The system included a carrier vehicle with on-board sensors and a number of kill vehicles, each equipped with its own navigation thrusters and weighing around 10 lb. With multiple kill vehicles on a single target "cloud" the probability for a hit on the actual warhead is enhanced. The capability of the system to intercept multiple independent targets was also planned to be tested.

The MKV mission was to destroy medium-range through intercontinental-range ballistic missiles