North Korea ICBM test Friday was its longest ballistic missile flight

The ICBM traveled 1,000 kilometers laterally and was airborne for 45 minutes.

ByBY ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN
July 31, 2017, 2:22 PM
This Friday, July 28, 2017, photo distributed by the North Korean government on Saturday, July 29, 2017, shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. The clear message after Friday's late-night test, the second in a month of a missile that may be able to reach most of the U.S. mainland.
This Friday, July 28, 2017, photo distributed by the North Korean government on Saturday, July 29, 2017, shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. The clear message after Friday's late-night test, the second in a month of a missile that may be able to reach most of the U.S. mainland.
Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

— -- Friday's intercontinental ballistic missile test by North Korea was the longest flight of a ballistic missile in the country's history, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis confirmed Monday.

The North Korean ICBM traveled 1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles, laterally before landing in the Sea of Japan. The missile was airborne for 45 minutes. Davis said the first U.S. confirmation of the launch occurred while the ICBM was still in flight.

In a statement last week Davis said, "The missile was launched from Mupyong-ni, an arms plant ... in the far north of North Korea."

According to Davis, the missile fell about 88 nautical miles to the west of Hokkaido, Japan.

Based on analysis from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Davis said the missile launch posed no threat to North America.

"Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats remains ironclad," Davis said. "We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation."

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