A state-of-the-art navy vessel designed to intercept ballistic missiles is set to be tested later this month.
The MV Pacific Collector detects the missile via GPS and shoots out a vehicle which smashes into a warhead in mid-flight to disable it.
Known as ground-based mid-course defense, the ship is in port at Aloha Tower in Hawaii for a key upcoming ballistic missile defense test.
The news comes as North Korea test-launched a ballistic missile that flew for half an hour and reached an altitude of 1,240 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan - a flight pattern that could indicate a new type of missile.