Missile defense

North Korea said on Tuesday that it had successfully conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, claiming a milestone in its efforts to build nuclear weapons capable of hitting the mainland United States.

Moscow and Ankara have agreed on the delivery of the S-400 air defense system to Turkey, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin said on June 29.      

"The contract has been agreed upon. The issue on the loan has not been resolved yet," Kozhin was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.      

The S-400 negotiations with Russia continue successfully, yet there is no sign of an agreement, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş confirmed, Daily Sabah writes.

Responding to a reporter's question on the delivery of the first S-400 missiles in 2019, Kurtulmuş said that in order for the mention of a delivery, an agreement needs to be signed first.

China has developed a new type of ultrafast anti-missile interceptor capable of knocking down an incoming projectile that is flying 10 times faster than a bullet, according to the nation’s largest missile maker.

Hundreds of residents of a small Japanese coastal town took part in an evacuation drill on June 4 as fears grow that a North Korean missile could hit the country.

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 yesterday that it had successfully tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile which met all technical requirements and could now be mass-produced, indicating advances in its ambitions to be able to hit 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.

Talks between Turkey and Russia on procuring S-400 missiles for a domestic Turkish air defense system have "matured," Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said on May 10, but added the two countries needed to sort out some price issues, Reuters has reported.