A warheadless intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has been launched from California for testing, the US Air Force’s Global Strike Command has announced.
The Minuteman III rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:01 p.m. Thursday, and its reentry vehicle flew about 6,800 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean to Kwajalein Atoll in the islands. Marshall, the command said in a statement.
While the test took place amid US concerns over North Korean missile tests and a Chinese reconnaissance balloon flying over the United States, the Air Force said it was a standard practice launch.
“Such tests have already been carried out more than 300 times, and this test is not the result of current world events,” the statement said.
Minuteman III missiles have been in service for decades. The US Air Force plans to replace them with a new ICBM called Sentinel (“Sentinel”).
“While full combat readiness [ракеты Sentinel] will not be achieved by the mid-2030s, the US Air Force will strive to ensure that the Minuteman III missile remains an effective means of [стратегического] deterrence,” the US command said.
