(PHOTO: Michael Peterson/U.S. Air Force)
VIDEO: Early morning launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile this morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (30th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force)
By Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Early this morning, around 12:03 am Pacific Time, the 30th Space Wing of the U.S. Air Force, located at Vandenberg Air Force base, conducted an unarmed test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test.
This comes after only about two weeks have passed since North Korea attempted a ballistic missile test, which failed miserably.
"The missile blew up almost immediately," U.S. Pacific Command told NPR after North Korea's failed launch.
The test conducted by the U.S. Air Force this morning did not fail, however. While this missile was unarmed, in a real-world scenario, the Minuteman III missile would be armed with a tactical nuclear warhead, showing that if a country like North Korea made the decision to launch a nuclear attack, the U.S. could react with much more powerful and (obviously) reliable firepower.
In this test, the Minuteman III traveled 4,000 miles downrange to a target at Kwajalein Atoll near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. It's estimated that North Korean missile only made it an estimated 60 km, or 37 miles from the launch site before exploding.
The North Korean test came after renewed tension between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Col. John Moss, Commander of the 30th Space Wing, released a statement after the launch:
"Tonight's launch was an important demonstration of our nation's nuclear deterrent capability," said Moss. "Test launches like this one are vital to validating the effectiveness and readiness of our operational nuclear systems, so it is critical that they are successful. The men and women of the 30th Space Wing and Air Force Global Strike Command's 576th Flight Test Squadron did a fantastic job working together to make tonight's launch possible and successful."
"The Minuteman system has been in service for 60 years. Through continuous upgrades, including new production versions, improved targeting systems, and enhanced accuracy, today's Minuteman system remains state-of-the art and is capable of meeting all modern challenges," the statement read.
