Air Force test-launches missile to Pacific Ocean target
This image provided by Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the launch of the Global Strike Command Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Michael Peterson)
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. » The U.S. Air Force has launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from the California coast in a test flight.
The Minuteman 3 blasted off around 3 a.m. Sunday from an underground silo at the Vandenberg Air Force, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It was supposed to travel 4,200 miles to a predetermined target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
A statement by the Air Force Global Strike Command did not include results of the test. Calls and an email were not immediately returned.
The military tests several missiles from the Vandenberg base every year to verify the weapon system’s accuracy and reliability. The next test was scheduled for Thursday.
Earlier this year, a missile test flight was delayed because of tensions with North Korea.
