US Launches Minuteman III Nuclear Missile Drill, Officials Say

The Air Force said the unarmed missile test was done on Tuesday morning in California.

A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launches an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., at 11:01 p.m. PST, on Feb. 9, 2023. Airman 1st Class Landon Gunsauls/U.S. Air Force

The United States carried out a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in California, said the U.S. Air Force in a statement on Tuesday.

The unarmed missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, was launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday morning, said the Air Force in a statement. It was the first of two scheduled test launches for this week.