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WASHINGTON: Ballistic missile defense programs around the world are going to have their work cut out for them: At least eight nations went all out in developing their own offensive ballistic missile programs in 2006, a new survey says.
“According to a preliminary count, eight countries launched more than 26 ballistic missiles of 23 types in 24 different events,” the Strategic Security Blog of the Federation of American Scientists reported Friday.
North Korea was not on the only ballistic missile-developing nation to experience test failures in its 2006 missile testing, the SSB report noted. Russia and India did too.
However, “the United States demonstrated a very reliable capability including the 117th consecutive successful launch of the Trident II D5 sea-launched ballistic missile,” the SSB said.
The SSB noted the extensive ballistic missile testing activities of the United States, Russia, France and India, and dryly noted that they reflected “yet another double standard in international security.” It recommended “that initiatives are needed to limit not only proliferating countries from developing ballistic missiles but also find ways to curtail the programs of the existing nuclear powers.”
“The ballistic missile flight tests involved weapons ranging from 10-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles down to single-warhead short-range ballistic missiles. Most of the flight tests, however, involved long-range ballistic missiles and the United States, Russia and France also launched sea-launched ballistic missiles,” the report said.
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