HIBEX

American anti-ballistic missile. Hibex was a 5.2 m long test vehicle used by the Army in a series of research experiments investigating high performance missile boosters. During mid-1960's experimental flights at White Sands, Hibex was fired successfully from underground cells and above-ground launch sites.

The HIBEX program was part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency's Project Defender, a study of ballistic missile defense systems. HIBEX was designed for low level intercept of entry vehicles below 3 km altitude within 2 seconds of launch. Hibex' neutron-generating warhead would disable the fissile core of the incoming enemy re-entry vehicle. It would also kill all living things within a 5 km radius of detonation. This concept was further developed into the production Sprint missile for close-in anti-ballistic missile defense. Launch data is: incomplete.