The 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., has an ICBM transport truck tip over on its side Thursday (July 31) about 8:20 a.m. (central time) on its way to a launch facility between Makoti and Parshall. The Minuteman III missile was unarmed and the accident prompted only minor injuries to the military personnel involved, according to a Minot release. “There is no danger to public safety, and local fire department and base emergency officials responded quickly and professionally,” said Col. Christopher Ayres, 91st MW commander. He added, “We’re taking every possible precaution to minimize environmental and safety risks and we ask the public to avoid the accident scene.”
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.