Minuteman III

LGM-30G

Mission Profile

Minuteman III (LGM-30G) is the only land-based intercontinental ballistic missile in active service with the United States Air Force, forming a critical leg of the American nuclear deterrent triad. Standing 18.3 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 35,400 kg and generating 920 kN of thrust from its three solid-propellant stages, it can deliver multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) to intercontinental ranges. First flown in August 1968, the Minuteman III entered operational service in 1970 and has been continuously upgraded with new guidance systems, motors, and warheads, keeping the half-century-old design viable well into the 21st century. Over 400 Minuteman IIIs remain on alert in hardened silos across three bases in the American Midwest.