This impressive footage shows a US Navy combat ship launching a missile strike towards a target on shore as crews test out its firing abilities.

Naval crews aboard the USS Montgomery (LCS 8) demonstrated why the ship surpasses traditional warships.

The images were obtained by Newsflash from the US Navy – courtesy of Lt. Sam Hardgrove – as well a short statement: “Designed to operate where traditional warships can’t reach, Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) brings the speed and firepower required to dominate all manner of coastal maritime threats, allowing our Navy to ‘Strike the Shore, From the Shoreline’.”

The USS Montgomery (LCS 8) – one of four ships to be named after the capital of the US state of Alabama – is a littoral combat ship built using the Independence-class trimaran design.