The US Air Force conducted a test launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental missile
The United States conducted a test launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The test took place at the Vandenberg base of the United States Air Force in California.
The launch was carried out at 10:56 Moscow time. The launched ICBM was not equipped with a live projectile.
This is one of two test launches this week, the second is scheduled for June 6. The purpose of the program is to "demonstrate the readiness of the U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of national nuclear deterrence."
The United States conducts test launches of the Minuteman III several times a year
Air Force (Air Force) The United States conducted the launch in April last year. The rocket, randomly selected from the arsenals in Montana, flew over the Pacific Ocean 6.76 thousand kilometers. The Vandenberg base website emphasized that the test launch is part of an activity designed to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the US nuclear deterrent forces, as well as its effectiveness "to repel threats of the 21st century and reassure allies. Similar tests have been conducted more than 300 times, and this test is not the result of current world events."
The Minuteman III ICBM was also launched in February and September . The missile was not equipped with a warhead. According to Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder, the United States notified Russia of the tests as part of bilateral agreements.
The last rocket launch took place on November 1, 2023. Then Minuteman III was blown up over the Pacific Ocean due to some kind of anomaly. At the same time, the Pentagon said that, despite the problems, the test launch of the missile provided them with data to maintain the combat readiness of the ICBM.
American ballistic missiles were called junk
Military expert Vasily Dandykin said that Minuteman III ICBMs cannot compete with Russian weapons.
Vasily Dandykin
military expert
According to him, during this time, several generations of ICBMs have been replaced in Russia and tests of the Sarmat ICBM complex have begun. Russian specialists have also developed the Avangard hypersonic complex.
The American edition of Military Watch Magazine also noted that the United States is unable to replace outdated Minuteman III installations and may completely abandon the deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles due to the fact that Russian developments of a new generation for a strategic nuclear strike turned out to be more effective.
In turn, Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Senator Debra Fisher are convinced that American nuclear weapons are outdated. They cited the example of the Minuteman III ICBM program from almost 60 years ago.
