Airmen from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., test launched an unarmed Minuteman III missile on Monday from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., as part of a periodical test of the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missile fleet. The airmen from the 341st Missile Wing launched the missile at 2:10 a.m. Pacific Time from Vandenberg, and it flew about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, according to an Air Force Global Strike Command release. The missile carried a telemetry package to provide “valuable data to ensure a continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent,” the release states. The service regularly tests its Minuteman missiles to ensure readiness, though this launch came as North Korea has tested a series of missiles in the Pacific.
Air Force Tests New Sentinel Reentry Vehicle
Oct. 13, 2026
The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center tested its new intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicle Oct. 9, launching the in-development vehicle atop a Minotaur I rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.
