This image taken with a slow shutter speed and provided by the U.S. Air Force shows an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test launch early Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (Staff Sgt. J.T. Armstrong/U.S. Air Force via AP)
(SANTA BARBARA, California)– The U.S. Air Force test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Wednesday.
Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, said, in a statement, that these launches “demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.”
The nuclear-capable Minuteman III, made by Boeing, reportedly has a maximum range of over 6,000 miles and is capable of carrying a payload of three reentry vehicles.
Task Force commander Maj. Armond Wong said, “Our test launches are scheduled well in advance and are not reactionary to world events.”