<p>An interceptor missile launched from Vandenburg Air Force base in California on Tuesday successfully shot down a mock intercontinental ballistic missile in a milestone first test for a new defense system, according to the US Missile Defense Agency</a>.</p><p>The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor was launched to take out the replica ICBM, which blasted off around 4,200 miles away from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.</p><p>The $40 billion GMD missile defense system could become a key tool in the US military’s arsenal as North Korea continues its research into ICBM technology.</p><p>This footage, released by the US Missile Defense Agency, captures the launch of the ICBM from Kwajalein Atoll, and the launch of the interceptor missile from Vandenberg AFB.</p><br />
