US successfully tests anti-ICBM system: statement

The US military said Monday it had successfully tested an anti-intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, with a target launched from the Marshall Islands shot down by two interceptors based in California.

To protect against the threat from ICBMs, the US has developed the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which is designed to fire an interceptor missile into space and use kinetic energy to destroy the incoming target.

While it has been tested before, this was the first successful test involving a salvo of interceptor missiles, the military said in a statement.

The first of the interceptors, located more than 6,500 kilometers from the simulated ICBM's launchpad, aimed for the test target's re-entry vehicle, while the second aimed for remaining debris, the statement said.

The head of the Missile Defense Agency, Air Force Lieutenant General Samuel Greaves, called the test a "critical milestone."