Vanderberg Space Force Base announced that the U.S. military will test-launch an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in Santa Barbara County, Calif., Wednesday May 21.
The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) said it will launch the nuclear missile between 12:01 a.m. and 5:01 a.m. Pacific Times to “demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces” with aims to prove the “lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent,” according to television station KTLA.
AFGSC and Vanderberg Space Force Base recently did a Minuteman III test launch Feb. 19 as well. In November, the missile was launched with three test warheads.
The ground-based Boeing Minuteman III, which uses the W78 and W87 warheads, is set to be replaced by the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel, a nuclear-tipped missile, in the mid- to late-2030s. The last Minuteman III is set to be decommissioned by 2050 or later, an AFGSC leader told the Exchange Monitor in January.
