US successfully tests THAAD missile defenses as DPRK tension rises

(CGTN photo)

The US said on Tuesday its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system successfully intercepted its target during a test run over the Pacific Ocean.

Planned months ago, the US missile defense test came amid rising tension with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its weapons program.

On July 4, Pyongyang said it had carried out its first successful test of an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).

A THAAD interceptor is launched from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska, on July 11, 2017. /Missile Defense Agency Photo

The US test was the first-ever of the THAAD system against an incoming intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which experts say is a faster and more difficult target to hit than shorter-range missiles, reported Reuters.

"The successful demonstration of THAAD against an IRBM-range missile threat bolsters the country's defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries," the US Missile Defense Agency said in a statement on Tuesday.