Washington (CNN) The US conducted a successful missile defense test on Tuesday in the latest advancement in US capabilities to defend against ballistic missiles.

US Navy sailors in Hawaii successfully intercepted an intermediate range ballistic missile target with an interceptor missile launched from land using the Aegis Ashore system, the US Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.

The intermediate range ballistic missile target was air-launched by a US Air Force C-17 from the ocean thousands of miles away from Hawaii, the agency said.

"Today's successful flight test demonstrated the effectiveness of the European Phased Adaptive Approach Phase 3 architecture," Missle Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves said in a statement. "It also was of great significance to the future of multi-domain missile defense operations and supports a critical initial production acquisition milestone for the (Standard Missile)-3 Block IIA missile program."

Greaves added, "This system is designed to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies, and friends from a real and growing ballistic missile threat."

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