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What’s Behind US Air Force’s Sudden Minuteman III Test Launch Plans?
from Sputnik News:
US Air Force Global Strike Command will conduct two test launches of its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles from Vandenberg Space Force Base this coming week. The tests come amid raging tensions between Russia and NATO amid the escalating proxy war in Ukraine, but likely aren’t worth panicking over, military observers told Sputnik.
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US Space Forces Command has announced plans to launch two unarmed Minuteman III ICBMs on June 4 and 6.
The generally reliable but aging missiles, in service with the US military’s strategic nuclear forces since the 1970s, await replacement via the Sentinel ICBM program, with the latter expected to start coming online somewhere in the mid-2030s. In the meantime, the Minuteman III will remain the backbone and workhorse of America’s ground-launched strategic deterrent.
The June 4 test was originally meant to take place in February, but got postponed after the Air Force had to “safely terminate” a Minuteman III test launch in November after detecting an unspecified “anomaly.”
As for the June 6 launch, it was already scheduled for that date, according to Cruz, “so it made sense to conduct both of them while all the necessary personnel were on site.”
Together, the tests are meant “to demonstrate the readiness of US nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent,” according to Global Strike Command.
