National laboratory researchers provide support for intercontinental ballistic missile test flights

In recent tests of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) observed radio chatter and flight data streams to help verify that the system could deliver a payload to target.

LLNL researchers were on hand at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands to grade the exercise using their one-of-a-kind diagnostic suite they developed to produce real-time measurements of the missile’s flight.

The two missiles were launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch site in California and traveled to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, which is near the Reagan test site.

“We consider tests like this an invaluable part of our confidence basis,” LLNL Flight Test Program Director Steve Jensen said. “It gives us critical information on how the systems respond in real environments.”

If the Minuteman III were to be used in a real-world scenario, its payload would include the W87 thermonuclear warhead. While the tests used mock payloads, Jensen said that the data will help LLNL researchers validate computer models that were critical to certifying the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of the U.S nuclear deterrent in a post-testing world.

“This is the closest we’ll get to fielding a warhead in a test,” Jensen said. “LLNL, [the Sandia National Laboratory] and the Air Force all have a significant interest in these tests.”

The tests were held in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy.