TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: The United States recently conducted an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
EXPLANATION:
- The Minuteman III ICBM, equipped with one reentry vehicle, was launched at 12:56 a.m. Pacific Time on June 4, 2024.
- This test launch marks the first of two scheduled for the week and is part of the routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate the safety, security, effectiveness, and readiness of the weapon system.
Background and Significance
- The Minuteman III ICBM has been in service since 1970 and is a strategic weapons system designed to serve as a reliable and effective nuclear deterrent.
- The test launch program is designed to validate and verify the safety, security, effectiveness, and readiness of the weapon system.
- This test launch is significant not only for national defense but also for showcasing the exceptional capabilities and expertise of the dedicated team involved.
- The Minuteman III ICBM was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
- It flew approximately 4,200 miles to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
- The missile’s reentry vehicle traveled at speeds exceeding 15,000 miles per hour, demonstrating the weapon system’s capabilities.
Joint Effort and Partnerships
- The test launch involved a joint team of airmen from the Air Force Global Strike Command and Space Force guardians.
- The announcement noted that the test launch program is designed to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable, and effective to deter 21st century threats and reassure allies.
- The test launch is a culmination of months of preparation that involve multiple government partners.
Historical Context
- Similar tests have been carried out more than 300 times before, and this test is not the result of current world events.
- The Minuteman III ICBM is scheduled to be replaced by the LGM-35A Sentinel, which is expected to be operational through 2075.
- The Air Force is committed to ensuring the Minuteman III remains a viable deterrent until full capability is achieved in the mid-2030s.
Minuteman III:
- The LGM-30G Minuteman III is a solid-fueled, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which the United States Air Force (USAF) first deployed in the 1960s.
- It is the sole land-based component of the S. nuclear triad.
- It was designed and manufactured by the Boeing Corporation.
- It is a three-stage, solid-fuel missile.
- The missile is 18.2 m long with a diameter of 1.85 m and a launch weight of 34,467 kg.
- It has a maximum range of 13,000 km and is capable of carrying a payload of three reentry vehicles.
- It now carries a single nuclear warhead pursuant to arms control agreements between the United States and Russia.
- It has a fast launch time, nearly 100 percent testing reliability, and backup airborne launch controllers to preserve retaliatory capabilities.
