The Pentagon published a video of the launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental missile (3 photos + 1 video)

The missile did not carry a warhead.



Test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Minuteman III took place from the Vandenberg military base in California in 1:26 local time (10:26 am Moscow time). As the official said Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder, the purpose of the launch was to test safety, efficiency and combat readiness of weapons.

It is noted that the training warhead of the ICBM flew about 6.8 thousands of kilometers and fell at an American test site near the atoll Kwajalein in the Pacific.



Shortly before the launch of the Minuteman, a Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder reported that the test of the rocket is regular an event that was planned several years ago. He noted that the American side notified Moscow of the upcoming tests.



Minuteman solid propellant intercontinental missile, acting as an element of the strategic deterrence forces, stands on US weapons since the 1960s. It is known that in the mid-2030s, the Pentagon plans to replace them with new Sentinel missiles. The US Air Force has already asked Congress to allocate $4.4 billion to replace obsolete ICBMs.