Upgrade overdue : Ageing American intercontinental ballistic missile veers off course

The flight test of a US intercontinental ballistic missile has failed. Shortly after launching, the Minuteman III missile had to be aborted over the Pacific. This was after a malfunction caused it to veer off course. The launch had been from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.




The Minuteman III missile, with a 8,100-mile range, has been in service for almost 50 years.

The failed flight test has added a new sense of urgency to the President’s plans to upgrade the US nuclear deterrent capability.

There are plans to replace Minuteman IIIs with a new missile known as the ground-based strategic deterrent.