Suitably Flip

Missile Smackdown Successful

Captain Ed notes this story about a "phenomenal" test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Hundreds of miles above southern New Mexico, it was a picture-perfect impact between two missiles.

...[M]ilitary officials said the test went better than they could have hoped.

"This was phenomenal," said U.S. Army Col. Charles Driessnack, the project manager for the Missile Defense Agency's THAAD program. "It performed as expected."

The test demonstrated the THAAD's ability to "completely destroy that warhead so that no chemical or nuclear residue would contaminate areas" below the explosion, Driessnack said.

What a show.

A crowd of roughly 75 spectators, military personnel and defense department contractors, gathered near the WSMR Museum in the predawn hours to view the test.
...
As the target missile launched, it streaked into the still-dark sky, looking like a comet with a long, white tail. As it got to the second firing stage, red fire bloomed out of the leading edge of the missile.

Minutes later, the THAAD was launched, giving a little pirouette before speeding upward.

"Get up there baby," one observer shouted.

For a couple of minutes, the crowd held their collective breath, waiting to see if the impact would occur as planned.

When the target missile was destroyed, sending a brilliant white, mushroom-like cloud into the dark sky, the crowd began to applaud and cheer wildly.

"We smashed it," several people cheered as the rainbow colored contrail gave way to the cotton ball cloud of destruction above.

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Missile Smackdown Successful

Captain Ed notes this story about a "phenomenal" test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Hundreds of miles above southern New Mexico, it was a picture-perfect impact between two missiles.

...[M]ilitary officials said the test went better than they could have hoped.

"This was phenomenal," said U.S. Army Col. Charles Driessnack, the project manager for the Missile Defense Agency's THAAD program. "It performed as expected."

The test demonstrated the THAAD's ability to "completely destroy that warhead so that no chemical or nuclear residue would contaminate areas" below the explosion, Driessnack said.

What a show.

A crowd of roughly 75 spectators, military personnel and defense department contractors, gathered near the WSMR Museum in the predawn hours to view the test.
...
As the target missile launched, it streaked into the still-dark sky, looking like a comet with a long, white tail. As it got to the second firing stage, red fire bloomed out of the leading edge of the missile.

Minutes later, the THAAD was launched, giving a little pirouette before speeding upward.

"Get up there baby," one observer shouted.

For a couple of minutes, the crowd held their collective breath, waiting to see if the impact would occur as planned.

When the target missile was destroyed, sending a brilliant white, mushroom-like cloud into the dark sky, the crowd began to applaud and cheer wildly.

"We smashed it," several people cheered as the rainbow colored contrail gave way to the cotton ball cloud of destruction above.