A joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Navy aircrew have successfully launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) via the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) onboard a US Navy E-6B Mercury. The test launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, to demonstrate the capabilities of the ALCS system, and also involved three test warheads carried by the ICBM.