Interceptor flyout is the distance between where the interceptor is launched and where its kill vehicle is supposed to hit the incoming warhead. In all of the intercept tests to date, the flyout has been extremely short-only about 700 kilometers. In other words, the interceptor has not had to fly very far before reaching its target. In the real world, the interceptor could be expected to fly six to eight times this distance.

In the image above, the top box, "VAFB-KMR Engagement," shows the geometry of all of the intercept tests to date. The target flies from the left on the long trajectory, which the interceptor flies from the right on the short trajectory. The lower two boxes, "Long Range/Low Altitude Intercept" and "Long Range/High Altitude Intercept," show untested geometries that the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation says tested to ensure a realistic basis for evaluation.

Chart from: "DOT&E Report in Support of National Missile Defense Deployment Readiness Review," ("The Coyle Report,") Director, Operational Testing and Evaluation, The Pentagon, 10 August 2000, p.21, Figure IV-3. Interceptor Flyout Comparisons.