The US military said Tuesday it had intercepted a mock-up of an intercontinental ballistic missile in a first-of-its-kind test that comes amid concerns over North Korea' s weapons program. Current top breaking Philippine headlines regarding the nation, world, metro manila…
The US military said Tuesday it had intercepted a mock-up of an intercontinental ballistic missile in a first-of-its-kind test that comes amid concerns over North Korea’s weapons program. A ground-based interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California «successfully intercepted an intercontinental ballistic missile target» fired from the Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands, the military said in a statement. The test saw a rocket from the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system blast into space and then deploy its «exo-atmospheric kill vehicle, » which smashed into the dummy ICBM, destroying it in a direct collision. «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, » Vice Admiral Jim Syring, director of the US Missile Defense Agency, was quoted as saying. The exercise marked a significant step for the GMD system, which has had a checkered record in previous tests. Though it succeeded in the last test in 2014, it failed during the three prior attempts against slower-moving, non-ICBM missiles.
