Minuteman III (ballistic missile)

2023: Trial failure

The US Air Force destroyed the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile due to an anomaly identified during a test launch. This was reported on November 1, 2023 on the website of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command.

The test of the rocket over the Pacific Ocean was stopped on November 1 at 12:06 Pacific time (22:06 Moscow time). The US Air Force explained that "any unexpected event during the test" is considered an anomaly. The statement did not specify what exactly happened to the missile. It is noted that to investigate the reasons, a group will be formed, which will include representatives of relevant departments, including the US Air Force.

US Air Force destroys Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile due to anomaly

A test launch for an old missile is a test of the condition and operability of all missiles of this type. Special attention is paid to the state of solid fuel. The thing is that with long-term storage, the components of such fuel dry out and crack. As a result, an explosion may occur after the launch of the rocket.

Military expert Viktor Baranets believes that the White House has come up with another excuse, as it does every time it fails.

In my opinion, Americans bluff, talking about some kind of anomaly. There have already been such cases, but they cannot admit honestly that the control system of the complex has failed. They do this in order not to admit that the technique failed in order to fool humanity, "he said in a conversation with the publication" Moscow Region Today. "

Raketa Minuteman III has been in service with the American army since 1970: it is the only mine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile that the United States has by November 2023. By the mid-2030s, the Minuteman III is planned to be completely replaced by Sentinel missiles. The US Air Force asked Congress to allocate $4.4 billion for these purposes. The project is being developed by Boeing Corporation.^[1]

1977: For 15 years, the US nuclear missile launch code was "00000000"

In early November 2025, it became known that for 15 years, from 1962 to 1977, the code for launching American Minuteman nuclear missiles invariably consisted of eight zeros. This was reported by ZME Science, indicating that classified information was disclosed by a nuclear policy expert, a former US Air Force officer who managed Minuteman mine launchers Bruce Blair only in the late 2000s.

The simplified code was not a technical error - it was a conscious decision of the Air Force Strategic Command (SAC). Despite President John F. Kennedy's 1962 directive to install protection systems (PALs), the SAC command, fearing delays in a retaliatory strike, deliberately set the elementary code. This made it possible to launch without receiving external code from senior management.

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Фото: wikipedia

Bruce Blair described situations where a critical "two-person rule" requiring the presence and consistency of two qualified operators was often violated on duty: one operator could sleep while the other had full access to the launch system.

In 1977, the system was changed by the Rivet Save program. Instead of constant code, dynamic combinations of the P7P7P7P7P7P7P7P7P7P7P7P7 type began to be used, transmitted only when receiving an order to start. Without this code, the rocket could not be launched, even with a correctly executed key rotation sequence.

Changing the code solved two problems. Firstly, it made it possible to reduce costs by reducing the number of crew of the launcher. Second, the change addressed longstanding concerns about the Minuteman system's vulnerability to unauthorized or accidental launches.

Bruce Blair's revelations showed that the global security system during the Cold War often hung in the balance and could depend on an easily guessed missile launch code consisting of only zeros.^[2]

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