The LF is unmanned, except when maintenance and security personnel are needed.Ī squadron is composed of five flights flights are designated by a letter of the alphabet with the facilities controlled by the flight being designated by a number, 01 through 11, with 01 being the MAF. Each of the five LCCs also has the ability to command and monitor all 50 LFs within the squadron.
It is staffed by the two launch officers who have primary control and responsibility for the 10 underground and hardened Launch Facilities (LF)s within its flight which contains the operational missile. The underground Launch Control Center (LCC) contains the command and control equipment for missile operations. About a dozen airmen and officers are assigned to a MAF. The entire site, except for the helicopter pad and sewage lagoons are secured with a fence and security personnel. In addition, a MAF has a landing pad for helicopters a large radio tower a large "top hat" HF antenna a vehicle garage for security vehicles recreational facilities, and one or two sewage lagoons. MAFs were formerly known as Launch Control Facilities (LCFs) but terminology was changed in 1992 with the inactivation of Strategic Air Command (SAC).
The Missile Alert Facility (MAF) consists of a buried and hardened Launch Control Center (LCC) and an above-ground Launch Control Support Building (LCSB). With their inactivation, the United States number of ground-based ICBMs was reduced to 450. They were last upgraded in the early 1970s and were considerably different from the newer Minuteman III silos upgraded in the 1990s. In 2007 the 564th SMS's 50 silos were retired to reduce operating costs. The 10th, 12th and 490th silos were upgraded to receive Minuteman III missiles, joining the 50 Minuteman III missiles already on alert status with the 564th. From 1992 to 1994, the Air Force removed 150 Minuteman II missiles from their silos to comply with the pending START I Treaty. This order affected three-quarters of the 200 ICBMs stationed at Malmstrom. On 28 September 1991, President Bush ordered all Minuteman IIs off alert status. In 1975, the 564th SMS switched from the Minuteman II to the LGM-30G Minuteman III model. A fourth squadron, the 564th, a former SM-65D Atlas unit, stood up on 1 April 1966 with the LGM-30F Minuteman II.īeginning in 1967, all Minuteman I A and B models were replaced by the Minuteman II. In July, the 490th SMS became fully operational, giving the 341st SMW responsibility for 150 silos. Two months later, the 12th SMS became 100 percent combat ready. The 10th SMS accepted its final flight on 28 February 1963. On 15 July 1961, the 341st Strategic Missile Wing was reactivated, and a year later, in late July 1962, the first LGM-30A Minuteman I arrived and was placed at the Alpha-9 launch facility. The wing was the first United States Air Force LGM-30 Minuteman ICBM wing. This is a list of the LGM-30 Minuteman missile Missile Alert Facilities and Launch Facilities of the 341st Missile Wing, 20th Air Force, located at Malmstrom AFB, Montana. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations.
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