Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM
The Minuteman ICBM program has its roots in the technological revolution of the late 1950s and 1960s. Though the US already deployed several hundred Atlas and Titan ICBMs, these used liquid propellant, meaning they would need to be fueled before launch, and their early-generation computers were inaccurate. Atlas and Titans by necessity carried huge megaton warheads and were mainly "citybusters," designed to cause maximum casualties; because they needed to be fueled first, there was the possibility that a massive Soviet first strike would destroy the missiles before they could be launched.
The Minuteman, on the other hand, was meant to be solid-fueled, which meant it could be deployed as ready to fire; it would only need to be refueled every few years. This cut down on the large support facilities the Atlas and Titan used, meaning the Minuteman could be widely dispersed, guaranteeing that a Soviet first strike would not be able to get all of them--enough would survive that a nuclear war would truly result in mutually assured destruction. The solid-fuel propellant tended to burn quickly, but a breakthrough in design in 1956, as part of the US Navy's Polaris submarine-launched missile project, solved this problem. The increasing use of transistors in solid-state computers solved the accuracy issue about the same time--whereas the Atlas and Titans would be lucky to hit within five miles of their target, the Minuteman could strike within a mile, which was good enough with a nuclear warhead. This also meant that the Minuteman could carry smaller warheads.
The Minuteman was the ultimate in ICBM design, and the first Minuteman I entered service in 1962. Subsequent improvements led to the more accurate Minuteman II, and then finally the Minuteman III in 1975, which was still more accurate and, most importantly, carried multiple warheads (MIRV), allowing one missile to hit three targets. Since the early 1990s, the USAF ICBM force has standardized on the Minuteman III, and with the retirement of the Peacekeeper in 2005, the only one in American service.
Malmstrom AFB, from 1962, became one of five Minuteman bases; today, that number has been reduced to three, while Malmstrom's 200 Minuteman IIIs has been reduced to 150. Due to treaty requirements, each missile only has a single warhead rather than three. Each are based in underground silos scattered around northcentral Montana, and the silos relatively common to see on the back roads here. (We fervently pray to never actually see the missiles inside the silos, since that only happens when they're launched...)
Naturally, given the Minuteman's long association with Malmstrom, which was the first operational LGM-30 base, the Malmstrom Museum has a deactivated LGM-30G on display. This one carries a Global Strike Command patch.
Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM
The Minuteman ICBM program has its roots in the technological revolution of the late 1950s and 1960s. Though the US already deployed several hundred Atlas and Titan ICBMs, these used liquid propellant, meaning they would need to be fueled before launch, and their early-generation computers were inaccurate. Atlas and Titans by necessity carried huge megaton warheads and were mainly "citybusters," designed to cause maximum casualties; because they needed to be fueled first, there was the possibility that a massive Soviet first strike would destroy the missiles before they could be launched.
The Minuteman, on the other hand, was meant to be solid-fueled, which meant it could be deployed as ready to fire; it would only need to be refueled every few years. This cut down on the large support facilities the Atlas and Titan used, meaning the Minuteman could be widely dispersed, guaranteeing that a Soviet first strike would not be able to get all of them--enough would survive that a nuclear war would truly result in mutually assured destruction. The solid-fuel propellant tended to burn quickly, but a breakthrough in design in 1956, as part of the US Navy's Polaris submarine-launched missile project, solved this problem. The increasing use of transistors in solid-state computers solved the accuracy issue about the same time--whereas the Atlas and Titans would be lucky to hit within five miles of their target, the Minuteman could strike within a mile, which was good enough with a nuclear warhead. This also meant that the Minuteman could carry smaller warheads.
The Minuteman was the ultimate in ICBM design, and the first Minuteman I entered service in 1962. Subsequent improvements led to the more accurate Minuteman II, and then finally the Minuteman III in 1975, which was still more accurate and, most importantly, carried multiple warheads (MIRV), allowing one missile to hit three targets. Since the early 1990s, the USAF ICBM force has standardized on the Minuteman III, and with the retirement of the Peacekeeper in 2005, the only one in American service.
Malmstrom AFB, from 1962, became one of five Minuteman bases; today, that number has been reduced to three, while Malmstrom's 200 Minuteman IIIs has been reduced to 150. Due to treaty requirements, each missile only has a single warhead rather than three. Each are based in underground silos scattered around northcentral Montana, and the silos relatively common to see on the back roads here. (We fervently pray to never actually see the missiles inside the silos, since that only happens when they're launched...)
Naturally, given the Minuteman's long association with Malmstrom, which was the first operational LGM-30 base, the Malmstrom Museum has a deactivated LGM-30G on display. This one carries a Global Strike Command patch.