AFGSC test launching ICBM next week
Air Force Global Strike Command is conducting a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile next week.
The test launch is scheduled between 11:01 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on March 3 and 5:01 a.m. PST on March 4 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
It’s a routine test launch that was scheduled years in advance.
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The missile for this launch was pulled from the 91st Missile Wing’s complex at Minot Air Force Base and transported to Vandenberg, Col. John Sheets, AFGSC spokesman, told The Electric.
The Air Force rotates between the three missile wings to pull a missile.
The launch crew and maintainers include a mix of airmen from the three missile wings, Sheets said.
The ICBM test launches are used to validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the weapon system.
“The purpose of the ICBM test launch program is to demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent,” according to AFGSC.
The Air Force is maintaining the Minuteman III system while it converts to the new Sentinel system.
