Northrop Grumman, US AF, successful ICBM’s test launch

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently supported the successful flight testing of the U.S. Air Force’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) weapon system. The operational flight test was conducted as part of the Air Force Global Strike Command’s Force Development Evaluation Program.

This program demonstrates and supports assessment of the accuracy, availability and reliability of the Minuteman III weapon system.

The launch proceeded after a four-hour hold for down-range weather. The missile traveled approximately 4,800 miles in 30 minutes from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to the Ronald Reagan Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll in the western chain of the Marshall Islands.

The Northrop Grumman-led ICBM prime team includes Boeing, Lockheed Martin, ATK and more than 20 additional companies. The team supports the Air Force in overall sustainment of the Minuteman weapon system including development, production, deployment and system modifications.