Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle prototype
The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) is the Raytheon-manufactured interceptor component with subcontractor Aerojet of the U.S. Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), part of the larger National Missile Defense system.
The EKV is boosted to an intercept trajectory by a boost vehicle (missile), where it separates from the boost vehicle and autonomously collides with an incoming warhead.
The EKV is launched by the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missile, the launch vehicle of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System. The EKV's own rockets and fuel are for corrections in the trajectory, not for further acceleration.
Characteristics
- Weight: approx. 140 lb (64 kg)
- Length: 55 in (4 ft. 7 in.) (1.4 m)
- Diameter: 24 in (2 ft.) (0.6 m)
- Speed of projectile: roughly 10 km/s (22,000 mph)[1]