WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reports that North Korea is preparing to test fire a long-range missile have drawn renewed scrutiny of U.S. efforts to build a reliable system to intercept such missiles, which is still not fully working.
Washington has built up a complex of interceptor missiles, advanced radar stations and data relays designed to detect and shoot down a North Korean warhead, but tests of the system have had mixed results.
The Pentagon's testing office said in January it may offer only "some" protection, despite about $10 billion a year in development spending under President George W. Bush.
In eight intercept tests of the ground-based missile defense system, the interceptor has hit a mock incoming warhead five times. Testing was suspended after interceptors failed to leave their silos during tests in December 2004 and February 2005 -- failures blamed on quality-control issues.
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