The American intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Minuteman III is the oldest in the world. This is reported by the Western publication Military Watch Magazine (MWM).
The publication reminds that the first launch of the Minuteman III took place in August 1968.
"It is increasingly falling behind the capabilities of intercontinental ballistic missiles possessed by potential adversaries — China, Russia, and North Korea, with the gap in characteristics becoming particularly noticeable after the first two countries adopted missiles with hypersonic glide vehicles capable of making global flights and performing extreme maneuvers to evade targets," the magazine writes, adding that "North Korea has included such glide vehicles in its arsenal of medium-range missiles and is expected to integrate them into its ICBM arsenal in the future."
The publication notes that funding for the next-generation U.S. ICBM — the Sentinel missile — has faced serious delays and cost overruns, and the modernization of the Minuteman III to a more or less acceptable modern level is, according to Pentagon officials, practically impossible.
Earlier, the U.S. Armed Forces conducted a test launch of the Minuteman III ICBM.
In September, RIA Novosti, citing documents from the U.S. Department of Defense, reported that the Pentagon excluded funding for the purchase of Sentinel missiles from the budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year.
