U.S. successfully tests missile system amid tensions with North Korea
The United States successfully intercepted a test ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency out of Fort Belvoir, Va., announced Tuesday night.
The test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, was executed by several agencies, including the Air Force, the Coast Guard and the Army, the MDA said in a statement. Soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade out of Fort Bliss, Texas, followed the same procedures they would use in actual combat, according to the military. It was the 14th successful attempt in 14 tries for the THAAD system, the agency said.
The most recent test involved a ballistic missile target that was air launched via an Air Force C-17 cargo plane over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii, the Department of Defense said. The THAAD weapons system based in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target, the Missile Defense Agency said.
It was the first successful attempt against an intermediate range ballistic missile.
The demonstration "bolsters the country's defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe," the Missile Defense Agency statement read.
On July 4, North Korea launched a missile that had the capacity to reach the United States mainland. The Hwasong-14 missile had a maximum range of almost 4,200 miles and could have hit targets in Alaska.
The intercepted missile is similar to those being developed by North Korea, the BBC said.
On Saturday, U.S. officials announced two bombers flew to the Korean peninsula to join fighter jets from Japan and South Korea in response to North Korea's testing of its military might.
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