The US Air Force launched a hypersonic missile early Wednesday to demonstrate the nation’s nuclear deterrent ‘remains safe, secure, reliable and effective.’
The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) exercise kicked off at 1am PT (5am ET) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, just a few hours after Russia deployed its ‘Yars’ ICBM for combat training.
The Air Force, however, said Wednesday’s launch was a scheduled exercise and ‘is part of the nation’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a credible deterrent and is not a response to current world events.’
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth said: ‘Today’s Minuteman III test launch is just one of the ways the Department of the Air Force demonstrates the readiness, precision, and professionalism of US nuclear forces.
‘It also provides confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission.’
The test collected and analyzed performance and other key data points to evaluate current missile system competencies.
Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group (TEG), said: ‘This allows our team to analyze and report accuracy and reliability for the current system while validating projected missile system improvements.’
The nuclear missile took off in the dead of night, traveling 15,000 miles per hour to a test range near Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It completed the 4,200-mile journey in about 22 minutes.
The Air Force conducted a routine test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile at 1am PT. The missile was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California
The launch came just hours after Russia deployed its ‘Yars’ ICBM for combat training
The hypersonic weapon was designed to hit any target worldwide in just 30 minutes after launch.
Moscow sits about 5,200 miles from California, while Beijing is about 6,000 miles away – two nations deemed as threats to the US.
America’s ICBM is also capable of carrying three Mk 12A nuclear warheads, each packing up to 350,000 tons of TNT, but today’s test launched an unarmed missile.
The Air Force randomly chose a missile from F.E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming and transported more it than 1,300 miles to California where it was reassembled.
‘The Western Range at Vandenberg Space Force Base serves as the primary testing ground for the Air Force Global Strike Command’s ICBM deterrent architecture,’ the Air Force shared in a statement.
‘This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities designed to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, reliable, and effective in deterring 21st-century threats and reassuring our allies.
The ICBM is one of two missiles currently used by America. The other is submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) that are deployed from underwater submarines.
The weapon is a vital component of the US military’s nuclear forces, capable of delivering a nuclear payload to targets around the world, but is scheduled to be phased out by 2029 and replaced with the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM.
The test collected and analyzed performance and other key data points to evaluate current missile system competencies
The Minuteman III is a vital part of the U.S. military’s strategic arsenal. The nuclear-capable missile has a range of more than 6,000 and can travel at speeds of up to 15,000 miles per hour
The weapon traveled more than 4,000 miles at speeds over 15,000 miles per hour to a test range on the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean
The US Air Force said that ‘the Sentinel weapon system is the most cost-effective option for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective land-based leg of the nuclear triad and would extend its capabilities through 2075.’
The LG-35A Sentinel will replace the Minuteman III ICBM with an initial capability of 2029.
Until full capability is achieved in the mid-2030s, the Air Force is committed to ensuring Minuteman III remains a viable deterrent.
Russia, however, showcased its nuclear power two weeks prior before America’s launch.
It practiced stealth maneuvers of Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles in its Volga region, the defense ministry said on February 19.
The ministry published video of Yars missile launchers moving through a snowy forest.
The Yars is a nuclear missile that can be moved around on truck carriers or deployed in silos. Russia staged similar maneuvers last year as a nuclear warning to the West at a time of heightened confrontation over the war in Ukraine.
‘The calculations of mobile ground-based missile systems ‘Yars’ perform the tasks of marching up to 100 km [62 miles], dispersal of units with the change of field positions, their engineering equipment, guarding,’ the Russian Defense Ministry shared in a report.
‘The servicemen also solve the issues of countering sabotage and reconnaissance groups.’
The department added that ‘part of maneuvering actions, missile units and subdivisions are practicing the tasks of dispersal in the forest area in order to increase the secrecy of Yars SGRK units.’
