OREANDA-NEWS  The US air force conducted another test of the Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Minuteman III.

The launch was made from Vandenberg air force base in California. According to representatives of the Command of the global air force strike, a training missile without a warhead was launched on Tuesday at 23:01 on the time of the West coast of the United States (10:01 GMT Wednesday). The purpose of the test was to test the reliability and accuracy of MBR systems.

According to the FoxNews channel, the next launch took place late on Tuesday from Vandenberg base in southern California. The missile was not equipped with a warhead. The launch was successful, the ICBM hit its target. More detailed information about the test is not provided.

Three-stage land-based Intercontinental ballistic missiles of the Minuteman family were originally designed for nuclear deterrence during the cold war with the USSR.

Now Minuteman III - the only land-based ICBM, adopted in the United States. According to the latest data from open sources, Washington has 450 Minuteman III missiles, which will be used at least until 2020. Minuteman III are in service with the U.S. army in 1970, at the end of 1978, their production stopped. The missile is capable of hitting targets within a radius of 12 thousand kilometers.

The first successful launch of Minuteman III this year took place in April. In July, the Minuteman III test failed. As stated then, representatives of the US air force, during the flight of the missile anomalies were detected, it was sent a signal of self-destruction. According to the military, the training missile was approaching its target in the area of Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands) in the Pacific when it had to be destroyed. No other details of the US air force then did not lead.