The US Air Force has successfully completed flight tests of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Launch Facility-09 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, US.
During the test, the missile’s single re-entry test vehicle travelled 5,300 miles to hit a pre-determined target about 200 miles south-west of Guam.
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ICBM analysts and officials from the Department of Defense and Department of Energy will use the data collected from the test to ensure the readiness and capability of the ICBM fleet.
Minuteman III missiles have a range of 6,000 miles and can travel at speeds of Mach 23. At the peak of their flight trajectory, they can reach altitudes higher than the International Space Station, which orbits Earth at an altitude of about 220 miles.
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