VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, California, Dhu-AlQa'dah 05, 1436, August 20, 2015, SPA -- The U.S. Air Force says an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile was launched from California in a test of the intercontinental ballistic missile system, according to AP. The missile blasted off at 3:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast northwest of Los Angeles. The Air Force says the missile carried a test re-entry vehicle that hit a target area 4,200 miles (6,750 kilometers) away near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Col. J. Christopher Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, said in a statement that such tests are a validation of U.S. defensive capabilities. The test involved personnel from Vandenberg's 576th Flight Test Squadron and 30th Space Wing. --SPA 03:48 LOCAL TIME 00:48 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w