SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
US military test launches ICBM
Washington, Sept 7 (AFP) Sep 07, 2022
The US military tested an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, the second in less than a month after a previous launch was delayed twice.

Washington announced the test in advance, an unusual move apparently aimed at heading off an escalation of tensions with Russia that are already heightened due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with three test re-entry vehicles" early on September 7 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the US Air Force said in a statement.

In a conflict, the re-entry vehicles would be armed with nuclear warheads.

"This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate that the United States' nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective," the statement said.

"This test is not the result of current world events," it added.

The US Air Force successfully launched a Minutemen III ICBM on August 16, after having postponed the test twice to avoid stoking tensions over Ukraine and Taiwan.

The Minuteman III has been in service for 50 years, and is currently the only land-based ICBM in the US nuclear arsenal. The missiles are housed in silos on three US military bases in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana.

The US arsenal also includes Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons carried by strategic bomber aircraft.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Trump-Musk showdown threatens US space plans
Japanese company aborts Moon mission after assumed crash-landing
Renowned Mars expert says Trump-Musk axis risks dooming mission

24/7 Energy News Coverage
'No doubt' Canadian firm will be first to extract deep sea minerals: CEO
Tabletop particle blaster: How tiny nozzles and lasers could replace giant accelerators
Set it and forget it: Autonomous structures can be programmed to jump days in advance

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Iran FM warns Europe against 'strategic mistake' at IAEA; Iran obtained 'sensitive' Israeli intel
DOD is investigating Hegseth's staffers over Houthi-strikes chats
Three dead as Ukraine hit with third-straight day of overnight attacks

24/7 News Coverage
Ailing Baltic Sea in need of urgent attention
Money, mining and marine parks: The big issues at UN ocean summit
Solar power farms would impact less than 1 percent of Arkansas' ag land



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.