The missile was launched from an Airborne Launch Control System. Credit: Airman 1st Class Olga Houtsma/US Space Force.

Airmen from the US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), in collaboration with US Navy aircrew, executed a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) equipped with multiple targetable re-entry vehicles.  

The missile was launched from an airborne launch control system aboard a US Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. 

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The test, involving Airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, aimed to validate the reliability and effectiveness of the ALCS.  

This procedure is part of ongoing efforts to ensure that the US’s nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, reliable, and effective. It is said to be required for deterring threats in the 21st century and reassuring global allies. 

The re-entry vehicle travelled about 4,200 miles to the US Army Space and Missile Defence Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defence Test Site, located within the Republic of the Marshall Islands at the Kwajalein Atoll.  

The Reagan Test Site (RTS) is equipped with advanced sensors, radars, and telemetry, which are used to support the research, development, test, and evaluation of America’s defence and space programmes. 

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During the test, the Reagan Test Site team members gathered data in the terminal phase of flight to assess the system’s performance.  

RTS Range director Casel Rumfelt said: “RTS is honoured to be the nation’s only long-range land impact site providing our strategic partners a safe environment and truth in testing for the continued development of the ICBM modernisation efforts. 

“This range and testing facilitate America’s technical advantage on the global stage. Our team brings decades of experience and a level of professionalism that makes the impossible seem easy in a no-fail environment.” 

Looking ahead, the Air Force plans to replace the Minuteman III ICBM with the new LG-35A Sentinel, which is expected to reach initial capability by 2029 and full capability in the mid-2030s.  

Until then, the Air Force aims to ensure that the Minuteman III continues to serve as a viable deterrent. 

Earlier in 2024, Boeing secured a contract modification valued at $405.36m to support operations, maintenance, and testing of the Minuteman III weapons system.