Air Force Warhead Interceptor Test Against N. Korea Attack A Success

LOS ANGELES, CA —In a launch visible in select parts of the Southland, U.S. Air Force officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base launched a ground-based interceptor missile Tuesday in a drill aimed in part at preparing for a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile strike.

The missile was launched from Vandenberg in eastern Santa Barbara County around 1 p.m., and officials with the Missile Defense Agency said the test was a success, with the missile intercepting a simulated warhead fired from the Marshall Islands.

"The intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment for the GMD (Ground-based Midcourse Defense) system and a critical milestone for this program," said MDA director Vice Adm. Jim Syring. "This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat."

The test was planned in response to what are regarded as provocations by North Korea, which, as of last week, has carried out three missile tests in three weeks.

The most recent North Korean test involved a short-range ballistic missile that traveled about 250 miles before splashing down in Japan's "exclusive economic zone" near the coast.

The American interceptor has an uneven track record, having succeeded nine times out of 17 attempts against missiles in tests since 1999, although the most recent test -- in June 2014 --- was a success.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to deploy a nuclear-armed missile capable of reaching American territory. The North Koreans have not yet tested an intercontinental ballistic missile but are believed to be planning to.

City News Service; Image: Youtube screengrab