U.S. Navy Tracks Russian Vessel off Hawaii Coast Near Missile Range

MAY 31, 2021

The U.S. Pacific fleet is closely tracking a Russian Navy surveillance ship which has been operating off the coast of Hawaii near a crucial American missile range.

The U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) reported that the vessel off the coast of Kauai for the last few days was the Russian Navy Vishnya-class auxiliary general intelligence (AGI) ship Kareliya.

The ship is operating just outside of U.S. territorial waters, around 13 nautical miles west of the island.

International waters start at 12 nautical miles from a sovereign coastline.

Kauai is the location of the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, which is used by the Navy and Missile Defense Agency to test-fire missiles.

Missile Defense Test Fails off Kauai Following Appearance by Russian Spy Ship

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser | By  William Cole

A U.S. missile defense test that likely was the one delayed off Kauai earlier this week due to the presence of a Russian surveillance ship was carried out today with a salvo of SM-6 ship-fired missiles failing to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target.

The Missile Defense Agency, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, said it conducted what it called Flight Test Aegis Weapon System 31.

“The objective of the test was to demonstrate the capability of ballistic missile defense (BMD )-configured Aegis ship to detect, track, engage and intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target with a salvo of two Standard Missile-6 Dual II (BMD-initialized ) missiles. However, an intercept was not achieved, ” the agency said in a news release.

Program officials have initiated an “extensive review ” to determine the cause of any problems which may have prevented a successful intercept, the agency added.

A Russian spy ship loitering in international waters off Kauai for several days had delayed a planned missile test, an official said Wednesday.