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The United States conducted successive intercontinental ballistic missile tests this week to ensure that the silo-based weapons in America’s nuclear triad were functioning properly.
As development of the next generation of ICBMs continues amid budgetary challenges and delays, the Minuteman III tests demonstrate the weapon’s readiness and reliability, Air Force Global Strike Command said.
of The first missile test was carried out AFGSC announced that at 12:56 a.m. PST on June 4, “a joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen, supported by Space Force Guardians, fired an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with one reentry vehicle” from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The command added that the test was part of “routine and regular activities” that demonstrate the readiness and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. “Such tests have been conducted more than 300 times in the past and this test was not prompted by current world circumstances,” it said.
of Second test The event took place on June 6th at 1:46am Pacific time in Vandenberg.
“The fact that we were able to complete two operational test launches in one week is a testament to the excellence and professionalism of the Airmen and Guardians who carry out this mission every day,” said Col. Chris Cruz, 377th Test and Evaluation Group commander. “This morning’s launch demonstrates our commitment to deterrence as the cornerstone of the security of our allies and partners around the world.”
On both occasions, the Minuteman III flew approximately 4,200 miles to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Range on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The U.S. military later released video footage of the first and second tests on the Internet.
AFGSC said the test helped U.S. agencies involved in maintaining and developing ICBMs gather data on the missile’s flight and launch.
The Minuteman III’s latest testing comes as development of its successor, the LGM-35 Sentinel, continues. Increasing costs and delaysIn 2020, the Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a sole contract to develop the missile, with deliveries scheduled for the late 2020s and entry into service in the 2030s.
Since then, the cost of the missile program has ballooned by 37 percent, from an estimated $95.3 billion to more than $125 billion, and it will take at least two years longer than expected. Estimation The cost of the program is now expected to exceed $131 billion, an increase so staggering that it exceeded the Nunn-McCurdy limits and forced Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to reauthorize the program to prevent it from being canceled.
The rising costs and delays are blamed on upgrades to the Minuteman III, particularly those related to the launch control facility, as well as inflation and labor issues.
The Sentinel program will produce 634 missiles, of which 450 will replace the Minuteman III missiles, 184 will be used for system readiness tests, and 25 for developmental test vehicles, although the Minuteman III will continue to be the Air Force’s ICBM until Sentinel is operational.