Intercontinental ballistic missile

The US military said Tuesday it had intercepted a mock-up of an intercontinental ballistic missile in a first-of-its-kind test that comes amid concerns over North Korea’s weapons program.

Preparing for North Korea’s growing threat, the Pentagon will try to shoot down an intercontinental-range missile for the first time in a test next week. The goal is to more closely simulate a North Korean ICBM aimed at the U.S. homeland, officials said Friday

North Korea said on May 15 it had successfully conducted a mid- to-long-range missile test and would continue such launches "any time, any place", defying U.N. Security Council resolutions and warnings from the United States.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on May 14 in defiance of  calls to rein in its weapons program, days after a new leader in its old rival South Korea came to power pledging to engage it in dialogue.

North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said.

Amid escalating tensions, North Korea has warned America of a "super-mighty pre-emptive strike" that would reduce it "to ashes". Donald Trump, the Commander-in-Chief of the world's most powerful military, recently called North Korea the "greatest immediate threat" to the US.

North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest on March 6, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as a preparation for war.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Sunday that his military was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Jan. 1 that the isolated nuclear capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). 

North Korea tested ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate during 2016, although some experts have said it is years away from developing an ICBM fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States. 

Russia has unveiled the very first image of a new super-heavy thermonuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile, the RS-28 Sarmat. The Sarmat, designed to be fitted with a hypersonic glider warhead, is expected to go into production as early as 2018.