The US is preparing to conduct a test launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it has warned Russia about. The first launch will take place on June 4, and the second on June 6, according to the US Space Force Command.
The ICBM with a test warhead will be launched at Vandenberg Air Force Base, located 130 miles from Los Angeles. The purpose of the exercises is to "demonstrate the readiness of nuclear forces and test their effectiveness." The US Department of Defense emphasized that it had warned Russia about these launches.
Minuteman III is the only land-based ICBM in service with the United States since the 1970s. It was developed to counter the USSR.
Minuteman III has three warheads, which hit targets at a distance of up to 12 thousand km. The United States has about 450 ICBMs in service, and their service life expires in 2030. It is expected that Minuteman III will be replaced by the new Sentinel missile. However, the timing of its readiness for deployment is constantly being postponed.
Read more on the topic:
The Northern Fleet of Russia will conduct artillery fire near the coast of Norway
Russians will be offered mobile shelters in case of nuclear weapons use
