
The Air Force and Navy last week used an airborne control center to test-fire an unarmed Minuteman III missile, the services said. The test gave the services a look at the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS), an aircraft that can launch intercontinental ballistic missiles if ground-based communication with nuclear silos is disabled. A joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command personnel and Navy aircrew launched the missile just after 5 a.m. Pacific Time on Apr. 19 using an Airborne…