US tests Minuteman III ICBM as Middle East conflict escalates
Mar 5th 2026
The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III from Vandenberg on Tuesday night in a routine test that struck a target near the Marshall Islands, a move the US Space Force says was not officially linked to the unfolding Iran-Israel conflict.
- The unarmed Minuteman III, designated GT-255, was launched from Vandenberg and carried two test re-entry vehicles to an impact area near the Marshall Islands.
- The US Space Force described the launch as part of a long-running routine evaluation program of the land-based nuclear deterrent and said it was not officially linked to the conflict.
- The Minuteman III has an approximate range of 6,000 miles, can exceed 15,000 miles per hour, and can deploy multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles.
- The missile is nicknamed the doomsday missile because it forms the land leg of the US nuclear triad and can carry warheads up to about 300 kilotons, roughly 20 times the Hiroshima bomb.
- The test came as the Iran-Israel war entered its sixth day and after a US Senate vote failed to restrict the White House air campaign, with regional exchanges and missile strikes intensifying.