The US army would be carrying out a test launch of a hypersonic nuclear missile hours after voting close on Election Day. A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is set to take off between 11:01 pm and 5:01 am PT from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California, The Daily Mail reported.
However, some American citizens raised concerns regarding the test scheduled on the same day as the nation votes for the next president. But the army officials said that the ‘test is routine and was scheduled years in advance.’
The officials added saying that the test launch was to portray ‘the readiness of nuclear US forces’ and give ‘confidence in the nation’s nuclear deterrence’ amid growing fears of a potential outbreak of World War III, the news outlet stated.
The missile is one of the two used by the US. Another one is a submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) that are launched from underwater submarines, the news outlet reported.
The missile would be traveling 4,200 miles from the launch base to Kwajalein Atoll, an island in North Pacific, which will take 22 minutes.
The ICBM can travel over 15,000 miles per hour, allowing it to attack any target around the world, soon after its launch.
The US military said that ‘the Sentinel weapon system is the most cost-effective option for maintaining a safe, secure, and effective land-based leg of the nuclear trial and would extend its capabilities through 2075.’
The ICBM acts as a crucial component of the US military’s nuclear forces.
The scheduled test comes just days after Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, alerted that Russia and US might be on the verge of engaging in ‘direct military conflict.’