US Tests Unarmed Nuclear-Capable Minuteman III Ballistic Missile For Readiness - Air Force

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th August, 2020) The United States has fired an unarmed nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to test readiness, the US Air Force Global Strike Command said in a press release on Tuesday.

"A joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Navy sailors launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with three test reentry vehicles from aboard the Airborne Launch Control System at 12:21 am Pacific Time Aug[ust] 4 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California," the release said.

The missile's three reentry vehicles traveled about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall islands, the release said.

Periodic test launches verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system, providing valuable data to ensure a continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent, the release also said.

Test launches are not a response or reaction to world events or regional tensions, the release added.