Missile test launch showcases U.S. nuclear force’s readiness
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. – A joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command airmen and Navy aircrew launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with multiple targetable reentry vehicles from aboard the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) on Tuesday at 11:01 p.m. Pacific Time from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron from Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, were aboard the U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft to demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of the ALCS system, according to a news release from Barksdale AFB.
The test launch is part of routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter 21st century threats and reassure U.S. allies. Such tests have occurred more than 300 times before, and this test is not the result of current world events.
“These tests are demonstrative of what striker airmen bring to the fight if called by the president,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. “An airborne launch validates the survivability of our ICBMs, which serve as the strategic backstop of our nation’s defense and defense of allies and partners.”
The ICBM’s reentry vehicle traveled about 4,200 miles to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site located within Republic of the Marshall Islands at the Kwajalein Atoll. Reagan Test Site sensors, including high-fidelity metric and signature radars, as well as optical sensors and telemetry, support the research, development, test and evaluation of America’s defense and space programs. For these tests, RTS team members collect radar, optical and telemetry data in the terminal phase of flight to evaluate system performance.
“RTS is honored to be the nation’s only long-range land impact site providing our strategic partners a safe environment and truth in testing for the continued development of the ICBM modernization efforts,” said Army Lt. Col. Casel Rumfelt, RTS range director. “This range and testing facilitate America’s technical advantage on the global stage. Our team brings decades of experience and a level of professionalism that makes the impossible seem easy in a no-fail environment. I couldn’t be prouder of this incredible team.”
The test launch is a culmination of months of preparation that involves multiple government partners.