WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (KUNA) -- The Pentagon announced Monday that it conducted a "flight test of a conventionally-configured ground-launched cruise missile" yesterday at San Nicolas Island in California.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the test missile "exited its ground mobile launcher and accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometers of flight.
"Data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense's development of future intermediate-range capabilities," it affirmed.
This comes after Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed earlier this month that the US will pursue the development of "ground-launched conventional missiles as a prudent response to Russia's actions." The US decision to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty went into effect on August 2nd because Russia "failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system-the SSC-8 or 9M729 ground-launched, intermediate-range cruise missile," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had announced. (end) si.mb