Titan II Re-entry Vehicle (Nose Cone), U. S. Air Force, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas

The Martin Mariette LGM-25 Titan II was the third true intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the U. S. Air Force inventory. It was a major improvement over its predecessor the Titan I, since it used an inertial guidance system, did not need to be elevated to ground level prior to launching, and was capable of internally storing its fuel for long periods.

 

With a yield of almost 10 megatons, the Titan II carried the largest thermonuclear warhead of any U. S. ICBM. The four-person launch crews worked in specially hardened launch facilities adjacent to the missile silo, and required approximately one minute of notification to launch the Titan II missiles. In addition to the launch crew, each missile launch complex required support, maintenance, and security personnel.

 

The re-entry vehicle, or nosecone, belonged to the Titan II at Launch Complex 373-8 near Judsonia, Arkansas. It was taken off alert status on May 5, 1987 and the nosecone was removed from the missile two days later. This missile was the last Titan II ICBM on alert status in the Strategic Air Command. After removing all its missiles, the 308th Strategic Missile Wing inactivated on August 17, 1987.

 

The TITAN II was a two stage, liquid-fueled Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

At 110 feet in length and 10 feet in diameter, it was the largest ICBM in U.S. Air Force inventory.

The TITAN II took 6 minutes to go from launch to 100 nautical miles into space.

The weight of the TITAN II was 341,000 lbs.

The TITAN II weapon system was deactivated on May

5, 1987, after which the missiles were retrofitted for

spacelift duty.

 

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