The United States has successfully carried out a test of its defence system against short and mid-range ballistic missiles, the Missile Defence Agency reported Saturday, according to Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa. The test, which took place at 7:20 p.m. Friday evening (0520 GMT January 27), involved "the successful intercept" just inside the Earth's atmosphere of a Russian Scud-type ballistic missile that had been fired from a mobile platform positioned just off the island of Kauai near Hawaii. The intercept was launched from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) base on the island of Kauai itself. The test was the second successful one in a series of three within the US Army's THAAD framework, a mobile defence system that is aimed primarily at short and mid-range missiles, but which should also offer some protection against long-range missiles. THAAD is a part of a multi-level missile defence system of land, sea and space-based elements that has been partially completed, but which is constantly being expanded.
