The US Army has successfully launched Economical Target-2, a facility used to demonstrate the ability of missile defences to shoot down ballistic targets

Experts at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defence Command Technical Center have again successfully tested a low-cost target used in the development of the country's future missile defence systems. It is called Economical Target-2 (ET-2).

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ET-2 can fly on a ballistic trajectory. The target is being launched to demonstrate how effectively the missile defence system can deal with such threats. The test took place in New Mexico on 7 July 2023 to test the lower-level air and missile defence sensor system.

Like the Zombie target missile, the ET-2 is a repurposed rocket engine. Previously used by the military, it has eventually been given a new life as an aerial target. Such solutions are not highly accurate unlike the Zombie, but they are popular because of the low cost when accuracy goes to the wayside.

To minimise costs, the ET-2 uses redundant and obsolete missile equipment. Work on the aerial target began in 2020, eight years after the first ET-1 launch. One of the innovations was an extended launch range.

Source: DVIDS