WASHINGTON: The US military terminated a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile due to an anomaly discovered during a test launch ...
WASHINGTON: The US military terminated a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile due to an anomaly discovered during a test launch from the Vandenberg Air Base in California, the Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement.
According to the statement, the ICBM was "safely terminated" "over the Pacific Ocean at 12:06 a.m. Pacific Time November 1" due to an anomaly during a test launch."
The statement does not specify the nature of the anomaly, adding that "careful analysis" is required to determine the cause.
"A Launch Analysis Group is forming to investigate the cause," the document reads. Meanwhile, the Global Strike Command underscored that it "learns lessons from every test launch," even despite the anomaly and the subsequent termination of the missile.
"Gathering data from the launch allows AFGSC to identify and correct any issues with the weapon system to ensure the Minuteman III’s continued reliability and accuracy," the statement says.
The test launch was previously announced by Pentagon Spokesman Patrick Ryder. According to the spokesman, this launch was supposed to demonstrate the reliability of the US strategic deterrence system and serve as a signal of guarantees to the allies from the US.
This was the fourth Minuteman III test launch this year. The previously launches, carried out in February, April and September, were successful.
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