The Untied States military in a statement said that it had intercepted a mock-up of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a test, which is first of its kind and comes amid concerns over North Korea’s raising nuclear weapons program.
The interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and it successfully intercepted an ICBM that was fired from the Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands yesterday.
A rocket from the fired into space from the Ground-based Mid-course Defense (GMD) system and then its “exo-atmospheric kill vehicle,” smashed into the dummy ICBM, destroying it in a direct collision.
The director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Jim Syring said: “This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat.”
The test marked a significant step for the GMD system, which has had a checkered record in previous tests. Though the GMD system succeeded in the 2014 test, it failed during the three prior attempts against slower-moving, non-ICBM missiles.
Syring said: “The intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment for the GMD system and a critical milestone for this program,”
The yesterday’s success is a watershed moment for the Untied States military’s effort to establish an effective, though limited — ground-based defense against ICBMs.
The test came to the heels of North Korea’s recent missile tests capable of carrying a nuclear warheads. The series of tests have ratcheted up tensions over Pyongyang’s quest to develop weapons capable of hitting the United States
Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said yesterday’s trial was not timed specifically in response to tensions with Pyongyang but that “in a broad sense, North Korea is one of the reasons why we have this capability.”
“They continue to conduct test launches, as we saw this weekend, while also using dangerous rhetoric that suggests they would strike the United States homeland,” Davis said. He also pointed to Iran’s increasing missile capabilities as threatening U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East.
The GMD uses one of the most extremely complex technology, and the system uses globally deployed sensors to detect and track ballistic missile threats. The pentagon said that the interception is akin to hitting a bullet with another bullet, at far higher speeds.
The U.S. military statement read: “Initial indications are that the test met its primary objective, but program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.”
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