In a video released by the U.S. Military, a potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was successfully destroyed by an interceptor in a direct collision.
The mock ICBM was launched from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean and was detected by ground-based systems in Vandenburg Air Force Base in California, where the interceptor was launched.
The ICBM travelled at speeds over one-thousand miles per hour, and was destroyed thousands of miles from the coast of the United States, according to CNN.
The mock ICBM deployed decoys during it's flight to test the interceptor's targeting system. The military plans to test the system again in 2018 with multiple interceptors being deployed against a single incoming threat.
The test comes in the wake of North Korea's claims to be at or near capabilities of producing weapons that could reach the shores of the United States.
According to the CNN article, this was the fifth time the missile defense system has been tested and has been successful two of those five times.