GMD components).

Beale Radar. The early warning radar at Beale Air Force Base has
participated in integrated flight tests in a missile- defense role using
legacy hardware and developmental software. The conversion of the early
warning radar (EWR) at Beale to an upgraded early warning radar (UEWR),
which consists of hardware and significant software upgrades, is planned
for completion sometime during the middle of fiscal year 2004.

X- Band Radar. The Ground Based Radar Prototype (GBR- P), located at RTS,
is a prototype of an X- Band radar that supports integrated flight tests.
A sea- based Xband radar is under development to support flight- testing
as a midcourse tracking and discrimination radar and is planned to become
available in late 2005.

4 A C- band transponder was placed on the target reentry vehicle during
previous flight tests. It was essential for the execution of flight tests,
because in conjunction with the FPQ- 14 radar located on Oahu, Hawaii,
there were no other non- artificial options available to track the reentry
vehicle with sufficient accuracy for executing

the mission.

Enclosure Enclosure GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 7

Cobra Dane Radar. Cobra Dane is a phased array radar located at Eareckson
Air Station in Shemya, Alaska. After planned software and hardware
upgrades, which are scheduled to be completed in fiscal year 2004, Cobra
Dane will have the additional mission of performing real- time acquisition
and tracking* functions critical for ballistic missile defense, especially
for engagements out of northeast Asia. There are currently no plans to
demonstrate the capabilities of the Cobra Dane radar during an integrated
flight test.

Enclosure Enclosure GAO- 03- 767R Integrated Flight Test- 16 Page 8

TABLE 1: GMD INTEGRATED FLIGHT TEST INFORMATION Integrated Flight Test
IFT- 10

(Conducted 12/ 02)

IFT- 14 (Planned

10/ 03) IFT- 15

(Planned 01/ 04)

IFT- 16 (Previously Planned 4/ 03)

ENGAGEMENT CONDITIONS Target Launch Location VAFB VAFB KLC KLC Interceptor
Launch Location RTS RTS RTS VAFB Intercept Region R1 R2 R2 R15 Closing
Velocity 5 (km/ sec) * * * * Crossing Angle 6 (degrees) * * * * Engagement
Category A B B B

Fire Control Radar FPQ- 14 Beale Radar Aegis

SPY- 1 Aegis SPY- 1

Midcourse Radar GBR- P GBR- P GBR- P Beale Radar CONFIGURATION
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle Prototype Production

Representative Production Representative Production

Representative Booster PLV OSC BV+ OSC / BV+ Fire Control Node (Battle
Management) BI- 2L V4.0 V4.0 V4.1

Beale Radar EWR EWR EWR UEWR X- Band Radar GBR- P GBR- P GBR- P GBR- P
Cobra Dane Radar N/ A N/ A N/ A N/ A

(120251) 5 Closing velocities of listed flight tests are classified. 6
Crossing angles of listed flight tests are classified.
*** End of document. ***