- The U.S. Missile Defense Agency successfully conducted a missile defense test off the coast of Hawaii on Wednesday
- The USS John Paul Jones fired off Standard Missile-6 guided missiles to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target
- The test came a day after North Korea shot a ballistic missile over Japan
- However, the U.S. missile defense test was said to have been scheduled well in advance and not in retaliation for North Korea’s latest test
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Navy successfully conducted a missile defense test off the coast of Hawaii, MDA said in a statement on Wednesday.
The test, scheduled well in advance, was done from the USS John Paul Jones and comes a day after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan.
The test, using Standard Missile-6 guided missiles, intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency successfully conducted a missile defense test off the coast of Hawaii on Wednesday. Above, the missile that was shot off and then shot down
The USS John Paul Jones shot down the missile. Above,the John Paul Jones during a previous test in 2016
North Korea said its missile launch was to counter U.S. and South Korean military drills, and was a first step in military action in the Pacific to ‘contain’ the U.S. territory of Guam. The launch was condemned by the United Nations as an ‘outrageous’ act.
The MDA said the test gives the naval component of the missile defense system higher ability to intercept ballistic missiles in their terminal phase.
Japan has been worried that the United States has so far declined to arm it with a powerful new radar, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Japan is seeking a land-based version of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system, operational by 2023, as a new layer of defense to help counter North Korea’s missile advances.
The test came a day after North Korea tested a ballistic missile over Japan (above)