US Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test

September 12, 2022

Recently US Air Force Global Strike Command successfully test-fired Minuteman III (Minuteman III ICBM) missile equipped with three test re-entry vehicles. The missile was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Key Facts

The Minuteman III missile is part of the Strategic Deterrence Force under the US Air Force Global Strike Command.
Its full name is LGM-30G Minuteman-III. The L in LGM stands for Silo Launch Missile, G stands for Ground Attack and M stands for Guided Missile.
It is one of America’s most powerful missiles capable of carrying out a nuclear attack.
The purpose of this test was to verify the safety, security, effectiveness and readiness of the weapon system.
Minuteman III missile can hit a range of more than 10000 km.
The US also test-fired the Minuteman-3 missile on 16 August. However, preparations were made to conduct its second test 12 days ago, but it was postponed due to China-Taiwan tensions.

About Minuteman III

The program was started in 1966. The missile is armed with 170 kilo tons of TNT. Airborne Launch Control System is a part of the missile. When Minuteman was first discovered the Soviet had no target to counter it. However, they gained pace after a few years. The airborne launch system offers a survivable launch capability to the US air force.

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