Citing administration officials, CNN reports the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA, designed to intercept ballistic missiles, did not successfully hit its target. If confirmed, the test would be the second unsuccessful trial for the Raytheon-made missile in the past year.
The first failure was blamed on human error after a sailor accidentally identified the target as "friendly," causing the SM-3 to self-destruct.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has not confirmed the failure of Wednesday's test but say a trial took place.
"The Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy sailors manning the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex (AAMDTC) conducted a live-fire missile flight test using a Standard-Missile (SM)-3 Block IIA missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, Wednesday morning," Wright said.
The SM-3 IIA is developed and manufactured by Raytheon at its facilities on Redstone Arsenal. It successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target last February in a test launch.
The latest missile test comes just weeks after a scare in Hawaii when a state Emergency Management Agency employee mistakenly sent an alert warning of an imminent incoming ballistic missile attack. The false warning, which comes amid continued tensions with North Korea, set off panic on the islands.
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