The Air Force successfully tested a Minuteman III strategic nuclear missile in an unannounced post-midnight launch Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara.
The missile, chosen at random from those in alert in underground silos at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana and shipped to Vandenberg, blasted off at 12:01 a.m. and traveled 4,200 miles to a test site near remote Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The Air Force described the test as routine, noting that more than 300 similar tests have been conducted over the years.
“This ICBM test launch underscores the strength of the nation’s nuclear deterrent and the readiness of the ICBM leg of the triad,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command.
“This powerful safeguard is maintained by dedicated Airmen — missileers, defenders, helicopter operators and the teams who support them — who ensure the security of the nation and its allies,” he said.
The Minuteman force of some 400 missiles is distributed among three Air Force bases in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. Each is armed with a single nuclear warhead approximately 15 times as powerful as the bombs that ended World War II.
The aging missiles, which were first deployed in the 1970s, are scheduled to be replaced the new Sentinel ICBM being built by Northrup Grumman in California.
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