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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said Friday it has successfully tested its anti-ballistic missile system off the west coast of Hawaii, increasing its ability to destroy missiles targeting the US and its allies. Rogue states like North Korea and Iran.
The interception missile, developed by the United States and Japan, was launched Friday by USS John Finn after the destroyer's radar had detected and tracked the medium range ballistic missile.
In August, the Pentagon was mandated to seek more options to defeat North Korean missiles to the United States using radar and more missiles to spot and shoot down incoming threats. [nL1N1UZ0TE]
The military sought to find out if the United States could add an extra layer of defense to those already in place to intercept incoming missiles.
The Aegis system, used in the latest test, was equipped with a standard 3 Block IIA missile interceptor (SM-3 IIA) developed as part of a joint venture between Raytheon Co and Japanese Mitsubishi. Heavy Industries Ltd.
Lockheed Martin Corp's Aegis system is currently deployed on 36 US Navy ships and the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.
Aegis vessels could patrol the Pacific Ocean and reinforce the ground-based mid-ground interceptor missile network in Alaska and California, which protects the United States from intercontinental ballistic missile attacks.
(Report by Chris Sanders, edited by Bill Trott)
