Second test-launch LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM Intercontinental ballistic missile by US Air Force

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Defence & Security News - United States
 
Second test-launch LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM Intercontinental ballistic missile by US Air Force.
The U.S. Air Force test-launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile from California for the second time this week. The missile blasted off at 3:53 a.m. Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast northwest of Los Angeles.
     
The U.S. Air Force test-launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile from California for the second time this week. The missile blasted off at 3:53 a.m. Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast northwest of Los Angeles. Test-launch of LGM-30G Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (Archive image US Air Force)
     
More than 400 Minuteman III missiles are based in silos in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Vandenberg Air Force Base is about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The missile’s “test reentry vehicle” impacted water near Guam about 40 minutes after its launch, according to the Air Force.

The launch team Friday included service members from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, according to an Air Force release. The launch on Monday was conducted by the 90th Missile Wing from F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. Both launch teams were under the direction of the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

“These launches are a visible reminder to both our adversaries and our allies of the readiness and capability of the Minuteman III weapon system, and without the dedication of the men and women from both the 576th and the 341st, this test could not have happened," Lt. Col. Daniel Hays, the 341st Missile Wing Task Force Commander, said in a statement.

The LGM-30G Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is an element of the nation's strategic deterrent forces under the control of the Air Force Global Strike Command. The "L" in LGM is the Department of Defense designation for silo-launched; "G" means surface attack; "M" stands for guided missile, the 30 stands for the Minuteman series of missile and the G after “30” is the current Minuteman III.

The LGM-30G Minuteman ICBM has a maximum range of 10,000 km