US MDA performs first intercept test with selected stage booster upgrade

A ground-based interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on 11 December. This was the first flight test of a three-stage booster operating in two-stage mode, meaning the third-stage was not ignited. (Missile Defense Agency)

The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) conducted a test of the upgraded Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), the first test of the capability to use the two-stage boost mode that is designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) across a wider engagement envelope, the agency announced on 11 December.

The two/three-stage selectable GBI was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, and intercepted an intermediate-range target that was launched from a C-17 over the Pacific Ocean, according to MDA spokesperson Heather Cavaliere. The test validated Ground-based Midcourse Defense’s (GMD’s) Capability Increment 6B configuration, according to a statement from lead system integrator Boeing.

The last test of the GBI was in 2021 when the MDA tested a version of the selectable stage interceptor with a mock-up Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV).

The interceptor released the Capability Enhanced-II Block 1 EKV after completion of the second-stage burn rather than after the third-stage burn, Cavaliere told
Janes