An ICBM First

Jan. 9, 2007

The first revamped Peacekeeper warhead (MK21 re-entry vehicle) has been deployed on a Minuteman III ICBM, according to a Northrop Grumman release. (We now find that the first SERV deployment took place in October 2006. The Air Force says it has since fielded several—actual number withheld—more.) The feat required a “major revision” on the Minuteman software, under the Safety Enhanced Re-entry Vehicle program. USAF expects to have its entire 500-strong MMIII fleet upgraded by 2012, extending the service life of the ICBMs to 2020.

Related Content

USAF Scoping Out Upgrades to Counter-UAS Weapons

Oct. 19, 2020
The Air Force is in the market for upgrades to its counter-drone technologies, according to an Oct. 16 request for information posted on a federal contracting website. The service is in the early stages of deploying lasers, microwaves, and other weapons more advanced than a shotgun to deal with potentially…

Barksdale B-52s Cross Ocean Twice, Participate in Elephant Walk in 2-Day Span

Oct. 19, 2020
Two B-52H Stratofortresses from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., left the installation on the evening of Oct. 13, flew nonstop to Europe to train with NATO over the North Sea, and returned the next night, 2nd Bomb Wing spokesperson Capt. Christopher Sullivan told Air Force…

USAF, Army Move Forward Under New Command and Control Agreement

Oct. 19, 2020
Air Force and Army leaders recently reached an agreement to partner more closely on joint all-domain command and control over the next two years. The services are still scoping out how to pursue a common data standard, and haven’t chosen specific systems or platforms to collaborate on or launched new…

Space Force Gets Ready to Train First Enlisted Recruits

Oct. 19, 2020
Seven Space Force hopefuls will ship out this week to the service’s inaugural boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The Space Force is piggybacking on the Air Force’s long-standing Basic Military Training process while it grows its own. Those who graduate from the approximately eight-week program will become…

USAF, Family Settle Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Oct. 18, 2020
The widow of a contractor killed during a friendly fire training incident at the White Sands Missile Range in 2017 sued the Air Force for $24.6 million in damages. The family's lawyer told Military.com they settled for less than that, saying only it was “enough to take care of them…

USAF Looks to Buy Female Body Armor for Guard, Reserve Security Forces

Oct. 18, 2020
The Air Force wants to procure up to 2,000 more Female Body Armor units for Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve security forces Airmen. The modular, scalable body armor system is designed specifically for women’s bodies, and will protect female defenders against fragmenting munitions, handgun, and small arms threats,…

Space Force Grappling With How to Define Readiness

Oct. 18, 2020
The U.S. Space Force is trying to figure out what “readiness” means for space operations, seeking to sever itself from the Air Force’s aircraft- and deployment-centric model. The Air Force’s Air and Space Expeditionary model doesn’t work as a measure of Space Force readiness, Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, deputy…

X-37 Lessons Learned Could Help Space Force Define Future Capabilities

Oct. 16, 2020
The Space Force is already thinking about future spaceplanes and other platforms that will succeed those now in service, though the near-term focus will be on making existing capabilities more resilient, Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear, said in an AFA…