VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — The Air Force completed its third test launch this year of the Boeing-built Minuteman III ICBM, Boeing announced Wednesday.
An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base early Wednesday.
The regular tests demonstrate the readiness of the nation’s ICBM force and help ensure peace through strength, Boeing said.
“Our Boeing teammates consistently make the extraordinary routine working alongside airmen,” said Ted Kerzie, deputy leader of Strategic Missile & Defense Systems and director of Strategic Deterrence Systems. “These successful tests are the result of their combined hard work, dedication, commitment to quality and world-class engineering to meet our nation’s highest-priority mission.”
The Minuteman III, which is supported in Huntsville, is as fast as a seismic wave, traveling up to four miles per second and up to 15,000 mph.
The Minuteman ICBM is one of the longest-running, successful programs in Boeing history. The system has served as ground-based leg of the nuclear triad since 1970. Hundreds of Boeing employees across the country support the program.
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