Update | China carries out anti-missile test amid tension over North Korea’s nuclear programme
Ground-based interceptor missile knocked out a ballistic missile during the “mid-course” of its flight outside the Earth’s atmosphere
China carried out a successful test of its anti-missile system on Monday, the defence ministry said, amid simmering tensions over North Korea and rising concerns about India’s growing missile capabilities.
The exercise involved ground-based mid-course interception missile technology, and successfully accomplished its objective, it said in a statement, adding that the test was not targeted at any particular country.
Mid-course interception missile technology is used to knock out incoming ballistic missiles during the middle phase of their flight, which takes place outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Zhao Tong, a fellow on the nuclear policy programme at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy, said the test was most likely part of the ongoing development of the technology.
“No technical details have been released yet but I think China’s mid-course missile defence system is still under development and not yet fully capable of targeting anyone,” he said.
“But in terms of a security strategy, it is probably intended as a deterrent against ballistic missile attacks from, say, India or North Korea.”
