The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) became the first ship to successfully shoot down an incoming ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. The demonstration of this new capability could provide a new level of missile defense for the United States from incoming attack by ICBMs.
The USS John Finn was positioned off Hawaii for the missile interception test. The test ICBM was launched from the Kwajalein Atoll in the western Pacific. The interception took place outside of earth’s atmosphere where incoming ICBM attacks begin their reentry prior to their terminal attack phase.
The missile launched from the USS John Finn was a Raytheon/Mitsubishi SM-3 Block IIA. Tuesday’s test interception was part of a mission called Flight Test Aegis Weapons System-44 (FTM-44), a developmental test required by the U.S. Congress to determ....MORE
