Minotaur II

TLV (Target Launch Vehicle) Minuteman II derived

Mission Profile

The Minotaur II (TLV, Target Launch Vehicle) was a two-stage American launch vehicle derived from decommissioned Minuteman II ICBM motors in the Minuteman family, used exclusively as a target vehicle for missile defence testing. Standing 19.2 m tall with a 1.3 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 13 tonnes, it generated 980 kN of first-stage thrust. First flying in May 2000, the Minotaur II provides realistic threat-representative ballistic trajectories for testing US ground-based and sea-based missile defence interceptors.