Pictures Show US Minuteman III Nuclear-Capable Missile Hardware in Depot
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Officially released photos show special weapons system mechanics conducting maintenance on nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBMs) boosters.
This comes after U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command test-fired an unarmed Minuteman III missile from California on May 21. The missile traveled 4,200 miles across the Pacific Ocean to a test site in the Marshall Islands, demonstrating America's nuclear deterrent capability.
Why It Matters
The American ICBM force, consisting of 400 armed Minuteman III missiles deployed in silos and ready to execute nuclear strike missions, forms part of the country's nuclear triad, alongside ballistic missile-armed submarines and nuclear-armed bombers and fighter jets.
The Minuteman III fleet, which has been on alert since 1970, has an official stated range of "6,000-plus" miles. Each missile is equipped with a single nuclear warhead, according to the Federation of American Scientists, but is capable of carrying two or three if necessary.
The U.S. Air Force is replacing the decades-old Minuteman III missile system with the next-generation Sentinel ICBM on a one-for-one basis. The new system is expected to provide a "safe, secure, and effective" land-based leg of the nuclear triad through 2075.
What To Know
Hill Air Force Base in Utah released photos on Wednesday showing Minuteman III missile boosters undergoing maintenance at the base on Monday. The work was carried out by mechanics from the 582nd Missile Maintenance Squadron, according to photo captions.
Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile boosters undergo maintenance at Hill Air Force Base in Utah on June 2, 2025.
Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile boosters undergo maintenance at Hill Air Force Base in Utah on June 2, 2025.
R. Nial Bradshaw/U.S. Air Force
The base plays a central role in supporting the ICBM force by providing "programmed depot maintenance," one of the photo captions reads. The 582nd Missile Maintenance Squadron is responsible for maintenance, repair, overhaul, and modification of the Minuteman III fleet.
Programmed depot maintenance is defined as the "inspection and correction of defects that require skills, equipment, or facilities not normally possessed by operating locations."
Minuteman III missiles are deployed in silos across Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming. They are assigned to three operational units known as missile wings.
The Minuteman III missile features a three-stage booster design that propels it from its silo into space to release its nuclear warheads. Each booster stage separates and falls away sequentially after burning out, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation explained.
The 582nd Missile Maintenance Squadron is also part of the 309th Missile Maintenance Group, a unit that provides storage for Minuteman III boosters and performs static firing and depot-level maintenance for the ICBM fleet, according to the website of Hill Air Force Base.
Mechanics perform maintenance on a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile booster at Hill Air Force Base in Utah on June 2, 2025.
Mechanics perform maintenance on a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile booster at Hill Air Force Base in Utah on June 2, 2025.
R. Nial Bradshaw/U.S. Air Force
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Air Force said in a fact sheet on the Minuteman III missile: "Missiles are dispersed in hardened silos to protect against attack and connected to an underground launch control center through a system of hardened cables. Launch crews, consisting of two officers, perform around-the-clock alert in the launch control center."
The Federation of American Scientists commented in its report on U.S. nuclear weapons on January 13: "Although the Minuteman III was initially deployed in 1970, it has been modernized several times, including in 2015, when the missiles completed a multibillion-dollar, decade-long modernization program to extend their service life until 2030."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen when the U.S. will conduct its next test launch of the Minuteman III ICBM. In April, a simulated electronic launch was conducted at a base in Nebraska.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Today in history: USS Forrestal accident
In 1858, the United States and Japan signed the Harris Treaty, formalizing diplomatic relations and trading rights between the two countries. In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. In 1914, transcontinental telephone service in the US became operational with the first test conversation between New York and San Francisco. Also that year, the Cape Cod Canal, offering a shortcut across the base of the peninsula, was officially opened to shipping traffic. Advertisement In 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' (Nazi) Party. In 1954, the first volume of JRR Tolkien's novel 'The Lord of the Rings' ('The Fellowship of the Ring') was published. In 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was established. In 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA. In 1967, an accidental rocket launch on the deck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin resulted in a fire and explosions that killed 134 service members. Advertisement In 1981, Britain's Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. (They divorced in 1996.) In 1986, a federal jury in New York found that the National Football League had committed an antitrust violation against the rival United States Football League, but the jury ordered the NFL to pay token damages of just three dollars. In 1994, abortion opponent Paul Hill shot and killed Dr. John Bayard Britton and Britton's escort, James H. Barrett, outside the Ladies Center clinic in Pensacola, Fla. In 1999, a former day trader, apparently upset over stock losses, opened fire in two Atlanta brokerage offices, killing nine people and wounding 13 before shooting himself; authorities said Mark O. Barton had also killed his wife and two children. In 2016, former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson was given an additional 40 years in prison for trying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars for killing his third wife. In 2021, American Sunisa Lee won the gold medal in women's all-around gymnastics at the Tokyo Games; she was the fifth straight American woman to claim the Olympic title in the event.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Drew Peterson given an additional 40 years in prison
Today is Tuesday, July 29, the 210th day of 2025. There are 155 days left in the year. Today in history: On July 29, 2016, former Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson was given an additional 40 years in prison for trying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor who put him behind bars for killing his third wife. Timeline: The Drew Peterson caseAlso on this date: In 1836, the newly completed Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in Paris. In 1858, the United States and Japan signed the Harris Treaty, formalizing diplomatic relations and trading rights between the two countries. In 1890, artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. In 1914, transcontinental telephone service in the U.S. became operational with the first test conversation between New York and San Francisco. In 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' (Nazi) Party. In 1954, the first volume of JRR Tolkien's novel 'The Lord of the Rings' ('The Fellowship of the Ring') was published. In 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was established. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating NASA. In 1967, an accidental rocket launch on the deck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin resulted in a fire and explosions that killed 134 service members. In 1981, Britain's Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. (They divorced in 1996.) In 1986, a federal jury in New York found that the National Football League had committed an antitrust violation against the rival United States Football League, but the jury ordered the NFL to pay token damages of just three dollars. In 1994, abortion opponent Paul Hill shot and killed Dr. John Bayard Britton and Britton's escort, James H. Barrett, outside the Ladies Center clinic in Pensacola, Florida. In 1999, a former day trader, apparently upset over stock losses, opened fire in two Atlanta brokerage offices, killing nine people and wounding 13 before shooting himself; authorities said Mark O. Barton had also killed his wife and two children. In 2021, American Sunisa Lee won the gold medal in women's all-around gymnastics at the Tokyo Games; she was the fifth straight American woman to claim the Olympic title in the event. Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum-Baker is 93. Former Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole is 89. Artist Jenny Holzer is 75. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns is 72. Style guru Tim Gunn is 72. Rock singer-musician Geddy Lee (Rush) is 72. Rock singer Patti Scialfa (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) is 72. Actor Alexandra Paul is 62. Country singer Martina McBride is 59. Actor Wil Wheaton is 53. R&B singer Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) is 52. Actor Stephen Dorff is 52. Actor Josh Radnor is 51. Hip-hop DJ/music producer Danger Mouse is 48. NFL quarterback Dak Prescott is 32.
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
China's Submarine Rescue Ship Detected Sailing Toward Russia
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Chinese naval vessel designed to rescue submarines in distress was spotted last week while transiting waters near Japan—a key ally of the United States in Northeast Asia—and apparently en route to Russia. The presence of the Chinese submarine rescue ship coincided with Russian naval drills that spanned the Northern Hemisphere, including the Pacific Ocean, from July 23-27. Newsweek has contacted both China's defense and foreign ministries for comment via email. Why It Matters Japan forms part of the first island chain—alongside Taiwan and the Philippines—under a U.S. containment strategy aimed at limiting China's military activities across the Western Pacific. Tokyo routinely reports Chinese aircraft and ships operating near its territory. China, which operates the world's largest navy by hull count, with more than 370 ships and submarines, has been expanding its military presence beyond the first island chain and into the second, formed in part by the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. In June, two Chinese aircraft carriers operated simultaneously in the broader Western Pacific in a sign of Beijing's maturing operations in what it calls the "far seas." What To Know The Joint Staff Office of Japan's Defense Ministry said a Chinese navy Dakai-class submarine rescue vessel with the hull number 841 was observed sailing in the East China Sea on July 24, marking the first time the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force had identified the ship. On Friday, the Chinese naval vessel passed through the Tsushima Strait and entered the Sea of Japan—known as the East Sea in the two Koreas—according to the report. The Sea of Japan borders the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese archipelago and Russia's Far East. The vessel, also known as the Type 927 submarine support ship, is one of three ships of its class built by China, according to Australia-based naval analyst Alex Luck, who writes about Chinese naval developments for the specialist outlet Naval News. "The Chinese Navy has been significantly expanding their submarine salvage capability with two new designs," Luck told Newsweek, referring to the Dakai and Dafeng ship classes. A Chinese Dakai-class submarine rescue vessel transits the East China Sea on July 24, 2025. A Chinese Dakai-class submarine rescue vessel transits the East China Sea on July 24, 2025. Joint Staff of Japan's Defense Ministry Luck described both classes as large, modern vessels that considerably enhance the "capability and range for Chinese submarine salvage and support operations." Given the significant expansion and ongoing modernization of China's submarine fleet, he said it was "very much plausible" that a submarine was part of the Dakai-class vessel's deployment. In its latest report on China's military development, the Pentagon assessed that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)—the official name of China's navy—has "highly prioritized" the modernization of its submarine fleet, which is expected to grow from 60 to 80 vessels by 2035. What People Are Saying Australia-based naval analyst Alex Luck told Newsweek: "Generally speaking, the Chinese navy would want to ensure their logistics support chain in the context of significantly expanded submarine operations particularly for the nuclear-powered fleet. Therefore this deployment is yet another sign of things to come." The Pentagon said in its 2024 China military power report: "The PLAN operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN), and 48 diesel powered/air-independent powered attack submarines (SS). Despite the ongoing retirement of older hulls, the PLAN's submarine force is expected to grow to 65 units by 2025 and 80 units by 2035 due to an expansion of submarine construction capacity." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the Japanese military will detect the Chinese submarine rescue ship on its return journey—or even track a Chinese submarine operating near its territory.
