Boeing LGM-30B Minuteman IA
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.
This Minuteman IA is on display at the ATK Rocket Farm, at the former Thiokol plant near Tremonton, Utah; Thiokol produced the rocket motors for the Minuteman's stages. This missile is probably a former test vehicle rather than operational missile, but the latter may also be the case, as nearby Hill AFB was the main repair depot for the Minuteman program. It is painted as a test missile, as operational Minutemen are usually unpainted.
Boeing LGM-30B Minuteman IA
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.
This Minuteman IA is on display at the ATK Rocket Farm, at the former Thiokol plant near Tremonton, Utah; Thiokol produced the rocket motors for the Minuteman's stages. This missile is probably a former test vehicle rather than operational missile, but the latter may also be the case, as nearby Hill AFB was the main repair depot for the Minuteman program. It is painted as a test missile, as operational Minutemen are usually unpainted.