Airmen and sailors from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron and Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron FOUR (VQ-4), Strategic Communications Wing ONE, completed a simulated electronic launch-Minuteman event, known as a SELM, at Malmstrom Air Force Base in September.

Twice a year, the Air Force and Navy conduct SELMs to test selected Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles in their deployed environment without an actual launch, according to an Air Force release.

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SELMs evaluate the weapon system from day-to-day operations through the issuance of the first-stage ignition signal.

The 625th STOS Airborne Launch Control System operators serve as an airborne safeguard, ensuring missiles can still be commanded if ground-based launch control centers are ever damaged or unable to respond. The goal is to verify the weapon system’s secondary launch capability.

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“Because of the months of planning and coordination that lead up to a SELM, the crew is thoroughly prepared,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Quinn Sokolnicki, 625th STOS test flight commander and ALCS operator, said in a release. “During execution, we as ALCS operators are excited to get actual reps by sending commands to test-configured launch facilities at the missile wing.”

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During the flight, ALCS operators onboard a Navy E-6B Mercury send test commands to launch facilities isolated in their own mini-squadron.

Test engineers worked with both flight crew and ground teams, tracking how the systems responded every step of the way.

Operating across Malmstrom’s missile complex presented distinct operational and logistical considerations for the joint force.

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The Navy E-6B Mercury staged at the Great Falls International Airport in mid-September since Malmstrom’s airfield is configured exclusively for helicopter operations and cannot support fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Air Force, requiring inter-agency coordination.

Once airborne, the focus shifted to test execution and data integrity.

While the VQ-4 aircrew managed the flight profile and aircraft endurance, the 625th STOS airborne test team coordinated the step-by-step execution of the test script over the missile complex.

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“From the airborne engineering seat, our focus is making sure every test objective is achieved safely and with high fidelity,” U.S. Air Force Capt. Noah Woods, 625th STOS ALCS test engineer, the airborne test conductor, said in a release. “We work in lockstep with the Navy aircrew to keep the aircraft positioned exactly where it needs to be to maintain clean command links across the wing’s dispersed launch control centers and launch facilities, all while maintaining constant communication with our test partners on the ground.”

The 625th STOS, VQ-4, the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom, and the 576th Flight Test Squadron from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California routinely join forces to test and validate the Minuteman weapon system.

The resulting test data directly informs current readiness assessments while paving the way for the future force.

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“Data gathered helps verify the performance of the Minuteman III system’s secondary launch capability,” Woods said in a release. “The results support efforts to sustain a credible ICBM deterrent through the transition to the Sentinel weapon system, while reinforcing the resilience and responsiveness of our nation’s strategic posture.”

The Air Force has continued to maintain the Minuteman III weapon system while planning for a phased transition to the Sentinel system.

*Air Force photo