[Minuteman-III was the first multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) ICBM to be deployed. Each missile can carry up to three nuclear warheads, which have a yield in the range of 300 to 500 kilotons.
(Source: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGM-30_Minuteman#Minuteman-III_.28LGM-30G.29>.)] I/II. http://time.com/4755609/us-icbm-test-california-air-force/ MILITARY The U.S. Has Conducted an Unarmed Missile Test in California Associated Press 5:35 AM ET (VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.) — An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile has been launched from a U.S. Air Force Base in California on a flight to a target in the Pacific Ocean. The missile lifted off at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. An Air Force statement said the mission was part of a program to test the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system. The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. John Moss, said Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of the U.S. nuclear force and to demonstrate the national nuclear capabilities. In a Minuteman test, a so-called re-entry vehicle travels more than 4,000 miles downrange to a target at Kwajalein Atoll near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. "Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile," Moss said. "These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities. We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation."The 576th Flight Test Squadron will be responsible for installed tracking, telemetry, and command destruct systems on the missile. II. https://www.rt.com/usa/386175-minuteman-iii-test-launch/ US to launch Minuteman III ICBM to show ‘nuclear capabilities’ amid N. Korea tensions Published time: 26 Apr, 2017 09:51 Edited time: 26 Apr, 2017 10:28 An unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will be launched from a US Air Force base in California Wednesday to ensure its “effectiveness, readiness and accuracy,” and demonstrate “national nuclear capabilities,” according to the US military. The Minuteman III missile test comes amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with a carrier strike group led by the ‘USS Carl Vinson’ approaching North Korean waters. However, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Global Strike Command says the test was planned in advance and is not connected with the situation in North Korea, and the launches happen on regular basis, according to the Washington Examiner. RT ✔ @RT_com US nuclear sub docks in #SouthKorea amid reports of Pyongyang's massive artillery drills https://on.rt.com/89wc #Korea 7:10 PM - 25 Apr 2017 98 98 Retweets 80 80 likes The launch is scheduled on Wednesday between 12:01am to 6:01am (07:01GMT to 13:01GMT) from North Vandenberg Air Force Base, according to the 30th Space Wing, which is conducting the test. “These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities,” the commander of the unit, Colonel John Moss, said in a statement. The test launch is aimed at validating and verifying “the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system,” according to the Air Force Global Strike Command. 30th Space Wing (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.) 22 April at 04:36 · MINUTEMAN III SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – An operational test launch of an Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for Wednesday, April. 26, between 12:01 a.m. to 6:01 a.m. from north Vandenberg Air Force Base. The purpose of the ICBM test launch program is to validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system, according to Air Force Global Strike Command. Col. John Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, is the launch decision authority. "Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile," said Moss. "These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities. We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation." The 576th Flight Test Squadron will be responsible for installed tracking, telemetry, and command destruct systems on the missile. Despite the fact that the US military denied all connections of the launch with the tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, the drills have raised concerns and received criticism from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The organization accused the US of a “clear double standard,” and advocated for “diplomacy rather than military provocations,” the foundation president, David Krieger, said as cited by the Los Angeles Times. “It views its own tests as justified and useful, while it views the tests of North Korea as threatening and destabilizing,” Krieger said, also warning of increasing danger of such moves. He also tweeted that nuclear-capable missile tests are simply a waste of money. Follow David Krieger @DkriegerNAPF Testing #nuclear-capable missiles is a way to send a message while wasting money. US is testing again on April 26th. 4:48 AM - 25 Apr 2017 · Santa Barbara, CA 2 2 Retweets 1 1 like However, the “lethal and ready” capability of the ICBM was praised as a signal for the US enemies following its successful simulated electronic firing on April 11. “The Simulated Electronic Launch of a Minuteman III ICBM is a signal to the American people, our allies, and our adversaries that our ICBM capability is safe, secure, lethal and ready,” the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron commander, Lt. Col. Deane Konowicz, said in a statement. Minuteman III ballistic missiles were initially deployed in 1970 and are approaching the end of their useful lifespan of 60 years. Washington has recently launched a massive trillion-dollar program to modernize, support, and maintain its nuclear air-land-sea triad, which also includes Ohio-class submarines and B-52 strategic bombers, over the next 30 years. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
