US successfully tests anti-ICBM system
The US military said on 26 March 2019 that 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 4,000 miles (6,500km) 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.’ The GMD system ‘is vitally important to the defence of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat,’ he said.
The US has spent decades and billions of dollars developing technologies to stop an incoming ballistic missile, and is aiming to step up efforts in the face of growing threats.
North Korea became the latest entrant to the ICBM club in 2017 when it tested the Hwasong-15, which analysts say is capable of reaching the whole US mainland. Washington and Pyongyang have been locked in nuclear disarmament negotiations since 2018, including two summit-level meetings between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Their last meeting was in February and failed to yield an agreement, though Trump last week announced the cancellation of North Korea sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department, signalling a possible effort to jumpstart the talks.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces]()
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
-
![US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule]()
US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule
The US government plans to accelerate production even further after achieving key B61-13 milestones months ahead of schedule, as the programme advances amid growing US-China strategic competition.
