{"id":83678,"date":"2023-04-19T15:17:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T15:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/19\/us-air-force-navy-conduct-icbm-test-aboard-nuclear-command-aircraft\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:52:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:52:30","slug":"us-air-force-navy-conduct-icbm-test-aboard-nuclear-command-aircraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2023\/04\/19\/us-air-force-navy-conduct-icbm-test-aboard-nuclear-command-aircraft\/","title":{"rendered":"US Air Force, Navy conduct ICBM test aboard nuclear command aircraft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of Col. Chris Cruise.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Air Force and Navy on Wednesday morning conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile<\/a> in California using an airborne control center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weapon, which contained a test reentry vehicle, was controlled from an Airborne Launch Control System in a Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft<\/a>, the Air Force said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and Navy aircrew were aboard the E-6. Airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana also served on the task force supporting the test launch, which took place at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStrategic deterrence is the most critical mission in our Air Force and the cornerstone of America\u2019s defense,\u201d Air Force Global Strike Command head Gen. Thomas Bussiere said in the statement. \u201cThis test launch reinforces what our allies and partners already know: We\u2019re always ready to defend the United States with combat-ready nuclear forces anytime, anywhere, on order, to conduct global strike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force said the Minuteman\u2019s reentry vehicle traveled about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The U.S. Air Force and Navy conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on April 19, 2023. (Airman 1st Class Ryan Quijas\/U.S. Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This was the first Minuteman test since Feb. 9, and the first time a test involved the use of the airborne control center since Aug. 16<\/a>. The Air Force regularly conducts unarmed ICBM tests to ensure the missiles are functioning properly, and the service said this test was not in response to current world events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force said Wednesday\u2019s test verified the ICBM\u2019s accuracy and reliability, and produced data that the Defense Department, Energy Department and U.S. Strategic Command will use to ensure the military\u2019s nuclear missile enterprise is safe and secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Col. Chris Cruise, commander of the 377th Test Evaluation Group, said the test of the Airborne Launch Control System validates the military\u2019s ability to strike targets anywhere and at any time, if the president deems it necessary. The test also ensures the military has redundancy in its ability to control ICBMs and shows the Air Force\u2019s ability to work together with the Navy, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy now has 16 E-6s that carry out the Navy\u2019s TACAMO, or Take Charge and Move Out, mission, which allows top U.S. leaders, including the president, to control nuclear forces such as nuclear-armed submarines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the E-6 fleet is aging, and the Navy says it must replace the aircraft with a new type. Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin\u2019s Skunk Works, and Raytheon Intelligence and Space are among the companies working together to bid on the E-6 replacement, now referred to as E-XX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northrop Grumman officials told reporters at the Navy League\u2019s Sea-Air-Space conference on April 3 that the Navy wants the E-XX to be a modified C-130J-30 Super Hercules, which has an extra 15 feet in its fuselage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman are also developing a successor to the Minuteman III, the LGM-35A Sentinel<\/a>, which is expected to reach initial operational capability in 2029. The Air Force said it will keep operating the Minuteman III until the Sentinel reaches full capability in the mid-2030s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was the first Minuteman III test conducted from an airborne control center on a Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft since 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