Air Force Space Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., last week to test the Minuteman’s acceptance of a newer warhead, the Mark 21 from the now-decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs. The dummy re-entry vehicle traveled 4,800 miles, striking its target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…