Missile Killer Makes Its Second Hit

WASHINGTON — An experimental Army rocket sped into the skies over New Mexico on Monday, pinpointed an “enemy” missile and smashed it to bits more than 50 miles above Earth, the Pentagon said.

Defense Department officials cheered the successful test of the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, missile at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. They said it was an important step toward developing a defense against medium-range ballistic missiles of the kind U.S. officials say are owned by about two dozen countries.

After six consecutive test failures, dating to 1995, the Thaad missile scored its first successful intercept in June. The Pentagon had said it would wait until the missile managed three successful interceptions before advancing the project beyond its current “demonstrative-validation” phase of development.

Critics said Monday’s interception left the Pentagon far from proving that Thaad and its system of launchers, radars and battle management computers could provide protection for U.S. forces abroad.