Pentagon to test interceptor for shooting down NKorean ICBM

The US is to test for the first time an interceptor system for challenging an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile, whether from North Korea or Iran, the Pentagon reported.  A new version of the single, long-range ground-based interceptor will be launched Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California over the Pacific Ocean to shoot down a “hostile” missile launched from the Marshall Islands. This system has been criticized as so far only demonstrating limited capability to contend with small numbers of intermediate range ballistic missiles if fired from the two rogue countries.
The test comes two days after Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile that traveled an estimated 248 miles before splashing down within Japan's exclusive economic zone.