The rattling of sabres grows ever louder. Military.com reports that the Air Force says an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile has been launched from California's central coast in the latest test of the intercontinental system.
The missile blasted off at 11:39 p.m. PDT Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles.
The Air Force says the missile carried test re-entry vehicles that headed for a target area 4,200 miles away to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The Air Force routinely uses Vandenberg to test Minuteman missiles from bases around the country.
This test involved personnel from Vandenberg's 576th Flight Test Squadron and the 91st Missile Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
In this photo provided by U.S. Air Force, an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.