The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has successfully intercepted an air-launched intermediate range ballistic missile target.
The complex test happened off Guam for the first time.
The Pentagon called the test a significant milestone in the island's defence capabilities
Guam, a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, is a strategic military outpost that is located closer to China than to Hawaii.
It plays a crucial role in maintaining U.S. presence in the region and deterring potential adversaries.
The successful test underscores the Pentagon's commitment to bolstering Guam's defences against evolving missile threats.
During the test, dubbed Flight Experiment Mission-02, the Aegis Guam System, integrated with the new radar and Vertical Launching System, fired the missile.
The collision that took place more than 600 kilometers up is a milestone in the U.S. plan to fortify its Western Pacific territory which is closer to China.
The ballistic missile which was air-launched from a U.S. Air Force C-17 was pulverised by the kinetic energy of the interceptor.
The missile, made by RTX Corp, formerly called Raytheon, successfully intercepted the target off the coast of Andersen Air Force Base.
The US missile defence agency hailed the test as a "tremendous group effort."
The successful intercept is part of a broader initiative to develop the Guam Defence System or GDS, which aims at providing an enhanced integrated air and missile defense system.
The agency plans to use the data gathered from this experiment to further refine and validate the concept and requirements for the future GDS.
Over the next decade, the U.S. plans to place missile defences at 16 sites around the island.
Those will use the best hardware in the country's arsenal, including the THAAD missile system, a new, advanced radar and short-range air-defense system.
Linked to sensors on Guam and around the region, the batteries are meant to engage whatever China might throw at the island.
Guam is home to crucial U.S. Air Force and Navy facilities that are vital to projecting power into East Asia and the South China Sea.
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