Air Force begins clearing B-1Bs to fly as safety inspections continue May 6 A transient B-1B bomber from the 7th Bomb Wing out of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, sits on the RAF Mildenhall flight line in July 2012. ( 2nd Lt. Christopher Mesnard/Air Force) The Air Force is beginning to return B-1B bombers to the air after grounding the entire fleet last month to investigate a fuel system issue. Some Lancers resumed flight operations Monday, about two weeks after Air Force Global Strike Command ordered the fleet of 57 aircraft to stand down for safety inspections. The service declined to say how many were cleared for flight, citing operational sensitivities.
A planned test of a Minuteman III missile was aborted before the missile left Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Wednesday, the U.S. Air Force said.
2021-05-05 22:06:05 GMT2021-05-06 06:06:05(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) The U.S. Air Force said on Wednesday that it aborted a test launch of an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) before the launch, adding the cause was under investigation. An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, experienced a ground abort prior to launch, Air Force Global Strike Command said in a release.
The release said the cause of the ground abort was under investigation, and the command is assessing the potential to reschedule the launch.
The aborted mission came amid an ongoing debate in Congress on whether to develop a next-generation ICBM to replace the aging Minuteman III, which has been in service since the 1970s.
By Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully
May 3, 2021
| 9:04 p.m.
An operational test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile has been scheduled for early Wednesday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, marking the second for the weapon system in 2021.
Liftoff of the three-stage weapon with a mock warhead will occur between 12:15 and 6:15 a.m. from an underground silo on the northern section of the base.
While missile test-launches have six hours set aside, the team typically aims for departure shortly after the launch window opens.
However, unfavorable weather or technical troubles either at Vandenberg or downrange can delay the departure.