Posted on 08/01/2017 1:48:05 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The Minuteman III launch by U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command is scheduled to take place between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from Vandenberg.
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Vandenberg has done several Minuteman test launches in the past, the latest coming on April 26 and May 3. Those two missiles traveled about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean’s Marshall Islands.
The Minuteman III ICBM launch is designed to “validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.”
(Excerpt) Read more at losangeles.cbslocal.com ...
Why aren’t we testing these just off the coast of North Korea? Great practice and when it works, a nice message.
My dad did time there and in the Marshall Islands in the 60’s.
Ah, about midday Pyongyang time. “Mommy, why are there two suns?”
Minuteman III. Beautiful weapon. I had the pleasure of working on them in the 80’s.
Do we ever replace the ones we launch?
North Korea will be watching. I hope they send it on a trajectory that shows them we could actually reach them anytime we like. :)
There are a lot of Chinese in the LA area who are not American nationals. They need to make sure that LA gets a clear view of these missiles.
Because the Minuteman III is a silo launched missile system based in the US great plains. It is not mobile and cannot be moved around for tactical show.
Selected missiles are picked from the fleet receive inert warheads and are moved to Vandenberg AFB California where they are placed in identical configuration silos for the test launches. These launches are instrumented for test and evaluation in the Western Test Range based at Kwajalein.
I did the operational test and launch part for some of my nine years in the USAF.
Missiles are selected at random from those operationally deployed at Minot AFB, FE Warren AFB or my old base Malmstrom AFB. Replacements are taken from the depot at Hill AFB and are in place before the test missiles launch typically. That always assures that we have the number allotted by SALT agreements on Strategic Alert.
We dropped from 500 active to 450 I seem to recall.
Is that correct?
Love the photos where the breakaway pads are shaking off. Worked with a guy who was at a B-1 base when it was nuclear; he told me about those pads. Next idea.
The missile with the "breakaway pads" was the LGM 118 Peacekeeper, the famous M-X. It was and should have been the replacement for the Minuteman III. It was decomissioned years ago as part of SALT agreements.
Oh, oops - I should have know that too. Been awhile.
Double oops. And that should be “Neat idea”.
Love that cold launch of the 118 - he explained that to me as well. Wonder if that came from the Ohio’s pushing the SLBM’s out? That Trident II is one big son of a gun.
The pads helped keep the missile body centered in lieu of the shock isolation suspension system used for Minuteman giving the added bonus of a reusable launcher which we then traded away during SALT negotiations.
Looks like the Russkies use the pads for SS-25/SS-27 launches - they seem to spit pads too. I’ll have to look at the video again seems like ignition takes places once the missile has cleared the tube.
Tney need to test accuracy by dropping it into the Yellow Sea.
When you watch the launch videos of the M-X you can see that the deceleration is noticeable.
The plume that follows the missile out initially is the ejection gasses (mostly steam). The pads acted like wadding in a musket barrel keeping the gasses behind the missile.
Yeah that’s what my coworker indicated - deceleration-triggered main(s).
If you are writing about the pads that fall off the side of the missile when it leaves the Launch Tube then you are describing the Peacekeeper ICBM. That missile was deactivated years ago. The only active ICBMs in our inventory are the Minuteman IIIs and they are a 'hot launch" missile. The engines fire while the missile is still in the Launch Tube and bolted to the Thrust Mount. When a Minuteman III leaves the hole that hole is basically destroyed, except out at Vandenberg AFB where the silos are configured to allow for refurbishment.
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