ICBM

Titan II at the Complex 571-7 Museum in Arizona

1959 - The first three Atlas D ICBM missiles became operational at Vandenberg AFB in California. During the next year, Atlas squadrons of 6 missiles each were deployed at Warren AFB, Wyoming, and Offutt AFB, Nebraska, in above-ground horizontal concrete buildings with retractable roofs to allow the missile to rise to the vertical launch position. The later Atlas E missiles were housed in underground concrete buildings. - newsreel

1960 - Russia deployed its first SS-7 ICBM missile, and in 1963 developed silo sites.

1960 - The first Titan I ICBM site at Lowry AFB in Colorado became operational Aug. 1.

1961 - Titan sites built at Beale AFB in California, Larson AFB in Washington, Home AFB in Idaho, Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota.

1962 - During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 85 Atlas missiles and 50 Titan I silos and 9 recently-developed solid fuel Minuteman I missiles went on Defcon 2 alert.

1963 - In December, 54 Titan II ICBMs were operational. Titan II silos were located at Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, Arizona, and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, and McConnell AFB, Kansas.

1965 - The 2-stage Titan II missile was used to launch all 10 Gemini orbital missions - newsreel - May Day in Moscow

1967 - The 1000th Minuteman II silo became operational at Malmstrom AFB, Montana. The Minuteman II missile was developed in 1964 as the first ICBM with microelectronics.

1967 - Russia began deployment of the SS-9 missile (288 by 1972), and the SS-11 (1030 by 1974).

1970 - The first Minuteman III squadron became operational at Minot AFB, North Dakota, each missile with an improved third stage carrying a 3-warhead MIRV similar to the Polaris C-3 MIRV deployed on submarines in 1964. 550 Minuteman III misssiles were deployed by 1976.

1986 - The Peacekeeper MX became operational using modified Minuteman silos; by 1988, the full force of 50 Peacekeeper MX missiles were installed in silos.

1987 - The last Titan II site was deactiviated at Little Rock. The Arizona site closed in 1984.

1993 - The START II treaty removed all Peacekeeper and MM I and MM II missiles, leaving the Minuteman III as the only land-based ICBM. The 500 MM III missiles at Warren, Minot and Malstrom are allowed to carry only one warhead each.

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