U.S. military officials say a missile launched from the Central Coast Tuesday successfully destroyed another missile test launched in the western Pacific, in what was a key test of a defense system.
It was the first live fire test involving the ground based interceptor system against an intercontinental ballistic missile.
A missile was launched from the Marshall Islands, and the payload of a missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base destroyed the target in a direct collision.
Officials involved with developing the missile defense system call the successful mission a key milestone in the program. A number of the system’s past tests ended in failure.
The U.S. test comes just two days after North Korea test launched another one of its missiles, in a flight which splashed down off the Japanese coastline. The system based at both Vandenberg Air Force Base and in Alaska is considered to be an important defensive element should North Korea launch an attack on the U.S. mainland.
