Supporting Efforts

Testing

 

Testing Program Fact Sheet (PDF*)

The Missile Defense Agency’s test program provides critical data to demonstrate the performance of the Ballistic Missile Defense System and its elements.

Ground and flight tests demonstrate and assess system capabilities and provide data for advanced modeling and simulation activities that measure and predict the performance of all missile defense technologies. To date, testing has provided confidence in the basic design of the Ballistic Missile Defense System, its hit-to-kill effectiveness, and its inherent operational capability.

Test results also send a very credible message to the international community on our ability to defeat ballistic missiles in flight, thus reducing their value to potential adversaries. Contribution to U.S. non-proliferation goals is one of the most important benefits of robust and comprehensive missile defense testing.

System-Wide Approach

  • The test program encompasses all developmental and operational test activities.
  • In addition to testing individual sensors and interceptors, the test program measures the performance of the integrated system, as a combination of interceptor and sensor systems linked by a sophisticated command and control architecture .

Validating Modeling and Simulations

  • Rather than being limited to only using costly flight tests to physically assess all system configurations, engagement conditions, and target phenomena, the test program uses highly advanced modeling and simulation to analyze performance.
  • Models and simulations enable repeated assessments of performance and allow for statistical determination of effectiveness.
  • Vigorous flight and ground testing provides critical data to validate the accuracy of models and simulations.

Operational Realism and Warfighter Involvement

  • Operational test community participation in planning, testing, and data analysis activities ensures that operational test and warfighter requirements are embedded in the test program.
  • Tests are conducted in partnership with the Army, Navy, and Air Force Operational Test Agencies and with the support of the Defense Department’s Director for Operational Test and Evaluation.
  • The test program maintains a “fly as you fight” planning process, and as the flight test program progresses, each test becomes more operationally realistic.
  • Warfighters, who operate the deployed system, ensure that tests use operational doctrine and real-world constraints while evaluating new concepts of operations and exercising warfighter tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Directorate for Test

  • The Missile Defense Agency’s Directorate for Test establishes Ballistic Missile Defense System test policy and provides programmatic and technical direction and oversight of the test program and test resources.
  • The Directorate for Test is primarily located in Huntsville, Ala., and the National Capital Region with additional personnel at other locations around the country to provide support for specific test elements as well as modeling and simulation activities.