{"id":17064,"date":"2021-05-05T18:54:19","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T18:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/05\/air-force-aborts-test-launch-of-unarmed-minuteman-iii-nuclear-missile\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:27:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:27:12","slug":"air-force-aborts-test-launch-of-unarmed-minuteman-iii-nuclear-missile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2021\/05\/05\/air-force-aborts-test-launch-of-unarmed-minuteman-iii-nuclear-missile\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force aborts test launch of unarmed Minuteman III nuclear missile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force said Wednesday it called off a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III nuclear missile at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, after the weapon turned itself off during the final countdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intercontinental ballistic missile, fired from an underground silo at the coastal base, \u201cexperienced a ground abort prior to launch,\u201d the service said in a release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring terminal countdown, the missile computer detected a fault in the sequence of checks it does prior to launching. Upon detection of this fault, it shut itself down,\u201d just as the system is designed to do, Air Force Global Strike Command spokesperson Carla Pampe told Air Force Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USAF will investigate the root cause of the problem. \u201cThere has not been an incident like this in recent memory,\u201d Pampe added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force may reschedule the test, one of a few held each year by the 576th Flight Test Squadron to see whether the five-decades-old weapons are still in good shape and can respond when fired. Test launches are also an opportunity to vet new hardware and software added into the system, and to signal to other countries that the U.S. is prepared for nuclear conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\t