Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
9/26/2014
Air Force Global Strike Command this week successfully tested an unarmed Minuteman III missile, which flew from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in a span of approximately 30 minutes, according to command spokesperson Carla Pampe. The missile was launched at 7:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and collided with a predetermined target in the Marshall Islands approximately 30 minutes later, Pampe wrote in an email to NS&D Monitor. Part of the normal Minuteman III regular operational test schedule, the missile was launched approximately 4,200 miles to determine and certify accuracy and dependability of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile system. “The test went well,” Pampe said. “The missile launched successfully, completed its flight path within the safety corridor, equipment functioned properly, sensor data was collected, and the reentry vehicle impacted where targeted.”
Directed by the command’s 576th Flight Test Squadron based at Vandenberg, the launch team also includes personnel from the 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., according to a Sept. 22 command press release. “Like all Airmen in 20th Air Force and Task Force 214, the Airmen of the 91st Missile Wing are dedicated and highly-proficient in maintaining, securing and operating the ICBM leg of the nation’s strategic deterrence capability,” Col. Michael Lutton, 91st Missile Wing commander, said in a Sept. 23 command press release. “This launch allowed us to demonstrate that excellence.”
The Sept. 23 release stated that along with U.S. Strategic Command, the Defense and Energy departments will use the collected test data for evaluation of ICBM force development. Officials combine test launch data with other sources of information such as static engine tests, bench tests and system tests on fielded missiles to provide a comprehensive view of reliability, Pampe said. “The Minuteman III is a reliable weapon system,” she wrote. “Our extensive test, evaluation and surveillance program is designed to ensure we maintain the highest confidence in the Minuteman III.”
