A Minuteman III missile is test-launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 3, 2026 (U.S. Air Force)
An unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile carrying two reentry vehicles was successfully test-launched Tuesday night at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to the Air Force.
The Air Force Global Strike Command said the launch was part of a years-long schedule of test flights of ICBMs and not tied to the current war with Iran.
“This launch, designated GT 255, was scheduled years ago, and is not in response to world events,” the Air Force said in a statement.
The launch from the Western Test Range at the base near Lompoc on the central California coast was a continuation of routine testing of ICBMs randomly selected from existing weapons stockpiles.
During the test, the ICBM’s two reentry vehicles traveled across the Pacific Ocean to a predetermined target at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The Air Force said the long-range flight allows engineers and weapons systems analysts to collect data on the missile’s accuracy and reliability.
The Minuteman III is the land-based leg of the United States’ nuclear triad, which also includes Trident II D5 nuclear-tipped missiles carried by the U.S. Navy’s 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines at sea, and nuclear weapons-carrying manned B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers of the U.S. Air Force.
When armed, each Minuteman III carries a single nuclear warhead with an estimated atomic yield equivalent to more than 300 kilotons of TNT, more than 20 times the estimated yield of the 15-kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. The missiles are also capable of deploying multiple smaller bombs with individual reentry vehicles like the ones tested Tuesday.
“It is critical to test all aspects of our ICBM force, including our ability to deliver multiple, independently targeted payloads with absolute precision,” Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said in a statement.
The U.S. plans to phase out the Minuteman III beginning in 2029 with the expected deployment of the new $141 billion LGM-35A Sentinel ballistic missile system.
The United States maintains about 400 deployed Minuteman III ICBMs in underground silos in the northern tier of states. Silos and command centers are located in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, according to the nonpartisan Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
In 2015, the Air Force announced completion of a $7 billion program to extend the life of the Minuteman III into the 2030s. Pentagon officials have said it may be possible to extend the Minuteman III’s service life to 2050 or later.
“By continually assessing varying mission profiles, we are able to enhance the performance of the entire ICBM fleet, ensuring the maximum level of readiness for the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad,” Lt. Col. Karrie Wray, 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, said in a statement.
