Washington, July 01: The US military says it has carried out a missile defense test successfully off the coast of Hawaii, amid continued tensions with North Korea.
The test was carried out late Thursday, in which an interceptor missile from a naval destroyer, the USS Hopper, shot down a short-range ballistic missile on the island of Kauai, a statement from the Missile Defense Agency said.
The destroyer’s Aegis weapon system “successfully guided the SM-3 (interceptor) to a direct body-to-body hit, approximately two minutes after leaving the ship,” the agency said.
Two other Navy ships also participated in Thursday’s test, dubbed “Stellar Avenger”.
The latest test marks the 19th successful shoot-down out of 23 tests at sea using the Aegis ballistic missile defense system, including knocking out a dead US spy satellite last year.
Washington stationed a missile defense system around Hawaii, after speculations one month ago, that Pyongyang’s missiles have the capablity to target the island — some 4,500 miles (7,240 km) away –.
North Korea condemned the US for the move, deeming it warmongering of Washington’s forces.
Pyongyang also accuses Washington of deploying nuclear-powered aircrafts and atomic-armed submarines in waters near the Korean peninsula, saying the moves prove “the US pre-emptive nuclear war” on the North is imminent.
The latest test came while tensions continue in the troubled Korean peninsula following the North’s May 25 nuclear test and a series of missile launches since then, which resulted in new tougher UN Security Council sanctions on the impoverished state.
North Korea however insists that its nuclear program is a deterrent against US forces in the region and accuses US President Barack Obama of plotting with regional allies to topple the communist country.
—-Agencies