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Video and images show intercontinental ballistic missile test launched from California
The United States launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California early Tuesday morning — the first of two test launches scheduled for this week. The Air Force Global Strike Command shared video and images of the missile, Minuteman III, as it rocketed up and left a burning trail of smoke and flames through the sky north of Santa Barbara.
The test at 12:56 a.m. PT was carried out by a joint team of airmen from the Air Force Global Strike Command, a branch of the U.S. Air Force responsible for nuclear deterrence, and was supported by Space Force guardians, the command said in an announcement. The announcement noted that the test launch program is designed “to validate and verify the safety, security, effectiveness, and readiness of the weapon system.” The Minuteman III was launched with a reentry vehicle.
U.S. Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Olga Houtsma
“This test launch marks the start of a remarkable week for our Guardians and Airmen at Vandenberg, with two test launches scheduled from the Western Range,” said Col. Bryan Titus, vice commander of the Space Launch Delta 30 military unit, which manages space launch operations on the West Coast, in a statement. “These tests hold immense significance, not only for our nation’s defense, but also serve as a pivotal moment in showcasing the exceptional capabilities and expertise of our dedicated team.”
An announcement by the public affairs team for Space Launch Delta 30 reiterated that it is routine to test launch unarmed intercontinental ballistic missiles like Minuteman III, a model that first became operational in the 1970s, according to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. There are currently 400 Minuteman III missiles at various Air Force bases across the country, which the military wing describes as a strategic weapons system meant to serve as a “reliable and effective nuclear deterrent.”
U.S. Space Force video by Senior Airman Kadielle Shaw
Similar tests have been carried out more than 300 times before, said Space Launch Delta 30, adding that they are “not the result of current world events” but instead intend “to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter 21st century threats and reassure our allies.”
Normally, test flights for the Minuteman III out of Vandenberg end with the missile’s reentry vehicle traveling more than 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, from coastal California to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. During another routine test launch last November, a Minuteman III missile launched from the same base was intentionally destroyed over the Pacific because of “an anomaly,” the Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement at the time.
“An anomaly is any unexpected event during the test,” the command said in that statement. “Since anomalies may arise from many factors relating to the operational platform itself, or the test equipment, careful analysis is needed to identify the cause.”
There were no injuries after a Southwest flight carrying passengers was struck by gunfire on the tarmac of Dallas Love Field Friday night, authorities said.
Southwest Airlines Flight 2494 was preparing for departure to Indianapolis when “a bullet apparently struck the right side of the aircraft under the flight deck,” a Southwest spokesperson told CBS News in a statement.
The airline said no one was hurt. A spokesperson for Dallas Love Field said in an email that the aircraft returned to its gate after sustaining damage from a “security incident” and the passengers deplaned. The runway was also temporarily closed, but has since reopened.
Dallas police confirmed the incident, saying that officers responded to reports of gunfire at 9:48 p.m. local time, arriving to find that the aircraft had been struck.
No further details were provided on the circumstances of the incident or what was the potential source of the gunfire. It’s unclear how many people were aboard the jet at the time, or how much damage the aircraft sustained.
In its own statement provided to CBS News, the Federal Aviation Administration said that the plane “was reportedly struck by gunfire near the cockpit.”
Dallas police are leading the investigation into the incident.
Earlier this week, gunfire amid ongoing gang violence struck three planes that were either landing or departing Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. The shootings prompted the FAA to issue a 30-day ban on U.S. airlines flying to Haiti.
Social media star Jake Paul defeated boxing legend Mike Tyson in a highly anticipated fight with an age difference of over three decades between the two contenders. The Friday night win for the YouTuber-turned-pro-boxer was streamed on Netflix from the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.
Paul defeated Tyson by an unanimous decision after the two fighters went eight full rounds.
Fight night for the 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul came following doubts over whether it would happen at all. The fight was originally scheduled for July, but was postponed after the former heavyweight champion experienced an ulcer flare-up on a plane in May.
A different kind of flare-up happened during the official weigh-in Thursday with Tyson slapping Paul in the face. Tyson later told the New York Post that Paul had stepped on his toe when the two were toe to toe onstage.
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What is Jake Paul’s fight record?
With the win, Paul’s record improved to 11-1.
Was Jake Paul predicted to win?
Oddsmakers had Paul as the slight favorite to win. Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua also went with Paul.
How much prize money does Jake Paul win?
Paul was expected to earn about $40 million from the fight, according to DraftKings Network and other online sources.
Promoters didn’t reveal the payouts ahead of the bout. Paul is a co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, which produced the fight.
Does Mike Tyson still get paid?
Tyson was expected to take home around $20 million for the fight, according to DraftKings and other online reports.
Tyson entered professional boxing in 1985 and became the youngest heavyweight champion in history a year later. After serving time for a rape conviction in the 1990s, Tyson won the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association titles.
He retired from boxing in 2005 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. He last fought in a 2020 exhibition match against former four-division world champ Roy Jones Jr.
“He like put on another 20 pounds from when I fought him, so he’s more bigger and he’s more dangerous because more size, more power, so it’s going to be a tough one for Jake to climb,” Jones told CBS News ahead of the fight.
Anne Marie Lee and
contributed to this report.
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