The United States said it successfully tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday.
The single-warhead missile was launched at 12:27 am (0727 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, travelling 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) over the Pacific Ocean before crashing into the sea near the Marshall Islands, the Air Force said in a statement.
This third test of the year had been planned for Wednesday but was delayed by a day because of bad weather around the islands.
"Like previous test launches, this event demonstrated the Air Force's commitment to the nation's nuclear enterprise while ensuring the United States' nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, and effective to deter our adversaries while reassuring our allies and partners," said the chief of staff of the Air Force, General Charles Brown.
"We must continue to invest in this viable deterrent, and the airmen who support this mission, as part of the most responsive leg of our nuclear triad," Brown said in a statement.
The Minuteman III, which has been in service for 50 years, has been the only surface-to-air missile in the US nuclear arsenal since 2005. It is installed at bases in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana.
Trident nuclear missiles are deployed on US submarines, and US strategic bombers also carry nuclear devices.
The air force said this test had been planned for months and was "not a response or reaction to world events or regional tensions."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
US Tests Hypersonic Missile Capable Of Striking Moscow Within 30 Minutes US, South Korea Hold 'Tabletop' Drills On North Korea's Nuclear Threat China Has More Ballistic Missile Launchers Than US, Military Tells Congress MiG-27 Ejection, Then Gun In Mouth: Kargil War Hero Recounts Capture In Pak Captain Vikram Batra's Twin Chokes Up Looking At Peak His Brother Captured After BJP Attack Over C Channi Comment On Amritpal Singh, Congress Says... United Spirits CEO Summoned By Delhi Police In Liquor Payments Case: Report BJP Appoints New State Chief For Bihar, Rajasthan Trump Leads Kamala Harris 48%-46% Among Registered Voters: Survey Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.