E-6B Mercury aircraft supports test of Minuteman III airborne backup launch capability if ground-based command centers cannot respond

A U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury and the Air Force's 625th Strategic Operations Squadron tested the Airborne Launch Control System at Malmstrom Air Force Base from September 15 to 17. The event simulated transmitting launch commands to Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles from the airborne backup architecture; no missile was launched. The exercise verified that national leaders could still communicate an emergency launch order if ground-based command centers were damaged or unable to respond, while also exercising the aircraft crew's endurance and coordination procedures. Such redundancy is central to the United States' nuclear deterrent.