Air Force Space Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., last week to test the Minuteman’s acceptance of a newer warhead, the Mark 21 from the now-decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs. The dummy re-entry vehicle traveled 4,800 miles, striking its target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands.
Contracts for F-35 airframes in Lot 18 and 19 should be signed in the spring, but an engine deal is still not in hand and could take months longer. The delays don't seem to be driven by anticipation of how the new Trump administration will influence the program.