The US military is set to conduct a test launch of a hypersonic nuclear missile hours after polls close on Election Day.
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is scheduled to blast off between 11:01pm and 5:01am PT from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Some Americans have expressed concerns about the nuclear weapon test on the same day as the country is casting their votes for the next president.
But military officials noted that the ‘test is routine and was scheduled years in advance.’
They said the purpose of the test was to show the ‘readiness of nuclear US forces’ and provide ‘confidence in the nation’s nuclear deterrence’ amid fears of the growing threat of the outbreak of World War III.
The exercise will see the ICBM travel 4,200 miles from the base to Kwajalein Atoll, a small island in the North Pacific, which will take about 22 minutes.
The weapon can reach speeds over 15,000 miles per hour, allowing it to hit any target worldwide in just 30 minutes after launch.
Moscow sits about 5,900 miles from California, while Beijing is about 6,000 miles away – the two nations deemed a threat to the US.
ICBM is one of two currently used by America – the other is submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) that are deployed from underwater submarines.
However, the US’s Titan topped speeds of 16,000mph when it was used from 1963 through 1987.
Titan was capable of traveling to a target more than 6,000 miles away in less than 30 minutes.
But the missile was phased out to make way for more advanced systems such as the MX Peacekeeper that had a similar speed and distance.
ICBM is a vital component of the US military’s nuclear forces, capable of delivering a nuclear payload to targets around the world, but is scheduled to be phased out by 2029 and replaced with the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM.
The US Air Force said that ‘the Sentinel weapon system is the most cost-effective option for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective land-based leg of the nuclear triad and would extend its capabilities through 2075.’
The upcoming weapon will replace the 400 Minuteman III ICBMs currently in service for more than 50 years in Air Force missile fields at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyoming; Malmstrom AFB, Montana; and Minot AFB, North Dakota.
