In a move that was likely watched closely by nuclear-armed North Korea, a U.S. Navy Aegis-equipped destroyer successfully intercepted a mock intercontinental ballistic missile in a first-of-its-kind test Tuesday.

The U.S. destroyer took part in the test off Hawaii, firing off a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile jointly developed with Japan, to destroy the target launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, some 4,000 kilometers from Hawaii.

"This was an incredible accomplishment and critical milestone for the Aegis BMD SM-3 Block IIA program," Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), said in a statement.