Air Force test-launches nuclear-capable Minuteman III missile

On Wednesday, the Air Force conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. This missile, the latest in the Minuteman saga, is capable of carrying nuclear payloads.

The Air Force Global Strike Command launched the Minuteman III at 12:01 Pacific Time from Vandenberg Space Base in California. The missile is a ground-to-ground type launched from its own specialized platforms. It flew approximately 6,000 kilometers, reaching a speed of more than 25,000 kilometers per hour, to a test site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Minuteman III, depending on where it is launched from in the United States, is estimated to have the capability to reach any point on Earth with relative accuracy.

Minuteman is a program that dates back to the 1970s and could soon be replaced by another new system called Sentinel. The Air Force had planned to dismantle all of its Cold War-era missiles by 2039, but the Sentinel hasn't even been fully tested yet, and delays in the program could push back the transition date to at least 2050, according to Bloomberg.

The Air Force's nearly 400 Minuteman III missiles make up the ground-based component of the U.S. military's nuclear arsenal. The United States also has the capability to deliver nuclear weapons from submarines and aircraft.

"This ICBM test launch underscores the strength of the nation's nuclear deterrent and the readiness of the ICBM leg of the triad," Global Strike commander Gen. Thomas Bussiere said in a statement picked up by DefenseNews. "This powerful safeguard is maintained by dedicated airmen—missileers, defenders, helicopter operators and the teams that support them—who ensure the security of the nation and its allies."

The Armed Forces conduct such tests on a regular basis in order to keep their deterrent capabilities active.