US Tests Nuclear-capable Minuteman III ICBM

The United States (US) has tested an unarmed nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the US Air Force announced on Twitter Wednesday.

The missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The projectile traveled 4,200 miles (6,759km) over the Pacific towards a target placed on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Video of the launch shows the missile silo opening before liftoff, as well as the ascent of the projectile. The footage does not show the final stages of the missile’s flight, though it is said to have successfully hit the mock target.

The test was conducted by a team from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, a state located in the western part of the country.

The Minuteman III is the only nuclear-capable ground-based ICBM that remains in service in the US.