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Air Force Officials Say Missile Flight From Central Coast Not A Response To North Korean Test

(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ian Dudley)
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launched at 2:10 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base

An unarmed ballistic missile was successfully test launched from the Central Coast Wednesday morning, but the Air Force says it wasn’t a response to recent North Korean actions.

The Minuteman III missile lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 2:48 a.m. The missile deployed a test payload off of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific, some 4200 miles away. Air Force officials say it was the latest in a series of ongoing tests to insure the readiness of equipment, and crews. A flight crew from F.E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming conducted the flight from Vandenberg.

In a statement, Air Force officials say while the mission wasn’t a direct response to recent North Korean missile tests, today’s flight demonstrates the U.S. is ready to defend against potential attacks.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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