Message To North Korea? US Rocket Launched From Alaska Successfully Intercepts Target Missile From Over Hawaii

A Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT rocket launched from Alaska successfully shot down a target missile fired from just north of Hawaii, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said.

The intermediate-range Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile launched at a base in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted a target missile air-launched over the Pacific Ocean by a U.S. Air Force C-17, the military said in a statement Tuesday.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the government and contractor team who executed this flight test today,” Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, the Missile Defense Agency director, said in the statement. “This test further demonstrates the capabilities of the THAAD weapon system and its ability to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats. THAAD continues to protect our citizens, deployed forces and allies from a real and growing threat.”

North Korea State Of Mind

The agency said it was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD weapon system, a mobile launcher capable of intercepting ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight. It was, however, the longest such intercept yet.

The agency said the THAAD tests “bolsters the country’s defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe and contributes to the broader strategic deterrence architecture.”

North Korea is widely believed to have tested an intercontinental-ballistic missile capable of reaching Alaska on July 4, though the THAAD is designed primarily for intercepting missiles with a shorter range than that weapon.

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