The United States Air Force test-fired an unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in a planned exercise intended to validate the reliability and readiness of the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad.
Designated “Glory Trip 254” (GT 254), the November 2025 launch saw a single missile fly roughly 6,700 kilometers and its unarmed reentry vehicle terminate at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where sensors collected flight data for analysis, according to a U.S. Space Force news release. The Minuteman III entered service in the early 1970s and remains the only U.S. land-based ICBM. The U.S. Air Force, in its official fact sheet, lists its speed at approximately Mach 23 and its range at more than 5,200 nautical miles.
A U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury airborne command and control center initiated the launch using the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS), which enables communication over long distances and ensures the persistent and survivable ability to launch land-based missiles. The aircraft fulfills two no-fail missions including the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission that communicates with nuclear-armed submarines and the Looking Glass mission that communicates with land-based nuclear missiles, according to a Naval Air Systems Command fact sheet. The TACAMO version of the aircraft also recently took part in an exercise off Greenland, communicating with submarines in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the same time, highlighting its global reach, Newsweek reported.
Air Force Global Strike Command said the Minuteman III test was part of routine, randomly selected operational launches used to evaluate the system’s accuracy, reliability and operational readiness — key attributes the service tracks as it modernizes its strategic forces. Official statements noted the test generated telemetry, radar and optical-sensor data used to assess flight performance and inform sustainment efforts. Military officials emphasized the launch was unarmed and it did not involve nuclear explosive testing, which is conducted under separate authorities.
“GT 254 is not just a launch — it’s a comprehensive assessment to verify and validate the ICBM system’s ability to perform its critical mission,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron. “The data collected during the test is invaluable in ensuring the continued reliability and accuracy of the ICBM weapon system.”
The test was also intended to assure Allies that U.S. strategic forces remain credible, stable and capable. That credibility underpins extended deterrence relationships with NATO and with Allies in the Indo-Pacific as both regions monitor increasingly aggressive activity by near-peer competitors China and Russia. Officials framed GT 254 as an example of the U.S. ensuring the effectiveness of its strategic forces. Air Force Global Strike Command said the test validated the ability of the ICBM force to perform its mission and demonstrated the availability of a backup launch-control capability that supports command and control resilience.