Overview
- Designated GT-255, the unarmed LGM-30G lifted off at 11:01 p.m. PST on March 3 as part of a decades-long test program of more than 300 flights.
- The missile’s two test reentry vehicles flew thousands of miles to a preselected target at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
- Engineers and analysts collected telemetry to assess accuracy, reliability and component performance, with results to be shared with the Defense Department, the Department of Energy and U.S. Strategic Command.
- Air Force Global Strike Command said the missile was randomly drawn from the stockpile and reiterated the test was unrelated to ongoing U.S. operations in Iran.
- The launch drew participation from the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, the 576th Flight Test Squadron and Minot’s 91st Missile Wing, as the service develops the delayed LGM-35A Sentinel and evaluates keeping Minuteman III in service through 2050.