US tested 50 years old nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile, still in service
WASHINGTON, (BM) – Yesterday, August 4, the US Air Force tested its proven Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. The purpose of the tests, according to the Air Force Global Command, was to test the reliability of the missile system, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.
Read more: The Pentagon plans a test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile
The procedure for testing the intercontinental missile Minuteman III was the launch of three training warheads, which later turned out to have successfully hit the target in the Marshall Islands area, ie. covered a distance of 6.76 thousand km, bearing in mind that the tests were performed from California.
The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is not a new development, on the contrary – it is an American ballistic missile more than 50 years old. As you can imagine, due to the fact that this type of weapon is not currently used, it is necessary to do similar tests annually to confirm the characteristics and stability of the missile system. Thus, if necessary, the US Air Force will know that the readiness has been tested and will be able to rely on it.
According to military experts the US Air Force has approximately 400 such missiles, each equipped with a warhead. According to the characteristics of the missile, the capacity of each warhead is between 300 and 350 kilotons.
As previously reported, the United States will soon replace this type of missile, which is currently being developed, but is expected to enter service only a decade and a half, ie. 2036
This means that Minuteman III will remain at the disposal of the US military for at least another 15 years.
Read more: US prepares tough response to Russian Sarmat ballistic missile
The United States are consistent in its tests. Could this be a problem?
It should be noted that … reported this test launch in May of this year. The Pentagon then confirmed that tests of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile would be conducted in August.
For 2020, this is the second rocket launch. The first was in February of that year, and the coronavirus did not interfere with the plans of the Americans.
It is noteworthy that both then and now, the missile tests were made from the same place (California) to the same target (Marshall Islands).
Such planning at a permanent location and at a certain date would greatly assist US enemies in their attempts to intercept, intercept and simulate Minuteman III in flight. We are talking about Russia and China.
Although the missile is more than 50 years old and does not actually have the technical characteristics of modern intercontinental ballistic missiles, it will still remain in service for another 15 years, which means a long time to unravel some American military secrets from their opponents.
Read more: Pakistan successfully tested Hatf-3 ballistic missile
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BulgarianMilitary.com
Editorial team