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World Affairs, Defence & Security
Mahesh

12/09/22 22:52 PM IST

US military successfully tests intercontinental ballistic missile

In News 
  • The US military tested an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile recently, the second in less than a month after a previous launch was delayed twice.
About the missile 
  • The Minuteman III missile is part of the Strategic Deterrence Force under the US Air Force Global Strike Command.
  • Its full name is LGM-30G Minuteman-III. The L in LGM stands for Silo Launch Missile, G stands for Ground Attack and M stands for Guided Missile.
  • It is one of America’s most powerful missiles capable of carrying out a nuclear attack.
  • The purpose of this test was to verify the safety, security, effectiveness and readiness of the weapon system.
  • Minuteman III missile can hit a range of more than 10000 km.
  • The US also test-fired the Minuteman-3 missile on 16 August. However, preparations were made to conduct its second test 12 days ago, but it was postponed due to China-Taiwan tensions.
Minutemen III
  • The program was started in 1966.
  • The missile is armed with 170 kilo tons of TNT.
  • Airborne Launch Control System is a part of the missile. When Minuteman was first discovered the Soviet had no target to counter it.
  • However, they gained pace after a few years. The airborne launch system offers a survivable launch capability to the US air force.
Source- Hindustan Times 

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