© AFP
The US successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) after twice postponing the test to avoid escalating tensions around Ukraine and Taiwan. This was announced by the US Air Force in a press release issued on Tuesday. The missile was unarmed and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
mtmSource: Belga
The missile, carrying a warhead capable of carrying nuclear bombs during the war, traveled about 6,760 kilometers before crashing into the sea near Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
According to the U.S. military, the test was a routine operation designed to demonstrate that the United States can defend itself against 21st century threats in a specific, reliable and efficient way, and reassure allies. “More than 300 such tests have already been carried out. Test will not come due to current international events,” it reads.
The test was originally scheduled for March, but was postponed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Washington feared that Moscow would use the test as a pretext to expand the conflict to other countries. In early August, a second adjournment occurred after US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
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