VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) -- The Air Force successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile early Thursday. The Minuteman III dummy warheads were fired at 3:14 a.m. and traveled about 4,200 miles before hitting a water target in the Marshall Islands. | Standard test, they pull a Minuteman out of a silo at random, bring it to Vandenburg, and fire it downrange just to make sure it still works. They used to have the crew that maintains that silo and control center load and fire it to check their training as well. |
The launch was delayed by a day because of a power outage at a radar facility that handles flights in and out of Southern California. The purpose is to test the defense system's reliability and accuracy. | Technically, I'd call Minuteman an offensive system, but that's just me. |
Earlier this month, North Korea shook up the world by firing several missiles into the Sea of Japan, including a failed long-range missile. | I see the press is trying to make a link |
The North Korean launch raised questions about the readiness of the U.S. missile defense system, which includes interceptors housed in underground silos in California and Alaska. | It's likely the US ABM people were tracking the Minuteman warheads to check their sensors and refine some data. They use the same range. |
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