🎉 Minuteman III Turns 55! 🎉 On 19 August 1970, Strategic Air Command placed the first flight of 10 Minuteman III ICBMs on alert at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. Those missiles were assigned to the 741st Strategic Missile Squadron. This was the byproduct of the US Air Force’s nine-year Minuteman Force Modernization Program governing the replacement of all deployed Minuteman I (A and B) ICBMs with either Minuteman II or Minuteman III missiles. The Air Force determined to replace the arsenal of Minuteman I ICBMs at the 91st Strategic Missile Wing with the military branch’s latest weapon system, Minuteman III. The Minuteman III was the first US ICBM designed with the Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle capability, or MIRV. This configuration allowed individual targeting upon release for each of the weapon’s three warheads.
Spent my first Air Force years in the 741st assigned to Hotel Flight. Interestingly, the magnetic core drum memory unit used in the LCC was only about 3 months younger than I was at the time.
Happy BDAY MMIII! I kept watch top side at GRAND FORKS 94-96. Can’t say I miss it though!🥶
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Well done!
A few years later, as a Missile Systems Analyst at F.E. Warren AFB, I worked alongside incredible Airmen during the transition from 200 Minuteman I missiles to Minuteman III. It was an enormous effort, and the dedication and teamwork of those involved made the accomplishment possible.
Engineering Director | Aerospace and Defense (strategic systems, hypersonics) | Large Organization Leadership | Product Realization | Systems Engineering | Program Management | Product Development | Strategy | Turnaround
2moHappy Birthday, MMIII! 🎉 awesome system standing watch 24/7/365 for 55 years and into the future.