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Fear that the Atlas ICBM would fail led the USAF to request a second liquid-fueled ICBM in case the Atlas ran into problems. Martin was given the contract to develop the B-68 (later LGM-25) Titan I in 1956. The project suffered from the constant threat of cancellation, as it was expensive and the Atlas was seen to be adequate enough. the launch of Sputnik I ended those threats in 1957, though development of the Titan I was marred by a number of early and spectacular launch explosions.
The Titan I got through these issues and began to be deployed in 1960. The missile did have many of the issues common to early ICBMs: it was not accurate (which required large megaton-level warheads to be carried, and it was mainly targeted at easy to hit cities), it took up to 15 minutes to be fueled (which made it vulnerable to a first strike), and the fuel was highly volatile. Nonetheless, about 100 Titan Is were produced, and provided valuable experience for later ICBMs. It was quickly retired by 1965 in favor of the more reliable Titan II and the solid-fueled Minuteman series.
When the Titans initially went into service, they were assigned numbers just like aircraft in USAF service, so this is 61-4523. The missile was deployed at Ellsworth AFB as part of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing and later the 44th Strategic Missile Wing. The 850th SMS did not last long: it was deactivated along with the Titan Is with the arrival of the Minuteman IA ICBMs in 1965. Since 61-4523 was intended as a spare missile and never fueled, it was kept as a museum piece.
Despite the Titan Is being retired in 1965, 61-4523 did not go on display at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum until 2016, after a long period of cleaning and restoration. One of the factors in the long delay was the lack of actual Titan I reentry vehicles (as a spare, 61-4523 never had one), nearly all of which had been destroyed in the 1960s; a mockup had to be built. It was finally displayed "all-up" in 2017. It is displayed horizontally instead of vertically to reduce wind damage to the missile.
Senior Master Sgt. Jesse Frank, the 28th Security Forces Squadron operations superintendent, shakes hands with Chief Master Sgt. Justin Walker, the 28th Bomb Wing interim command chief at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Dec. 4, 2018. Frank was informed that he’d been selected for the highest enlisted rank: chief master sergeant. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas Karol)
Rockwell B-1B Lancer of the 34th Bomb Squadron "Original Thunderbirds" from Ellsworth AFB participating in Red Flag 14-3 exercises at Nellis AFB. A review of the exercise can be found at www.airshowsreview.com/2014_Red_Flag_2014-3_Exercise.htm .
During a joint combat exercise the Army and Air Force fire fighters train on putting out a simulated aircraft fire.
Strategic Air Command (SAC) needed an Airborne Command Post, a specially equipped aircraft to be airborne at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in the event that SAC's underground command center was destroyed or became disabled. For 29 years beginning in 1961, EC-135s carried out that mission. They conducted continuous airborne command and control operations, accumulating more than 281,000 accident-free flying hours - an aviation phenomenon. The mission was dubbed "Looking Glass" because it mirrored ground-based operations. In 1990, "Looking Glass" aircraft ceased continuous airborne alert, but remained on ground alert 24 hours a day. On September 25, 1998, the Air Force handed over its "Looking Glass" mission to the Navy's E-6B aircraft. The EC-135 performed the flying command post mission for a total of 37 years. Max Speed: 580 mph. Max Range: 3,450 miles. Ceiling: 50,000 ft.
I toured Ellsworth Air Force Base on September 12, 2012 and one of the stops was the last remaining missile silo (now used strictly for training). The Minuteman II (LGM-30F) is a nuclear missile, a land-based ICBM, that was in service from 1965 until 1997. When in service, it carried a 1.25 megaton warhead, could reach a speed of 15,000 mph and could rise to an altitude of 140 miles on a parabolic flight path over the North Pole to its target. It could be launched in a minute and reach a target on the other side of the earth in 30 minutes.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Louis Heidema, a weapons systems officer from the 37th Bomb Squadron, is greeted by his children at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Jan. 27, 2010, after returning from deployment to Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Flynn, U.S. Air Force/Released)
High Definition-Several Rockwell B-1 "Lancers" sit on the flight line covered in snow after an early snow storm at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, on Oct. 5, 2005. The Lancers are assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Joel Marbury, an aircraft structural maintenance apprentice with the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, sprays to strip old paint off a B-1B Lancer aircraft stand on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Feb. 2, 2010. The structural maintenance shop has a corrosion prevention program where they sand, blast and paint equipment on a daily basis. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Corey Hook, U.S. Air Force/Released)
The B-1B is a four-engine, variable sweep wing, supersonic bomber used by the U.S. Air Force. Designed by Rockwell International (now part of Boeing), the first production B-1B was rolled out on September 4, 1984. Max Speed: Mach 1.25 at high altitude. Max Range: 6,478 miles at low altitude. Ceiling: 60,000 ft.
"Was N8435H before USAF service. Serial originally to MSN 218 but cancelled. To civil registry as HZ-AAY (Saudi Arabian Airlines), N99878 (American Aircraft Sales Jan 29, 1980). Now on display at South Dakota Air and Space Museum, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota." - www.joebaugher.com
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgts. Joseph Vawter, left, and Alston Alexander, both from the 28th Security Forces Squadron, maneuver through a hallway while clearing rooms during tactical training, Jan. 25, 2010, at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The Pennington County Sheriff?s Department special response team provided specific training on various armed threat scenarios. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Flynn, U.S. Air Force/Released)
The versatile "swing wing" F-111 entered the USAF inventory in 1967 and was retired in 1996. In all, 566 F-111s were built. The F-111's wings are straight for take-offs and landings, or slow speed flight. By sweeping the wings rearward it can exceed twice the speed of sound. Max Speed: 1,452 mph. Max Range: 2,971 miles. Ceiling: 60,600 ft.
U.S. Airmen with the Ellsworth Bombers hockey team wait to rotate into a game in Rapid City, S.D., Oct. 28, 2009. The Bomber?s are the first hockey team from Ellsworth Air Force Base to compete in the local recreation league and in military tournaments. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Corey Hook, U.S. Air Force/Released)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Price, left, and Staff Sgt. Darrell Rinde, both from the 28th Munitions Squadron, build two training bombs during the Global Strike Challenge on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., June 9, 2010. The 28th Bomb Wing is one of seven bomb wings participating in the Air Force Global Strike Command's first load competition. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Corey Hook, U.S. Air Force/Released)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Luis Garrigas, a non-destructive inspection journeyman with the 28th Maintenance Squadron, performs a magnetic particle inspection to search for any defects on a wire rope hook at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Feb. 25, 2010. Garrigas detects flaws, such as cracks, and then interprets the results for the repair center. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Corey Hook, U.S. Air Force/Released)
The first of 75 production F-105Bs arrived in May 1958 with final production in December 1959. In 1963, the USAF selected it for the Thunderbirds Demonstration team. The team started 1964 with it, but a crash in May 1964 ended its career. The aircraft ended operational service in 1981. Max Speed: 1,386 mph. Max Range: 2,228 miles. Ceiling: 52,000 ft.
The B-1B is a four-engine, variable sweep wing, supersonic bomber used by the U.S. Air Force. Designed by Rockwell International (now part of Boeing), the first production B-1B was rolled out on September 4, 1984. Max Speed: Mach 1.25 at high altitude. Max Range: 6,478 miles at low altitude. Ceiling: 60,000 ft.
Steak tips sizzle as Airman 1st Class Albert Homa, a food services apprentice assigned to the 28th Force Support Squadron, grills inside the Raider Café at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Jan. 11, 2018. Having won the Hennessey award several times in the past, an award recognizing the best dining facilities in the Air Force, food service personnel of the 28th FSS gear up to compete in this year’s competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Donald C. Knechtel)
Staff Sgt. Chris Voth, 114th Air National Guard Civil Engineer Squadron fire fighter crew chief, carries a propane lighter used ignite a training fire at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., May 13, 2008. Pit fires occur regularly to improve training and readiness. This training event involved Ellsworth Airmen as well as South Dakota Air National Guard members. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman Corey Hook)(Released) .
Aircrews from the 96th and 20th Bomb Squadron attend a step brief in the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. Aug. 11, 2014. A B-52H Stratofortress flew a non-stop, round-trip mission from the United States to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations as part of PANAMAX 2014, an annual, USSOUTHCOM-sponsored exercise. PANAMAX 2014 is designed to develop and test participating nations' capabilities to respond to a wide variety of air, land, sea, space and cyber missions as a unified force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rebecca Imwalle/ Released)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Otto Yan, a dog handler with the 28th Security Forces Squadron, wears a bite suit arm protector while training with military working dog, Bak, at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., June 24, 2010. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Anthony Sanchelli, U.S. Air Force/Released)
The F-86 was produced between 1953 and 1955. It had a short active duty cycle and was superceded by the F-100 Super Sabre. But it continued in Air Guard service until September 30, 1970. Max Speed: 692 mph. Max Range: 1,810 miles. Ceiling: 50,800 ft.
Airmen participate in a game of cornhole during the annual base picnic outside the Dakota’s Club at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., June 22, 2018. The purpose of the base picnic was to thank the members of Ellsworth for their hard work, as well as celebrate the start of summer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Randahl Jenson)
Boeing B-29 "Legal Eagle II" was modified into an airborne tanker (KB-29M) before being restored for exhibit at the South Dakota Air & Space Museum.
Elizabeth Willis, wife of Nathan Willis, 28th Operations Support Squadron airlift operations flight commander, participates in the Raider Challenge triathlon at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., June 11, 2008. The triathlon consisted of a quarter-mile swim, nine-mile bike ride, and close to two miles of running. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Corey Hook)(Released)
Rockwell B-1B Lancer of the 37th Bomb Squadron "Tigers" from Ellsworth AFB seen at Nellis AFB, November, 2017.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman DeQuan McHatten, a crew chief with the 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, performs a preflight inspection on the exhaust of a B1-B Lancer aircraft at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia June 12, 2010. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Michelle Larche, U.S. Air Force/Released)
U.S. Senator John Thune and his wife Kimberley dance during the Air Force Ball at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Sept. 22, 2007. Ellsworth is hosting this ball in commemoration of the Air Force's 60th anniversary. (U.S. Air Force photo by SSgt Michael B. Keller)(Released)
Typical winter day in South Dakota. We lived there four years before moving back to California. No big fan of snow, me.
Ellsworth Air Force Base, probably March of '77...? (Did we still have the Camaro then?)
Nearly 200 motorcycle riders from the Ellsworth Dakota Thunder Motorcycle Club and across the globe prepare to embark on a ride from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to the 66th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Aug. 7, 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo by SSgt Michael B. Keller)(Released)
Rockwell B-1B Lancer of the 34 BS from Ellsworth AFB participating in a Green Flag exercise during the 2014 Nellis AFB Open House and Air Show. A review of the airshow can be found online at: www.theaviationmagazine.com/2014_Nellis_Aviation_Nation_A...
Airmen from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., climb aboard their plane as they prepare to depart Jan. 15, 2011, for Southwest Asia. Approximately 300 Airmen deployed in support of overseas contingency operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
As Soviet air defenses became more sophisticated in the late 1950s, the USAF was faced with the real possibility that its manned bombers would never reach their targets. The solution, the USAF felt, was the development of standoff missiles: a bomber equipped with these missiles could launch beyond interception range, and destroy a target's surface-to-air missile sites and fighter bases. This would then clear the way for the bombers to drop their nuclear payloads as planned.
The USAF issued a requirement for a standoff missile to be mounted to the B-52 in 1956; a year later, North American was awarded the contract for their adaptation of the ground-launched SM-64 Navaho cruise missile. The design was designated the GAM-77 Hound Dog, though the designation changed in 1962 to AGM-28.
The Hound Dog was revolutionary for its time. It used a Pratt and Whitney J52 turbojet engine (the same used in the A-4 Skyhawk) rather than the Navaho's ramjet, and the B-52 mothership could switch on the Hound Dogs' engines for an extra burst of thrust on takeoff. While being carried to the target, the AGM-28's navigation system was continually updated by a celestial tracking sensor in the carrying pylon, so that the missile knew where it was when launched. The bombardier aboard the B-52 could switch its flight profile so that the Hound Dog would go in high, low, or even go past the target and then turn to hit it from a different angle. Though the Hound Dog was not very accurate, this was not considered an issue: the AGM-28 was armed with a 1.45 megaton yield nuclear warhead, and accuracy was not necessary. Finally, the Hound Dog was stealthy due to its small radar cross-section, at a time when stealth technology was very much in its infancy.
Testing went so smoothly that North American was able to deliver the AGM-28 to the USAF in 1959, under-budget and ahead of schedule. 722 would be produced, and these would represent the sole standoff/aerial cruise missile force for the USAF for over a decade. The last AGM-28s would not be withdrawn from service until 1975. There was some consideration given to updating them with a computerized guidance system or using conventional warhead-equipped AGM-28s as long-range antiradar missiles, but these versions never went beyond the testing stage. The Hound Dog was replaced by the AGM-69 SRAM standoff missile, which could be carried by all of the USAF's bombers, instead of just the B-52. 27 AGM-28s have survived in museums.
The AGM-28 was among the last of the USAF's missiles to be given tail numbers, and this one is 59-2791--the very first Hound Dog to enter service. Because the B-52s assigned to carry Hound Dogs had their undersides painted in antiflash white, the AGM-28s carried the same white scheme. 2791 shows the overall size of the Hound Dog, as compared with the person to the right.
When the Hound Dog was retired in 1975, 59-2791 still existed, so it was decided to preserve this historic missile at Ellsworth AFB, where it remains today. The missile below 2791's nose is an AIR-2A Genie nuclear-tipped air-to-air rocket--itself a five-foot long missile.
A wildfire spreads throughout Custer State Park, S.D., Dec. 13, 2017. According to park officials, the fire grew from about six square miles on Tuesday to about 55 square miles on Wednesday and is 10 percent contained. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Donald C. Knechtel)
Blogged at belredroad.posterous.com/today-in-1974-b1-bomber-first-fl...
A B-1B Lancer from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, takes off from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., Sept. 17. Ellsworth AFB is temporarily housing 20 of the B-1B aircraft during the repair of 6,600 feet of runway at Dyess AFB. Approximately 550 Dyess AFB Airmen are also temporaily based at Ellsworth AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Michael Keller)
Senior Airman William Knight, guides Rex over an obstacle at the K-9 training facility at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., May 7, 2009. Military working dogs are trained to respond to hostile threats to themselves and their partner. Airman Knight is a dog handler and Rex is a military working dog; both are assigned to the 28th Security Forces Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Corey Hook)(Released).
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U.S. Airmen from the 28th Logistics Readiness Squadron conduct scenarios designed to test their combat readiness during a phase II operational readiness exercise, March 2, 2010, at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The exercise is designed to simulate a deployed environment and test the combat abilities of Airmen at the base. (DoD photo by Airman 1st Class Anthony Sanchelli, U.S. Air Force/Released)
Officer Sean Doyle, the senior K-9 handler assigned to the Rapid City Police Department, and Stryker, a K-9 assigned to the RCPD, find simulated drugs under mailboxes at the Rushmore Mall in Rapid City, S.D., Sept. 24, 2017. The Rushmore Mall is the first of many locations for joint-training between Ellsworth Air Force Base and the RCPD. Future locations are scheduled to include local courthouses, airports, and other high-traffic, at-risk environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Donald C. Knechtel)
Stan Lieberman, a survivor from the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941, talks about what it was like during the attack as he holds up an image of himself in the U.S. Army Air Corps Nov. 10, 2009, at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Lieberman joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 as an aerial photographer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anthony Sanchelli/Released)
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