**Test of Minuteman III ICBM**
Air Force Global Strike Command conducted a test of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) late Tuesday night.
**Launch Details**
The ICBM, equipped with multiple targeted reentry vehicles, was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at approximately 11 p.m. Pacific Time. The missile traveled around 4,200 miles at nearly 15,000 miles per hour, reaching a ballistic missile test site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
**Data Collection**
At the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, sensors gathered radar, optical, and telemetry data during the missile’s terminal phase to assess its performance.
**Launch Procedure**
The missile was launched by Airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron, based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nevada. An airborne launch control system aboard a Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft was used for the launch. The missile was randomly selected from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, transported over 1,300 miles to Vandenberg, and reassembled before the test.
**Statements from Officials**
Gen. Thomas Bussiere, Global Strike Commander, highlighted the significance of such tests, stating, “An airborne launch validates the survivability of our ICBMs, which serve as the strategic backstop of our nation’s defense and defense of allies and partners.”
**Purpose of Tests**
The Air Force noted that these tests, carried out more than 300 times, aim to demonstrate the safety, security, reliability, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Importantly, the test was not prompted by current world events.
**Current Status of ICBM Arsenal**
The U.S. operates roughly 400 nuclear-armed Minuteman III missiles placed in 450 silos across Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska. These ICBMs, over 50 years old, are approaching the end of their operational life. The Air Force plans to replace them with the LGM-35A Sentinel in the 2030s, although the program faces challenges with rising costs.
**Author Information**
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News, having previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times and reported on the Pentagon, special operations, and air warfare for Military.com. He has experience covering U.S. Air Force operations in the Middle East.
