Malmstrom Air Force Base assists in California missile launch test

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – An unarmed Minuteman III missile was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday night as part of a planned data collection test, Air Force Global Strike Command announced.

The test involved operators from all three missile wings, including the 341st wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

The three missile wings are the three U.S. Air Force Bases that operate, maintain and secure the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Air Force Global Strike Command said the test launch had been planned for years.

“This launch, designated GT 255, was scheduled years ago, and is not in response to world events,” it wrote in the announcement about the test.

The test was a part of a data-driven program that had been in place for decades, it said. The program provides information for future force development.

“GT 255 allowed us to assess the performance of individual components of the missile system,” Lt. Col. Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, said in the announcement. “By continually assessing varying mission profiles, we were able to enhance the performance of the entire ICBM fleet, ensuring the maximum level of readiness for the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad.”

The GT 255 test involved an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with two test re-entry vehicles, the announcement said. The ICBM’s two re-entry vehicles were launched to a pre-determined target at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the announcement said.

The announcement added that multiple government partners were involved in preparations for the launch.

“It is critical to test all aspects of our ICBM force, including our ability to deliver multiple, independently targeted payloads with absolute precision,” Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said. “This test validates the intricate synchronization of the weapon system, from the initial launch sequence to the flawless deployment of each reentry vehicle.”