US Launches Unarmed Minuteman III Missile In Test Of 'Nuclear Deterrent' - Air Force

The United States test-fired a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carrying a test re-entry vehicle over the Pacific Ocean, the US Air Force said in a press release on Thursday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) The United States test-fired a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carrying a test re-entry vehicle over the Pacific Ocean, the US Air Force said in a press release on Thursday.

"A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle at 12:27 a.m. Pacific Time Oct. 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California," the release said. "The test demonstrates that the United States' nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective."

The ICBM's reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the release said.

The United States periodically test launches ICBMs to verify the accuracy and reliability of the weapon system and obtain performance data to ensure a "continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent," the release added.

The Air Force Global Strike Command oversees all nuclear-capable bombers and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations for the US Defense Department, according to the release.