The debate on the ICBM fleet just got a whole lot easier By: Patty-Jane Geller 8 hours ago
Senior Airman Ryan Page inspects the front of a booster in preparation for a missile roll transfer on April 20, 2021 at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. Missile handlers follow a step-by-step checklist to ensure the Minuteman III ICBM is able to roll between two vehicles for routine maintenance before it returns to the field. (Airman Elijah Van Zandt/U.S. Air Force) The debate over whether to stick with the half-century-old Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile or replace it with the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program just got a whole lot easier. On May 12, Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, confirmed that extending the Minuteman III through 2075 would actually cost $38 billion more than developing the GBSD.
B-21 Stealth Bomber Update: Set to Fly Next Year?
The first serial B-21s are expected to begin operations in the mid-2020s. The current target is to have at least one hundred of the B-21 Raiders in service by the early 2030s to replace the aging fleet of Air Force bombers.
It has been a busy month for Air Force Gen. Timothy Ray, the head of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command. He took part in a very special tour, one that involved seeing the progress that is being made on the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The aircraft’s first flight could still be a year away, but Gen. Ray made the rounds to check in to make sure that is still on track.
U.S. Aborts Minuteman III ICBM Missile Test Launch Our Bureau 1467
A test launch of United States’ Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), capable of carrying multiple self-guided nuclear warheads, scheduled for Wednesday, was aborted just prior to launch, the US Air Force s Global Strike Command said. The cause of the ground abort is being investigated and Air force Global Strike Command is assessing the potential to reschedule the launch,” a statement from the Command said.
The missile was scheduled to launch at 00:15 on Thursday, US West Coast time from a silo launcher at Vandenberg AFB in California.
The unarmed warhead of the rocket was supposed to, having flown 6.76 thousand km, hit a given target at the American range in the area of the Kwajalein atoll (Marshall Islands) in the central part of the Pacific Ocean.
BTF-21 Warrior of the Week: Airman Jarret Hostler > Pacific Air Forces > Article Display af.mil - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from af.mil Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Master Sgt. Louis Vega, Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs / Published April 29, 2021
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Gabriel Pereda, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron ground transportation operator, poses for a photo during a Bomber Task Force deployment at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, April 20, 2021. Pereda has been involved in the last two BTF deployments back-to-back. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jovante Johnson)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Gabriel Pereda, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron ground transportation operator, poses for a photo during a Bomber Task Force deployment at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, April 20, 2021. During the BTF Pereda’s job is to take people where they need to go, whether that be pilots to their jets, maintainers to where they are working out of, or getting all of the cargo, such as heavy machinery, for the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jovante Johnson)