THE US Army successfully fired its first Iron Dome missile interceptor on Monday as fears of World War Three build across the world.
The troops this morning completed the first test of the missile defense battery that can stop rockets in their tracks.
The experiments took place in White Sands, New Mexico, where troops were intercepting targets.
Teams worked with the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Administration to run the tests on Monday.
The Iron Dome system is expected to “protect deployed American forces from a variety of aerial threats, including cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, and shrapnel,” according to the ministry.
The test was hailed as a success just after 9am EST.
“The US Army, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and RAFAEL have successfully completed a live-fire test of the first US Army Iron Dome Defense System (IDDS-A) Battery, which the U.S. acquired from Israel,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense wrote in a tweet.
“The performance and live-fire test was conducted at the White Sands New Mexico (WSMR) test range and was the first time US soldiers intercepted live targets employing the Iron Dome System.
“Iron Dome developers Rafael, IAI Elta, and mPrest supported the test.”
The ministry also shared pictures of the test which showed rockets being fired into the air.
The successful test came amid rising global tensions as relations between the US and Russia, and the US and China falter.
The US Navy is said to be “preparing” for future world war with thousands of marines and sailors taking part.
Earlier this month, forces participated in a large-scale exercise designed to show the US’ “readiness” for a potential global conflict.
But it remains unknown if China and Russia will “pay attention” to the wargames or if they will be interpreted as an act of aggression.
It also comes as the US is harshly criticized for the chaos in Afghanistan after it withdrew its troops from the country and the Taliban won back control last week.
A firefight involving US forces erupted at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport on Monday — leaving one dead after a “sniper opened fire on Afghan guards.”
The Taliban warned of “consequences” if NATO troops aren’t withdrawn from the country by August 31 and thousands of Afghans flooded the airport hoping to flee the chaos.
US DEVELOPING ‘FORCE FIELD’
The US revealed earlier this year that it wants to develop a high-tech “force field” to stop incoming missiles from reaching US soil by 2060.
The defense system would involve a network of laser-mounted trucks that shoot down projectiles before they hit their targets.
A proposal for the system formed part of an official report on the future of directed energy weapons – the US military term for lasers.
In it, the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), which develops the weapons of the future, details how lasers might be used in the coming decades.
One potential use for the technology – in which the US military has invested heavily in recent years – is a defensive “force field,” researchers wrote.
While the AFRL accepts that such a system would require substantial investment and development, it suggested that directed energy weaponry has reached a “tipping point” of practicality.
‘DESTROY THREATS’
In a press release, the research body said: “The concept of a [directed energy] weapon creating a localized force field may be just on the horizon.”
AFRL chief scientist Jermey Murray-Krezan said that the system could one day be used to shoot down nuclear missiles in mid-air.
“By 2060 we can predict that [directed energy] systems will become more effective, and this idea of a force field includes methods to destroy other threats too,” he said in the release.
“Eventually there may be potential to achieve the penultimate goal of a Nuclear or ballistic missile umbrella.
“It’s fun to think about what that might be in 2060, but we don’t want to speculate too much.”
The US Army also quietly revealed it’s building a Star Wars-style cannon said to be the most powerful laser weapon in the world.
The US Navy experimented on far-fetched technologies including a “space modification weapon”, according to leaked documents.
Military researchers are also reportedly developing a laser weapon that can generate the sound of a voice out of thin air.
And, the US Army is also testing a 50-kilowatt laser weapon that incinerates drones, helicopters, planes, and missiles.
