A test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for early Tuesday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The three-stage weapon is set to blast out of its underground silo on North Base between 12:01 a.m. to 6:01 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.
While the team typically aims for departure at the opening of the six-hour launch window, technical troubles or unfavorable weather at Vandenberg or downrange can delay departure.
The Air Force will track the weapon’s lone warhead as it travels more than 4,200 miles to a predetermined target, usually in the central Pacific Ocean near the Kwajalein Atoll.
“Operational test launches of the Minuteman III provide valuable data to planners and holistically test the system, procedures and Airmen from the initial mission planning to the final weapons employment phases,” Air Force officials said. “These tests are not related to any real world events.”
In fact, the Air Force builds launch manifests several years in advance with preparation for missile tests starting months head of the planned liftoff date.
Air Force Global Strike Command, which is based in Louisiana, oversees the land-based and air-launched nuclear weapons.
The Air Force has more than 400 Minuteman III weapons sitting on alert near Malmstrom AFB, Montana; F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming; and Minot AFB, North Dakota with a task force of missile crew operators and maitainers from one of those bases traveling to Vandenberg for each test.
The Air Force typically schedules four tests per year at Vandenberg, with the last test occurring May 14.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.