Vandenberg Air Force Base is launching a missile loaded with mock warheads. Here’s when
For the second time in four weeks, a Minuteman III missile equipped with mock warheads will be tested Wednesday during an early morning launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Blastoff of the unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled between 12:02 a.m. and 6:02 a.m., with the team typically targeting the opening of the six-hour launch window for departure.
Unfavorable weather and technical troubles either at Vandenberg or downrange can cause test delays.
Minuteman III missile tests occur from underground silos dotting the most northern segment of the sprawling 100,000-acre base near Lompoc.
The military typically tracks the Minuteman III weapon’s mock re-entry vehicle or vehicles during the 4,200-mile flight to the Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean.
Mariner’s notices warning boaters to remain out of the area have been issued for early Wednesday, confirming the test will be attempted that day.
“The purpose of the ICBM test launch program is to verify the safety, security, effectiveness and readiness of the weapon system,” according to Air Force Global Strike Command.
The three-stage weapon weighs some 79,000 pounds and can travel more than 15,000 mph.
The Air Force has 400 Minuteman III missiles sitting on alert underground near Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming.
A task force made up of airmen from one of the bases with Minuteman III operators and maintainers typically travels to the Central Coast for the test launches to work with members of the 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg.
The previous Minuteman III test launch occurred Aug. 4 from the base.
Vandenberg typically conducts 3-4 ICBM tests each year.
This summer, the Minuteman III weapon system marked its 50th anniversary on alert. Since 1970, Minuteman III missiles have undergone a series of upgrades designed to extend the life of program and to maintain viability.
Last month representatives of the Santa Barbara-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation criticized the timing of the early August test, which occurred days before the 75th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
CEO Rick Wayman said called the test “unnecessarily provocative,” adding that it was “an important reminder that the nuclear threat remains very real, and that there are people in this country – along with a few other countries – who are willing to sacrifice us all in a battle that can never be won and must never be fought.”
Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com . Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk , @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz . Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook .
