The US Air Force has launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile from California in a test of the intercontinental ballistic missile system. The missile was blasted from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast northwest of Los Angeles. The Air Force says the missile carried a test re-entry vehicle that hit a target area 4,200 miles away near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in US service. The test took place 45 years after the first Minuteman III missiles were put on alert at the Minot AFB, on August 19, 1970. A previous version of the missile, Minuteman II, was launched from Vandenberg on August 18, 1965.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
- An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a guided ballistic missile with a minimum range of more than 5,500 kilometres
- They are primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery.
- ICBMs are differentiated by having greater range and speed than other ballistic missiles.
- Russia, the United States, China and India are the only countries currently known to possess land-based ICBMs, Israel has also tested ICBMs but is not open about actual deployment.
- The United States currently operates 450 ICBMs in three USAF bases. The only model deployed is LGM-30G Minuteman-III.
- The Russian Strategic Rocket Forces have 369 ICBMs.
- China has developed several long range ICBMs, like the DF-31. The Dongfeng 5 or DF-5 is a 3-stage liquid fuel ICBM and has an estimated range of 13,000 kilometers
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