Minuteman III / Photo: NARA & DVIDS, US Government
(Worthy News) –
(Worthy News) – The U.S. Air Force successfully test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) just after midnight Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, sending it more than 4,200 miles to a test site in the Marshall Islands.
Launched at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time, the missile reached speeds exceeding 15,000 mph before striking near the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll. Data from radar, optical, and telemetry sensors tracked its final descent.
“This ICBM test launch underscores the strength of the nation’s nuclear deterrent,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command.
The missile, randomly selected from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, was equipped with a Mark 21 High Fidelity Reentry Vehicle—simulating the configuration of a live nuclear payload. The test was overseen by the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, with support from all three of the Air Force’s missile wings.
These tests, conducted regularly, help ensure the aging Minuteman III—first deployed in the 1970s—remains reliable as the U.S. transitions to the next-generation LGM-35A Sentinel missile. However, the Sentinel program has encountered major cost overruns and delays. Originally projected at $77.7 billion, revised estimates now place it near $141 billion.
The Air Force has abandoned plans to refurbish old silos and will dig new ones on existing sites to accommodate the Sentinel system. Despite rising costs and logistical hurdles, the Pentagon insists the program is essential for future nuclear deterrence.
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