Air Force launches unarmed ICBM with test reentry vehicle

Air Force Global Strike Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile with a test reentry vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, early this morning.

The "developmental test launch" used a spare ICBM from storage to validate flight worthiness of the experimental component in a near-operational environment, according to an AFGSC notice. This differs from an "operational test launch," which aims to verify fleet-wide reliability by randomly selecting a fielded missile.

"Developmental testing provides valuable data to Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center for both modernization and sustainment of the ICBM weapon system," Col. Omar Colbert, 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, said.

The notice says the test reentry vehicle traveled about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, though it doesn't provide more details about the component.

The Air Force has several efforts underway to modernize reentry vehicles for the current and future ICBM fleet.

These projects include the development of a new Mk21A reentry vehicle altogether for the next-generation Ground Based Strategic Deterrent and a new fuze to support both the legacy Minuteman III's Mk21 reentry vehicle and its replacement.