U.S. Launches Minuteman III ICBM With 2 Reentry Vehicles in GT-255 Nuclear Deterrence Test

U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command fired an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, validating the force’s ability to deploy multiple reentry vehicles and reinforcing the readiness of the land-based leg of America’s nuclear triad. The launch, designated Glory Trip 255, paired a legacy ICBM air vehicle with two test re-entry vehicles and sent them thousands of miles downrange to the Kwajalein Atoll target area in the Marshall Islands, where instrumentation supports precision scoring and system diagnostics. Air Force officials emphasized the event was scheduled years in advance and “not in response to world events,” yet its timing lands amid the most acute escalation risk in years as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran enters its first week and European nuclear signaling intensifies. Read more...

Unarmed Minuteman III ICBM launched from Vandenberg to validate long-range reliability and multi–reentry vehicle deployment, demonstrating rapid-response, silo-based nuclear strike capability with intercontinental reach and high-precision payload delivery against hardened targets (Picture source: U.S. DoW).