Royal Navy tests new missiles which can destroy enemy bombs at supersonic speeds from Japan-bound ship amid growing global tensions
THE Royal Navy has tested its newest air defence missiles which can destroy enemy bombs at supersonic speeds - as tensions with Kim Jong-un's North Korea continue to escalate.
Dramatic images show the Sea Ceptor missiles being fired from HMS Argyll off the coast of Scotland as preparations are made to dispatch the missiles to Japan.
It comes as North Korea escalated threats of missile strikes against America and South Korea by testing a hydrogen bomb at the weekend.
The crackpot dictatorship created a 6.3-magnitude earthquake and experts fear hundreds of thousands of people would be killed if it was targeted at a major city.
The Navy's new air defence system is designed to intercept and destroy enemy missiles travelling at supersonic speeds and will form part of the protection for new aircraft carriers.
The system uses a missile capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 3, which is three times the speed of sound.
It will be able to deal with multiple targets at the same time, protecting an area of around 500 square miles over land or sea.
The missiles are said to provide "complete protection against all known and projected air targets".
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Harriett Baldwin, minister for defence procurement, announced the successful firings during a visit to defence company MBDA in Filton, Bristol.
She said: "Sea Ceptor will protect our interests against threats both known and unknown.
"It will launch from the Royal Navy's new Type 26 frigates as they keep our nuclear deterrent submarines and the UK's two new aircraft carriers safe on operations around the globe."
Commander Toby Shaughnessy, the Commanding Officer of HMS Argyll, described the system as an "exciting upgrade".
He said: "Sea Ceptor is an impressive and innovative system, demonstrating that the Royal Navy is at the cutting edge of technology and working hard to keep Britain safe.
"I am immensely proud of my ship's company and the work they put in to make this test firing possible."
HMS Argyll will conduct further firing trials of the Sea Ceptor's system before she deploys to Japan next year.
Based on the strength of the tremors - equivalent to a magnitude 6.3 earthquake - nuclear weapons specialists put the yield of the bomb at up to 100 kilotons.
That is roughly 10 times more powerful than any of the previous nuclear bombs tested by the North Korean military.
If Kim Jong-un's scientists have built a 100 kiloton H-bomb, its explosive power would dwarf that of the US nukes dropped on Japan in 1945 - which exploded with an energy of 10 to 20 kilotons.
As well as its more obvious destructive power, a hydrogen bomb can also be detonated in the atmosphere sparking a massive electromagnetic pulse knocking out electrical supplies.
North Korea’s state media claimed its underground test of the H-bomb - reportedly capable of being loaded into an ICBM - is a major "game changer" in its escalating war of words with the US.