The US tested a new warhead for nuclear intercontinental missile Sentinel

The MK21A warhead develops Lockheed Martin as part of the Sentinel program, which is difficult. The US Air Force in cooperation with Lockheed Martin on June 8 announced the first successful MK21A warhead test designed for intercontinental ballistic missile (IBR). The trials took place on June 17 in California - the warhead was successfully launched with the Minotaur I rocket and flew over the Pacific Ocean. On June 18, the online edition of Air and Space Forces Magazine reported.

The test details are not disclosed, but it is known that the MK21A warhead develops Lockheed Martin as part of the contract concluded last year. According to the data, the company plans to complete the development by October 2039, creating a relatively cheap modification on the basis of the previous MK. 21 from the MINuteman III IBR. It is planned that the Sentinel IBB will be universal and may be placed on mobile platforms.

Despite the difficulties that Sentinel development faced, including the shift in terms, the US airspace continues to increase efforts in the direction of modernization of the nuclear arsenal of the country. "MK21 is crucial for combating a rapidly changing global picture of threats. Their further development and deployment will provide a reliable and effective restraint system in the future," Lockheed Martin representatives emphasized.

The authors of the material, for their part, point out that the main purpose of the Sentinel program is to replace the outdated Minuteman III III III III, more modern systems, which will ensure the strategic security and efficiency of US national defense by 2030. Earlier it was reported that according to the information of the Stockholm International Institute for Peace Problems, 90% of all nuclear weapons in the world store the Russian Federation and the United States.