The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command is set to conduct an operational test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The launch window is scheduled to open at 11:01 p.m. Pacific Time on November 5, extending until 5:01 a.m. on November 6.

According to the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, this test aims to demonstrate the readiness and reliability of the U.S. nuclear forces, ensuring confidence in the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at 2:42 A.M. Pacific Time May 1, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brittany E. N. Murphy)

This scheduled launch, they say, continues the ICBM test program’s routine mission of verifying the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the Minuteman III weapon system.

The U.S. Air Force noted that this particular test has been planned years in advance, aligning with the U.S. approach to maintaining a safe, effective, and reliable nuclear arsenal. In line with standard protocols, the U.S. provided a pre-launch notification to the Russian government and other international parties, meeting bilateral obligations and adhering to the Hague Code of Conduct, which promotes transparency in missile launches among member nations.

This upcoming test, they added, serves as a regular demonstration of the Minuteman III’s role in supporting the United States’ commitment to strategic deterrence.

An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Sept. 2, 2020. ICBM test launches demonstrate the U.S. nuclear enterprise is safe, secure, effective and ready to defend the United States and its allies. ICBMs provide the U.S. and its allies the necessary deterrent capability to maintain freedom to operate and navigate globally in accordance with international laws and norms. (U.S. Air Force photo by Vandenberg Air Force Base Public Affairs)

Minuteman III

The LGM-30 Minuteman III is a U.S. land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), deployed as part of the Air Force Global Strike Command since 1970. It is the third iteration in the Minuteman series and was the first to incorporate multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing it to carry up to three W62 warheads, each with a yield of 170 kilotons.

The missile includes a post-boost-stage, or “bus,” which features a Rocketdyne RS-14 liquid-fuel propulsion system. This stage provides fine trajectory adjustments, enabling the precise deployment of warheads and decoys. Its third stage features thrust termination ports to ensure accurate targeting, a development that allows for controlled deceleration and increased accuracy at the end of its flight.

Over its operational life, the Minuteman III has undergone several upgrades, including the Guidance Replacement Program, which replaced the original inertial guidance system with the NS50 Missile Guidance Set, featuring radiation-resistant semiconductor memory for enhanced accuracy. Additionally, the Propulsion Replacement Program, completed in 2009, replaced aging solid-fuel boosters to maintain the missile’s performance standards.

The missile’s reentry vehicles have also been improved. In 1979, some Minuteman III missiles were retrofitted with higher-yield W78 warheads, and the Safety Enhanced Reentry Vehicle (SERV) program in 2005 introduced the W87 warhead. The W87 incorporates safety features like insensitive high explosives and enhanced fuzing options, which improve operational safety and targeting flexibility.

Deployed across the United States, Minuteman III missiles are stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Regular test launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base verify missile readiness, accuracy, and reliability, and provide data to support maintenance. The Minuteman III is planned for replacement by the LGM-35 Sentinel ICBM in the 2030s.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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55 COMMENTS

  2. What Will Americans think when it is launched just before/ after the next POTUS is announced.
    Is it a Democratic conspiracy to stop Trump, or Trump finally taking over the “button”.
    Time to put on my tinfoil helmet and see what happens 😀😀😀😀😀

  4. “My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

    Ah Happy days….Ok if Trump gets in substitute China!😁

    • It certainly does.

      Part of me thinks ‘we’re doomed!’

      Part of me thinks we’re still here after the first 4 years of a Trump administration.

      I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

      Cheers CR

      • How about….
        Starmer and Reeves pausing for thought with their Strategic Defence cuts review next year, knowing full well that while our own Chiefs of Staff will grovel and keep schtumm for their pensions, Trump will say what he thinks, loud.
        That goes for 2.5 % too.

        • Remember US defence spending is already dropping close to 2.8% of GDP and trump wants to cut taxes and he has limits of what he can borrow.

          Trump is no war hawk and no friend to the military. If they want the big government efficiency drive Musk claims to do then the number one place to get it is the military as it’s the largest federal budget.

          If Britain follows through on its pledge of 2.5% by 2030 then it’s likely US and UK military spending will be close to matching each other in GDP terms since the first time since the 1940’s.

          • A Musk efficiency drive is not helpful.

            When he did that at Twitter – as volubly praised by Nigel Farage – he ripped its heart out, cut its balls off, and reduced it in value by about 80%.

          • I agree but America just voted for it, Musk is to find $2 trillion in efficient savings from a budget of $7 trillion.

            Easiest way to get that is from the military as the only other large federal budget is debt repayment that also cost about $1 trillion, almost everything else is social security.

            So he either gets rid of the military, stops debt repayment or massively reduces social security payments.

          • As long as he leaves the CIA alone. Look what happed to the last person who interfered/ looked to disband them

        • I think that rearming would provide a significant opportunity for economic growth. It has happened before, the 1930’s being one example where an increase defence spending contributed to economic growth post 1928 Wall Street Crash. There are other earlier examples as well…

          The big problem is getting the Treasury to properly account for secondary effects of defence spending. Crash circulation is the key. Spending money on defence injects cash into the local economy and then circulates in part through local businesses and thus supports more jobs. Well paid defence jobs can have a significant impact.

          The other thing to note is that defence projects spread money across the UK via the supply chain. All of which is good news, but from the Treasury’s perspective it is difficult to gather hard reliable data of the secondary effects of defence spending.

          So for me defence is a good tool for driving economic growth and building warships is a good way to invest in the less well off regions of the UK. Unfortuntely, getting that properly recognised in government and the Treasury is a major stumbling block… not helped by project fails within the MoD.

          So 3% GDP please…

          As for my comment about Trump’s election. I was simply making the point that he brings significant uncertainty to the world. Everyone, friend and adversary alike will be wondering what will happen next. I’m not sure that is a good thing right at this moment and uncertainty can lead to miscalculation, but we are where we are and will deal with whatever comes our way, I guess.

          European NATO needs to step up and the RN needs to be at the center of the UK’s contribution. Unfortunately, it may well be the 11 and 1/2 hour and our new fleet is still a few years away, and it ain’t going to be a big one at that. Even if it turns out to be enough to win the next war (within a NATO context) I don’t see it as being enough to deter aggression – so not the best way forward IMO.

          I’d tie defence spends as far as possible to the GDP growth objective for two reasons. One generating growth and recognising the contribution defence can be a powerful argument for a sustained growth in the defence budget, two overseas suppliers are likely to be busy building kit for their own forces so our needs will be less of a priority.

          In short I think we are going to need every shipyard, factory and trained engineering worker we can get our hands on. Us and pretty much every ally we have. Not because I think we need to fight a war, but because we need to deter a war. We need to drag everyone back from the pre-war age we find ourselves in. By ‘we’ I mean the UK and our allies, all of our friends and allies. We all lack the manufacturing capacity to deter and, god forbid, fight war a major war which in itself increases the risks.

          Anyway, I’ve blathered on long enough, mate.

          Cheers CR

      • Why should Putin and Trump nuke each other if they’re the friends posters here say they are?
        By that logic, doesn’t that make us safer ?
        How many Americans live in the UK and wider Europe?
        I hope Trump still supports Ukraine, but I wonder how much of this anti Trump hysteria about “pulling out of NATO” is created by the left, with an agenda?

        • At this point I wish the US would pull out of NATO, we don’t need them any longer and I’m fed up of hearing about it.

          Let the US run off and deal with China. We can handle Russia with Europe.

        • Hi Daniele,

          My ‘We’re doomed’ comment was tongue in cheek – I think Private Fraser, Dads Army… 🙂

          Cheers CR

      • Unfortunately his focus on personal loyalty not competence (Project 2025) means that there will be few to no guard rails this time.
        So the idea that 47 will be like 45 is not credible, sadly.

        In January the National Command Authority will be handed to a man with 4th grade language skills and a record of requiring pictures not words in National Security briefings.

        His previous senior military advisors (**** Generals) were clear that he is unfit to serve.

        He’s ineligible for public office having engaged in insurrection or supporting the same (Amendment 14.3) specifically interrupted the peaceful transfer of power and promised pardon to the rioters of Jan 6th.

        However the corrupt Supreme Court judges have refused to uphold the Constitution of the United States so this rests with Judge Chutkan in the D.C. circuit who has scheduled the trial which should continue before inauguration. Whilst a convicted felon cannot vote, there’s no bar to the Presidency as the Founders expected voters to reject a felon at the Ballot. They were mistaken.

      • Wait until he picks his Secretary of State before you panic. That’ll tell you everything you need to know about his foreign policy plans. If it’s Pompeo again that’d be great.

        And don’t believe the lies that he’s a Russian puppet- if he were he wouldn’t have spent 4 years scolding Europe for buying Russian gas- funding the same war machine that they expected the US to fight if it ever came to be

    • I expect Ukraine will be a Russian federation possession by next week and Berlin will be under Soviet control within the decade.

      • Yes, that’s the FSB plan to restore the USSR territory to the motherland. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate if the RF attacks on civilian infrastructure caused a nuclear accident so that Chernobyl became just the first of many isolation areas across Ukraine.

        Since IAEA inspection is not possible, we will never know exactly what happened…

    • Trump will definitely try to end the war in Ukraine by just pulling all support, though I doubt that the top brass in the US military will allow that to happen so easily. All of Ukraine’s other allies won’t stop their support however, it will only get stronger with time.

      • Can you see Europe (including the UK) doubling its support for Ukraine to make up the shortfall? Will Reeves come up with £6bn a year instead of £3bn, and if so what will be cut to pay for it? I only hope Trump can be persuaded.

        • No, but it will be necessary to pivot away from IndoPacific to Support Ukraine in lieu of USA Support.

          NATO Secretary General Rutte will want the command structure to reflect that Germany is now the majority contributor so must staff the leadership position, not an American.

          If Ukraine is allowed to be invaded, chairman xi will know that Taiwan is available according to the PLA Navy expansion plan.

          So USA focus on Pacific must own that, since Taiwan is not a NATO member relevant to Article 5. Its an American problem..

        • I am sure Reeves would be happy to take £6bn out of the MoD budget to give to Ukraine. Then it will be up to MoD to make cuts to pay for it – not her problem.

      • The US DoD double counting of their time expired weapons sustainment budget as Support for Ukraine is a politically motivated error, as any experienced businessman can tell.

        So the Generals can stop that double counting and present their cost saving innovation to dispose of time expired munitions via a third party rather than at the expense of taxpayers. A win win situation that demonstrates American MIC excellence.
        Making America Powerful Again!

      • i think you’ll be surprised. trump is so ‘anti-ukraine’ in public because thats how politics work now- “biden supports X so therefore its bad!” – thats how you get votes. but trump is not going to let ukraine fall and be blamed on him. russian tanks rolling through kyiv would be his legacy. hes not gonna want that. what biden/kamala were doing is giving ukraine just enough weapons to survive, but not enough to win- nor use effectively (striking targets in russia). so what is the point in continuing that?

        in 2016 obama said it would take a decade or more to beat ISIS- because the military had to talk with white house lawyers before they did ANYTHING- any strike. trump told the military to handle it completely themselves. just get it done- and they did at an incredibly fast pace. he may do the same with ukraine… lets wait and see. we’ll know soon when he announces his secretary of state- that will tell us everything about what his foreign policy will be. hopefully pompeo again (pompeo endorsed trump) – he is very pro ukraine/anti russia

      • Trump will also run afoul of the American industrial complex. The Ukraine war has created a lot of business for defence contractors and a lot of jobs in the US, Canada and Europe.

        The Joint chiefs were very quiet (quiet to the public) during the last Presidency. After Trump was voted out then you had General Mark Milley describe what he and the chiefs had to mitigate more or less during his presidency.

    • UKFJ members at large: UK and Europe should invest much more in defence.
      Trump: UK and Europe should invest much more in defence.

      Corollary from UKFJ members at large: Terrible! Terrible!

      • LOL. You have a point. However, when Grant Shapps said something similar, he meant other countries should pay more. If the Trump rhetoric actually means the US pays less, that’s not the same as the forum members have been calling for, even if the headlines sound superficially the same.

        I don’t know what the President Elect will do, and I expect anyone capable of translating Trump into English will be in high demand over the next four years.

    • Well can’t see him sending money and ammunition no more .Trump either backs Europe or goes back to been pals with Putin again 😟

  7. With donald trump at the helm for the next four years, and then vance for the next eight years after that, america can sit back and enjoy twelve years of peace and prosperity

    • According to Project 2025, as said by #45, Americans will not have to vote again because he’s fixed that.

      So term limits will be abolished so that #47 can do whatever he wants for as long as he wants, then step aside for JDV, who does whatever he wants.

    • Hell yes!

      They have chosen dictatorship according to Project 2025…

      The new dictator club:
      – DJT
      – VVP
      – xi
      – KJU
      – Ali K
      It’s gonna be one heck of a party!

    • Wonder how much you’re gonna enjoy the #47 dictatorship including a $2 Tn efficiency saving in the US military industrial complex (your job, your pension, your security? ) and removing education, health, environment, energy, business regulation/provision that Project 2025 plans to get done.

      I suspect that wailing and gnashing of teeth won’t begin to cover that…

      Maybe that’s all rhetoric as part of free speech and he won’t get it done at all, like walls that Mexico paid for….

      • Biden claimed that the next President would get to name two new Supreme Court justices. We saw what happened last time, with Trump’s creation of the Conservative supermajority nixing Roe v Wade and the Chevron doctrine. There was a decision that said it wasn’t cruel to arrest homeless people for sleeping outside or using a blanket or cardboard box to stay warm. In Oregon. Two more justices like that will cement the majority for thirty years.

        I know as a Brit it’s not really my business, but I wouldn’t want to be a poor or minority American just now.

        • Since SCOTUS Justices have lifetime tenure, that level of replacement is just an estimate. However your point is well made. The current 6-3 split is an effective super-majority and the dissents of 3 make little difference in practice to the maga doctrine that SCOTUS delivers in preference to their proper responsibility for Jurisprudence (Corruption).

      • It’s rude to query the maga cult where loyalty to the wannabe dictator and Glorious Leader is paramount for those without critical thinking skills…

    • We’ll be laughing longer. Let us know in a few years what it’s like to be living under the rules of oligarchs and billionaires. No one standing next to agent orange in his victory speech understands anything about the American dream. Can’t fix stupid, but the penny might drop sometime, until then, you might be lucky with congenital heart disease.

      • Yes British man tell Americans they don’t understand the American Dream. I am sure we will listen. Now go tell 2 tier Kier to whip you harder.

        • Whether you listen doesn’t bother me, but you’re the one on a UK defence forum. Now go tell Vladimir to whip you harder.

          • Years ago when I still regularly posted, I explained that of my 3 languages. English is the only one with significant defense journalism in Europe. Spanish doesn’t have any worth reading and Vietnamese journalism isn’t really a thing.
            But have the temerity to believe aid should go to the people of North Carolina and you are pro Vladimir.
            On a different note your comment reinforced my belief that my State voted correctly.

          • Whatever. That’s really just a long line of non sequiturs, happens very often with ChatGPT and Russian bots.

          • You try to make a point by stating “this is a uk forum”, I then state why I read this. I mention one of the many reasons for the vote to go as it did your reply “Russian bot”. By the way you still haven’t answered where your special insight into what constitutes the American dream comes from.

          • Yep. It’s a UK forum discussing UK defence matters, so why insecure, frightened MAGA Americans have to annunciate their insecurities on it seems strange, especially if they think their man is so tough. ( newsflash: he ain’t).

            If you think that ‘plastic ‘ Americans such as Elon Musk and the other oligarchs and billionaires surrounding Trump have anything in common with ordinary working Americans then you really have swallowed their kool aid. Seems likely with your copy and paste Muskism ‘2 tier Kier’.
            Truth is, those people view Americans with contempt and won’t care an iota if inflation rises, trade wars start or anything else. They’re well protected .

            I know because I used to live and work there.
            I doubt you do or ever did.

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