The Air Force Global Strike Command successfully completed a developmental test launch of the Boeing-built Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early Wednesday morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The Minuteman III program is managed out of Boeing’s Huntsville location.
The unarmed missile was equipped with a test reentry vehicle which traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, according to a U.S. Air Force release.
Test launches are critical in verifying the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system. This is the second such test of a Boeing-built ICBM in the last six months.
The data provided from test launches contributes to the maintenance of the ICBM as a priority nuclear deterrent for the United States.
“Developmental testing provides valuable data to Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center for both modernization and sustainment of the ICBM weapon system,” said Col. Omar Colbert, 576th Flight Test Squadron commander. “The Minuteman III is aging, and modernization programs such as this are essential in ensuring that our Nation has a reliable nuclear deterrent through the rest of its lifespan and beyond. Most importantly, this visible indicator of our national security capabilities serves to assure our partners and dissuade potential aggressors.”
Boeing designed the first Minuteman ICBM in 1958. The Minuteman I first went on alert for the Air Force in 1962.
The company’s land-based Minuteman III is as fast as a seismic wave, traveling up to four miles per second and up to 15,000 miles per hour.
One of Boeing’s objectives is to continue to support the Air Force in keeping the Minuteman III reliable into the 2030s.
The test launch calendars are built three to five years in advance, and planning for each individual launch begins six months to a year prior to launch.
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia
