These are widely recognized as far less conducive to a first-strike than are short-time-of-flight ballistic missiles.

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They're reconfigured to shoot down ballistic missiles in flight.

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Such defenses have the potential to intercept ballistic missiles early in their flight, i.e.

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It was to be a cheap, effective way to destroy ballistic missiles in all phases of flight.

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Ballistic missiles are guided during powered flight and then release their payloads, which are then subject only to gravity and atmospheric drag.

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Before joining Linear, he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he used a surplus flight computer from an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile to research the control of fermentation for use in fields such as pharmaceutical production.

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The test, in which an Aegis ballistic missile cruiser shot down a target fired from Hawaii, was the first exo-atmospheric kinetic intercept of a ballistic missile in the ascent phase of flight, and the third intercept from an Aegis warship.

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The United States might still not have intercontinental ballistic missiles and reliable space launchers today if it had responded to the succession of early flight test failures in those programs by terminating, instead of redoubling, the effort.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | Try, Try Again: In Light of Threat, the Appropriate Response to Missile Defense Test Failure is a Redoubled Effort