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.

7 The air defence missiles are being introduced amid growing global tensions Credit: PA:Press Association

7 The missiles were tested off the coast of Scotland Credit: PA:Press Association

7 Minister Harriet Baldwin watched footage of the successful test Credit: MOD CROWN This image may be used for current news purposes only. It may not be used, repro

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".

MOST READ IN NEWS Exclusive 'HE'S DEVASTATED' Kyle Walker 'furious' after fiancée admits to lockdown fling with toyboy WINTER ON WA Brits enjoy late summer sun as polar plume threatens earliest snow in century SHORT SHARP LOCK Pubs & restaurants could shut completely within days in two-week lockdown COVID CLAMPDOWN PM unveils huge £10k fines for Brits who break covid self-isolation rules SEE YOU IN SPRING 6 months of on-off lockdown as Boris to declare 'circuit breaker' in days PUBS CRISIS Wetherspoons boss warns pubs face wipeout with up to a MILLION job losses

7 The missile system uses a missile capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 3 Credit: PA:Press Association

7 The system will be dispatched to Japan next year Credit: � MBDA 2017 This image may be used for current news purposes only. It may not be used, rep

7 Harriet Baldwin said the system would 'protect us against the unkonwn' Credit: MOD CROWN This image may be used for current news purposes only. It may not be used, repro

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.

7 Kim's new H-bomb would devastate swathes of central London killing 130,000

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.