Russia accuses US of lying about missile defence technology following ballistics test

Russia has accused the United States of lying about its anti-ballistic missile technology after Washington successfully conducted an SM-3 Block IIA intercept test against an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target. Russia has said that the United States kept Moscow in the dark about its "anti-ballistic missile strategy". Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dubbed the recent test as "anti-Russian orientation" while calling out her American colleagues for repeatedly lying about the system. 

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'US lied about its system'

According to Zakharova, the United States had assured Russia that its anti-ballistic missile system cannot take down Russian ICBMs and was meant for threats against Iran and North Korea. Zakharova said that the recent test proves that the United States lied about the system and its ability to strike down Russian ICBMs. As per experts, China is also upset about the recent test, which is expected to undermine its strategic capabilities. 

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The United States on November 17 tested the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile, which was launched from the USS John Finn (DDG-113), an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System-equipped destroyer. The ICBM-representative target was launched from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, located on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. After receiving tracking data from the C2BMC system, the destroyer launched an SM-3 Block IIA guided missile which destroyed the target.

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"This was an incredible accomplishment and critical milestone for the Aegis BMD SM-3 Block IIA program. The Department is investigating the possibility of augmenting the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system by fielding additional sensors and weapon systems to hedge against unexpected developments in the missile threat," US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director, Vice Admiral Jon Hill said in a press release.  

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(Image Credit: AP)