ICBM

The US Air Force has conducted a test of a new reentry vehicle for the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The Sentinel program is intended to replace the aging Minuteman III missile force, and testing of reentry vehicles marks a step in developing the next generation of America's land-based nuclear deterrent.

The US Air Force launched a Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to test an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicle. The test is part of routine efforts to verify the reliability of America's nuclear deterrent systems. Officials stress the launch carried no warhead and was scheduled well in advance, not in response to current world events.

The U.S. Air Force has carried out an in-flight test of the unarmed Mk21A reentry vehicle, a key component of the future Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program. The test evaluated the vehicle's performance without a warhead as part of development work on the system intended to replace the aging Minuteman III. The test supports preparations for fielding the new ICBM.