Air Force Global Strike Command conducted a test of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile late Tuesday evening.
The ICBM, which was equipped with multiple targeted reentry vehicles, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California around 11 p.m. Pacific Time. It then flew about 4,000 miles, at about 15,000 miles per hour, to a ballistic missile test site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Sensors at that facility, the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, collected radar, optical and telemetry data in the missile’s final stages to evaluate how well it performed.
Airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron from Offutt Air Force Base in Nevada launched the missile using an air launch control system aboard a Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft. The rocket was randomly selected from those stationed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, transported more than 1,300 miles to Vandenberg and then reassembled for the test launch.
“These tests are a demonstration of what striker pilots bring to the fight when called upon by the president,” said Global Strike Commander Gen. Thomas Bussiere. “An air launch validates the survivability of our ICBMs, which serve as the strategic backstop to the defense of our nation and of allies and partners.”
The Air Force said these tests, which have been conducted more than 300 times, are conducted routinely to demonstrate that the U.S. nuclear deterrent is safe, reliable and effective. Tuesday’s test was not motivated by current world events, the Air Force said.
The US has approximately 400 nuclear-armed Minuteman III missiles stationed in 450 silos across Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado and Nebraska. But those ICBMs are more than fifty years old and nearing the end of their lives. The Air Force plans to replace the Minuteman III arsenal with the LGM-35A Sentinel in the 2030s. However, the Sentinel program has been plagued by rising projected future costs and the Air Force is looking for ways to bring the price down.
