China conducted a land-based, midcourse missile interception test on Sunday night, the Defense Ministry said.

In a brief statement, the ministry said the operation was defensive in nature, had not targeted any other country and had achieved its goals

This was the sixth land-based missile interception test China has publicly announced. Previously, the nation successfully completed five such tests, in 2010, 2013, 2014,2018 and 2021.

A midcourse missile interceptor is designed to shoot down medium-and intermediate-range, as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles, midcourse during their flight. The collision of the interceptor and its target usually takes place at an altitude of several hundred kilometers.

A land-based, midcourse interception test typically involves several stages. First, the targeted ballistic missile is launched, then surveillance satellites detect the launch and immediately inform ground-based early-warning systems to track the target and guide the interceptor toward it. The interceptor is then fired, locks on to the incoming missile and explodes near the target or directly hitting it, according to experts.

An advanced antimissile interceptor requires cutting-edge technologies, high-end manufacturing techniques and top materials, and requires a great number of tests before it can be successful, experts said.

So far, only a handful of countries, including the United States, Russia and China, have developed antiballistic missile systems.

Military observers said that China has developed several types of dedicated missile interceptors.

Wu Peixin, a military observer in Beijing, said that one of the major threats to China's national security comes from foreign militaries' ballistic missiles, so it is necessary for China to develop reliable countermeasures.

Land-based, midcourse interceptors are likely to be deployed near high-value, strategically important regions such as major cities and industrial hubs to safeguard those areas, he noted.