ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Missile Defense Agency says it has conducted a successful test from Alaska of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, part of the nation’s ballistic missile defense system.
A target in the form of an intermediate-range ballistic missile was air-launched Monday night by an Air Force C-17 over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii.
The MDA says a THAAD weapon system at Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target.
The test was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD weapon system.
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The system can be rapidly deployed and is designed to intercept ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight.
The system uses hit-to-kill technology to destroy missiles at high altitudes to mitigate effects of enemy weapons.