Key elements of a US National Missile Defence System scheduled for deployment this year have not been tested under real conditions, making it difficult to assess their ability, US Congressional investigators have found. The conclusion comes ahead of the deployment of the multi-layered system designed to protect the US from missiles launched by rogue states. The plan calls for deploying the first 10 missile interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force base in California by September. Although Pentagon is trying to make the tests as real as possible, ‘‘these tests will not be held under the unscripted conditions that characterise operational testing,’’ the report said. — (PTI)
