Outrage at U.S. ballistic balls-up

25 Mar, 2008 13:27 / Updated 17 years ago

The U.S. Defense Department has been embarrassed by revelations it accidentally shipped non-nuclear ballistic missile parts to Taiwan.

Four nose-cones for intercontinental ballistic missiles were mistakenly shipped to the island state instead of the helicopter batteries Taiwan had ordered. The U.S. Defence Department sent the missile parts in 2006. They have now been returned, and the matter is being investigated.