The U.S. Space Force tested the intercontinental ballistic missile’s ability to strike targets with multiple warheads in a Minuteman III launch Tuesday at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.
According to a press release by the Space Force base, an airborne command post controlled the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.
“These tests are demonstrative of what Striker Airmen bring to the fight if called by the president,” Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said in the press release. “An airborne launch validates the survivability of our ICBMs, which serve as the strategic backstop of our nation’s defense and defense of allies and partners.”
The ground-based Boeing Minuteman III, which uses the W78 and W87 warheads, is set to be replaced by the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel, a nuclear-tipped missile, in the mid- to late-2030s.