A test launch of the Minuteam III missile was successfully carried out from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, flew more than 6,700 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean. UNN reports with reference to Air Force Global Strike Command.
Details
On May 21 at 00:01 Pacific Time, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, a joint team of pilots from the Air Force Global Strike Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a single high-precision Mark-21 warhead.
According to the agency, this test launch is part of routine and periodic measures aimed at demonstrating that the United States' nuclear deterrents remain safe, reliable and effective in the face of 21st century threats.
According to the US Air Force Global Strike Command, this was a planned test.
One of more than 300 conducted over the past decades, aimed at confirming the safety, reliability and effectiveness of the US nuclear arsenal
At the same time, the current geopolitical context gives this test a much deeper meaning.
Minuteman III traveled approximately 4,200 miles (6,759 kilometers) to the Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Test Site of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, located in the Republic of the Marshall Islands on Kwajalein Atoll.
According to the results, it is indicated that Minuteman III "remains the cornerstone of strategic deterrence. The unwavering commitment of Air Force personnel who ensure its readiness is proof of its inherent lethality," said Colonel Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group.
Let us remind you
In February 2025, the US successfully tested the launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg base.