US launches unarmed intercontinental missile

The missile blasted off from a silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 12:03 am and its re-entry vehicle travelled approximately 4,200 miles (6,759 kilometers) to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Vandenberg Air Force Base: An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile was launched early on Wednesday from California to a target in the Pacific Ocean in a test of the defence system, the Air Force said.

The Air Force said the test launches verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM system.

The missile was brought to Vandenberg from the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, but technicians and missile combat crews involved in the test came from an array of units.

"This demonstrates that even during the pandemic, Air Force Global Strike Command maintains various levels of redundant capability to assure a national deterrent," said a statement from command headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

AP