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U.S. Air Force launches second ICBM from Vandenberg in a week

Xinhua, May 3, 2017 Adjust font size:

For the second time in a week, the U.S. Air Force test launched another unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead from an air base in California Wednesday morning amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, launched an unarmed Minuteman III missile equipped with a single test reentry vehicle at 12:02 am Pacific Daylight Time (8:02 am GMT)from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, according to U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.

The ICBM's reentry vehicle, which contained a telemetry package used for operational testing, traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

"These test launches verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system, providing valuable data to ensure a continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent," U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement.

Malmstrom AFB is one of three missile bases with crew members standing alert 24 hours a day, year-round, overseeing the nation's ICBM alert forces.

The Minuteman III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States. It's one of three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad, which is also comprised of strategic bombers such as the B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit, as well as submarine launched ballistic missions, provided by Navy submarines.

Although U.S. officials said the launch was planned years in advance and was not related to growing tensions in Korean Peninsula, it's still a concern for the second ICBM test of U.S. Air Force in a week.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Friday condemned the test-launch of a Minuteman-III missile last Wednesday by the U.S. Air Force, which it said was a simulated strike on Pyongyang. DPRK has stepped up its missile testing in recent weeks amid heightened tensions with the United States. Endit