US plans to test THAAD missile defense system

Reuters news agency quoted US officials as saying that Washington is planning to conduct a test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system early this month.

The information was released just days after North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 4, raising the threat from Pyongyang.

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system

This will be the first test to evaluate THAAD's defense capabilities against a simulated attack by an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), an unnamed official said, without revealing a specific time.

Meanwhile, US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) spokesman Chris Johnson confirmed the test will take place in "early July".

The THAAD system located at the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska in Kodiak, Alaska, will "detect, track and attack the target with a THAAD interceptor," said Chris Johnson.

THAAD is a ground-based missile defense system designed to shoot down short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Lockheed Martin Corp., the prime contractor for the THAAD system, said it is capable of intercepting missiles operating inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere.

According to MDA data, the THAAD missile shield has successfully tracked 100% of 13 tests since 2006. After previous tests, the US military did not make the results public.

According to Vietnamnet