The United States on Wednesday fired an unarmed but nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from California over the Pacific Ocean for its first test launch of this year. Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for further comment via email.

The military successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in Southern California to test and show off US nuclear capabilities. The Minuteman III missile lit up the late night sky after it was launched at the Vandenberg Space Force Base — about 150 miles from Los Angeles — around 1 a.

A hypersonic missile was launched by the US in the early hours of Wednesday morning to demonstrate the "lethality and effectiveness" of the nation's nuclear deterrent. The Air Force launched the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile around 10am Wednesday morning UK time from the Santa Barbara Country base,