Air Force tests nuclear-capable long-range missile

The Air Force tested an unarmed nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early Wednesday off the West Coast, Air Force Global Strike Command announced.  

Equipped with three test re-entry vehicles, the unarmed Minuteman III ICBM was launched at 1:26 a.m. PDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., traveling 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, according to a service statement. 

“These 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 said. 

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder hours earlier on Tuesday announced the launch, which he said was routine and “scheduled years in advance.”  

He added that “in accordance with standard procedures,” the United States notified the Russian government in advance of the event. 

The Air Force, meanwhile, said the test was intended to demonstrate that America’s nuclear deterrent is “effective to deter twenty-first century threats and reassure our allies,” and is “not the result of current world events.” 

Washington routinely holds intercontinental weapon system tests to verify its missiles are working as they should, with the U.S. military holding similar tests more than 300 times, according to the Air Force. 

In the past 18 months, however, the U.S. government has held off on several tests to avoid compounding tensions with Russia and China.  

The Pentagon in April 2022 officially scrapped a test launch of the Minuteman III to avoid Russian “misinterpretation,” after Moscow had begun an invasion of Ukraine two months prior. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the Pentagon to delay that launch in March. 

In addition, the Defense Department in August 2022 held off on a planned ICBM test amid increased tensions with China over Taiwan. 

The Minuteman III system, the only land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, is comprised of missiles located in underground silos in five Western states. The Air Force typically holds four test launches annually from Vandenberg Space Force Base.