WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The firing, which took place on Tuesday, was the second such test of the SM-3 Block IIA on the Point Mugu Sea Range; the first took place June 6, the report added.
"Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division… Point Mugu, California hosted a live-fire test of the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile… developed by the United States and Japan for use with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program," the Navy said on its website on Wednesday.
Japan already operates US-built Standard Missile-3 interceptors.
The Standard Missile-3 Block IIA is a three-stage missile designed to intercept ballistic missile threats above the earth's atmosphere, destroying them with a kinetic warhead that collides with the threat warhead at very high speed.
