Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle is part of Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" missile defence concept. An orbiting vehicle is designed to detect and intercept ballistic missiles, which are destroyed in a "hit to kill" collision with the EKV.
EKV devices have also been adapted for use with missile platforms. An EKV is boosted to an intercept trajectory where it separates from the boost vehicle and autonomously collides with an incoming warhead. EKV devices appear in both ground and ship based missile defense systems.