Minuteman Launched in Operational Test

Feb. 28, 2012

An unarmed Minuteman III ICBM lifted off from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., en route to the Kwajalein test range in the central Pacific during a routine test of the accuracy and reliability of the Minuteman weapon system, announced officials with the base’s 30th Space Wing. The Feb. 25 mission “proceeded as planned,” they said.

Related Content

Trump Appoints 5 New Members to USAFA Board of Visitors

March 20, 2025
The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors—an oversight committee that monitors a wide swath of issues including morale, discipline, curriculum, and fiscal matters—is getting a shakeup as President Donald Trump announced five new appointments. 

DARPA Eyes Quantum Sensors That Are Easier to Buy, Tougher in the Field

March 20, 2025
Earlier this year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, launched its new Robust Quantum Sensors program. It seeks to solve fundamental engineering challenges that have hampered the transition of quantum sensing from the laboratory to the battlefield, as well as a more esoteric problem: how to get innovative…

Air Force, Navy Pitched Trump to Keep Their NGAD Programs Intact

March 19, 2025
The Air Force and Navy have briefed President Donald Trump on their respective Next-Generation Air Dominance programs, asking that the projects proceed largely as they now stand, government and industry sources told Air & Space Forces Magazine. It’s not clear whether the services came away with firm decisions about the…

F-35s, Air Task Force Deploy to Korea for ACE Exercise

March 19, 2025
The U.S. Air Force is testing some of major capabilities and concepts—F-35s, Air Task Forces, and Agile Combat Employment—in South Korea this month for the latest iteration of Freedom Shield exercise.

Is Traffic Getting onto Base a Readiness Issue?

March 19, 2025
Heavy traffic getting onto bases have afflicted many military bases across the country before. But the end of remote work and telework for most federal employees, coupled with issues specific to different bases, means the problem is getting renewed attention across the Air Force.

China Practicing ‘Dogfighting in Space,’ US Space Force Says

March 18, 2025
China has been using experimental satellites to practice “dogfighting” in space, the U.S. Space Force’s No. 2 officer said March 18, the latest in a series of revelations as to how America’s adversaries may seek to disrupt U.S. space operations in the future.

STRATCOM Chief: Air Force Needs 145 B-21s and More New Strategic Systems

March 18, 2025
The Air Force should buy 145 stealth B-21 bombers to cope with the increased threats to U.S. security since that program came into being, Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, head of U.S. Strategic Command, said. He also said the Air Force and the Navy should reconsider their plans for the various…