The Homing Overlay Experiment was a series of four missile tests that were conducted in 1983 and 1984 at Kwajalein Missile Range, in the Marshall Islands. The goal of the tests was to intercept and destroy an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) in space using a nonnuclear warhead.

For each test a Minuteman missile was launched from Vandenberg A.F.B. in California, carrying a single nonexplosive reentry vehicle (RV) targetted for Kwajalein Lagoon, more than 4000 miles away. The RV would then itself become a target, playing the part of an incoming enemy warhead that must be destroyed.

About 20 minutes later an interceptor missile, also a Minuteman, but converted for it's new role, was launched from Kwajalein's Meck Island. Once in space the interceptor was guided by infrared homing equipment designed to track dark, cool objects in space against a background of stars.

The interceptor carried a nonnuclear "kinetic kill device" which consisted of a set of aluminum vanes that unfurled, just before impact, into the configuration shown above, thereby presenting a larger "kill radius" for the interceptor.  The target missile was to be destroyed by the kinetic energy of the direct impact of the two missiles, the target travelling about 15,000 mph and the interceptor somewhat slower but in the opposite direction.

The first HOE interceptor (February, 1983) missed it's target due to problems with a sensor cooling system.

HOE II

All of the HOE missiles were launched at night, making them highly visible and incredibly spectacular!

The bright flame of the interceptor's Minuteman solid fuel 1st and 2nd stage engines seemed to me to be sort of a bronze color, not the yellow I was expecting.

Each of the two engines, smoldering after burnout, was seen flashing as they tumbled into the ocean.

An upper layer of the atmosphere appeared to ionize upon contact with the missile, leaving an eerie, phosphorescent blue ring visible in the sky long after the missile had gone.

This interceptor missed it's target due to a random failure in the guidance electronics, but the launch was one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever seen!

HOE III

This was another perfect interceptor launch, but a software problem caused this one to miss it's target.

A close up of the upper part of the HOE 3 interceptor launch.

Note the bright spots on the track where the first and second stages separated.

The HOE missiles did a strange roll maneuver at high altitude in order to lose some speed in order to more easily track it's target, at least that's how it was explained to me.

HOE IV

A perfect mission!  This was the first successful interception of an ICBM in space!

It was claimed by some to be "the first real test of the SDI (Star Wars) program", but the HOE project had in fact been in the works for six years when the treasonous lunatic Ronald Reagan made his famous "Star Wars" speech.

Friends of mine on Kwajalein, watching the mission from just outside the Super RADOT where I was working, saw the distant flash of light in the sky when the missiles collided in space (the target RV had been coated with a substance similar to the stuff on a match head, to make the collision obvious).