AF Observes 50th Minuteman III Anniversary

Fifty years ago on Aug. 16, 1968, the U.S. Air Force launched its first unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple independent targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) called Minuteman III. By 1970, a total of 17 Minuteman IIIs would be launched from the Eastern Test Range, with the last launched on Dec. 14, 1970. The range was phased out as an ICBM test facility in favor of moving all ICBM tests to Vandenberg AFB, California, where they are still launched today. The Minuteman III has stood as the bulwark to the nation's strategic deterrent force, on alert and ready for nearly fifty years. For more information, visit the Wikipedia website, the National Park Service website, the Military.com website, and the NPS History website.