News / Military

US Air Force test-launches Minuteman III nuclear missile

Sunday, 21 February 2016 5:05 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 21 February 2016 5:25 PM ]

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launched during an operational test on December 17, 2013. (USAF photo)

The US Air Force has launched a Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a California launch site in order to test the nuclear-capable missile system.

The unarmed missile blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles on Saturday.

"There was a slight delay due to some instruments downrange but it went within the launch window," said Carla Pampe, chief of civic outreach for US Air Force Global Strike Command.

According to the Air Force, the missile carried an experimental re-entry vehicle headed for the designated target area in the Marshall Islands, 4,200 miles (6760 km) away in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Vandenberg facility is routinely used by the Air Force to test Minuteman missiles.

“While ICBM launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base almost seem routine, each one requires a tremendous amount of effort and absolute attention to detail in order to ensure a safe and successful launch," Colonel J. Christopher Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, said.

"This specific test will provide accuracy and reliability data that is essential to on-going and future modifications to the weapon system, which are key to improving the already impressive effectiveness of the Minuteman III force," he added.

The missile, manufactured by Boeing, is the only land-based ICBM in service in America and its development began in mid-1950s with the specific intent of attacking hardened military targets, specifically those in the former Soviet Union.

The latest version, Minuteman III, with an operational range of 13,000 km entered service in 1970.

Each unit can carry up to three nuclear warheads and is estimated to cost $7 million.

The Air Force admitted in January that one of its Minuteman III missiles had become “non-operational” on May 17, 2014 after it was damaged due to “human error.”

The damaged missile was removed from its silo in Colorado and repairing it would cost $1.8 million.

A study carried out by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), which works closely with the Pentagon, found that from 2014 to 2043, the White House will need to set aside a hefty $963 billion in order to gradually upgrade all intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarines and aircraft capable of deploying nuclear warheads.

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