Manufactura Aditiva e hipervelocidad, claves del GBSD

A finales del pasado mes de julio, Boeing anunció su decisión de abandonar la carrera para fabricar la próxima generación de ICBMs que deberá reemplazar a los anticuados Minuteman III. ¿La razón oficial? Muy simple: no podrá desarrollarlo y fabricarlo a un precio competitivo. Es necesario fabricar misiles más rápidos a menor coste, y Boeing ha tirado la toalla. Vamos a ver por qué.

¿Por qué reemplazar los Minuteman III?

El armamento nuclear intercontinental constituye uno de los pilares de la capacidad norteamericana de prevenir un ataque nuclear contra su territorio: A menos que se trate de estados gobernados por suicidas, cabe descartar que una potencia nuclear se arriesgue a llevar a cabo un ataque masivo contra territorio norteamericano, ya que la respuesta sería proporcional. Esto ha sido así durante decenas de años, pero ya no: Los Minuteman III datan de la década de los 70, y hace ya bastantes años que empezaron a mostrar síntomas de no poder asegurar el poder disuasorio que necesita Estados Unidos.

¿Qué reemplazará a los Minuteman III?

Para su reemplazo se ha puesto en marcha un programa dotado con un presupuesto de 85.000 millones de dólares, denominado GBSD. Inicialmente se presentaron propuestas por parte de Boeing, Lockheed Martin y Northrop Grumman, pero Lockheed fue eliminado y Boeing ha dicho que no le compensa. ¿Resultado? Northrop Grumman es ahora la única empresa con posibilidades reales de ganar el contrato.

¿Qué puede ofrecer Northrop Grumman al programa GBSD?

Si hay una palabra clave que se repita cada vez con más frecuencia en el Pentágono, esta es "hipervelocidad": Los adversarios de Estados Unidos han puesto sus ojos en las posibilidades que representa la hipervelocidad, y han desarrollado con aparente éxito ciertos proyectos capaces de amenazar seriamente la tradicional supremacía militar norteamericana. Por tanto, es necesario desarrollar misiles más rápidos que los del enemigo. Y cuando hablamos de hipervelocidad estamos hablando de enfrentarnos a desafíos tecnológicos que exigen en gran medida el uso de tecnologías de Manufactura Aditiva, y es ahí donde Northrop Grumman podría tener su gran oportunidad, ya que es propietaria de Orbital ATK.

¿Quien es Orbital ATK?

Orbital ATK es una compañía líder mundial en tecnología aeroespacial para la industria militar. Cuenta con 12.000 empleados en plantilla, repartidos dentro y fuera de los Estados Unidos. Esta compañía lleva ya muchos años desarrollando motores de cohete para hipervelocidad, y ya en 2016 probó con éxito una cámara de combustión para motores de cohetes hipersónicos, impresa en 3D. Por tanto, estamos hablando de una compañía que cuenta con el conocimiento y experiencia requeridos para aplicar con éxito la Manufactura Aditiva en orden a conseguir fabricar en tiempo y coste el tipo de motores que requiere el GBSD. En tiempo, ya que se trata de una carrera contrarreloj. Y en coste, porque el presupuesto es reducido.

Razones para acelerar el programa GBSD

En breve, la USAF va a solicitar propuestas de la industria militar para desarrollar el programa GBSD (Ground Based Strategic Deterrent), que reemplazará los viejos misiles Minuteman III implementados en la década de 1970 y actualizará sus anticuadas instalaciones de lanzamiento. Los nuevos ICBMs deben comenzar a unirse al inventario a finales de 2020 y operar hasta la década de 2070.

Algunas voces críticas a la modernización de la triada nuclear de los Estados Unidos han pedido que se retrase e incluso que se cancele el GBSD en favor de otra extensión de la vida útil del Minuteman III. Sin embargo, la mayoría de expertos creen que retrasar o cancelar el GBSD equivaldría a renunciar unilateralmente a la existencia de la triada nuclear, poniendo en jaque a los Estados Unidos: Oficialmente, Estados Unidos dispone de 450 Minuteman III repartidos por 45 centros de lanzamiento dispersados operativamente en cinco estados. Este despliegue ofrece un conjunto único de capacidades para disuadir a sus adversarios de amenazar de forma creíble o de llevar a cabo con posibilidades de éxito un ataque nuclear. Si Estados Unidos renuncia unilateralmente por negligencia al componente terrestre de su triada, bastaría con atacar tres bases de bombarderos y dos bases de submarinos para eliminar la mayor parte de su fuerza nuclear.

Un variedad de factores obligan a poner en marcha e incluso acelerar el programa GBSD. El primero y principal, que existen serias dudas de que sea verdaderamente útil un ICBM diseñado hace medio siglo: Las defensas antimisiles no son las de 1970, las amenazas cibernéticas aumentan, y la guerra electrónica junto con las armas de energía dirigida plantean nuevos desafíos para la supervivencia del Minuteman III. La Revisión de la Postura Nuclear de 2018 lo expresó claramente: "La vida de servicio del Minuteman III no puede extenderse más ... Además, el Minuteman III tendrá cada vez más dificultades para penetrar en las futuras defensas del adversario".

En segundo lugar, el combustible sólido que impulsa las etapas inferiores del Minuteman III se degradará a partir de 2030, por lo que será necesario retirar el combustible degradado, lavar sus respectivos contenedores, y cargar el nuevo combustible. Tras esta operación, es posible y altamente probable que algunas de estas etapas no encajen, y deban ser reemplazadas. Esta posibilidad resulta particularmente peligrosa, por la sencilla razón de que ya no se fabrican. Pero, aunque encajasen perfectamente y sin problemas, la tercera etapa de los Minuteman III, que está construida con materiales compuestos, no se puede lavar y será necesario reemplazarla. Por añadidura y por si acaso todo lo anterior no bastase, hará falta reemplazar componentes críticos en el sistema de guía del Minuteman III, ya que llegarán al final de su vida útil. Estos y otros esfuerzos para mantener el Minuteman III más allá de su fecha de reemplazo programada costarían miles de millones de dólares y posiblemente no sirvan para nada verdaderamente útil, debido a las razones expuestas en el párrafo anterior.

En tercer lugar, retrasar el GBSD no tiene sentido económico: Por un lado, porque los nuevos ICBM comenzarían a entrar en servicio antes de que el Minuteman III deje de estar disponible. Y por otro lado, porque una demora del GBSD requeriría gastar miles de millones de dólares en parchear el Minuteman III. Costaría mucho menos adquirir y mantener el GBSD a lo largo del tiempo.

Finalmente, los programas de extensión de vida no resolverían el inminente déficit de inventario de Minuteman III: Ahora hay oficialmente 450 misiles. Para garantizar que este anticuado sistema funcione, la USAF realiza entre cuatro y cinco lanzamientos de prueba por año. Si se demora el GBSD, la combinación de 1) Lanzamientos de prueba y 2) Desgaste por obsolescencia de las piezas, podría mermar dramáticamente el inventario de Minuteman III hasta hacerlo prácticamente inservible.

En resumen: mantener al Minuteman III más allá de su fecha de reemplazo planificada no proporcionaría las capacidades necesarias para la disuasión del siglo XXI, podría costar mucho más que el GBSD y equivaldría a renunciar unilateralmente a la tríada, aumentando la disposición de China y Rusia para intentar poner de rodillas a los Estados Unidos. Por el contrario, acelerar el programa GBSD evitaría estos riesgos y garantizaría la paz durante los próximos cincuenta años.

Orbital ATK, ready to provide the GBSD program

As designs for the next generation ICBM are being matured, Orbital ATK’s experience has resulted in smart commonality, commercial practices, and shared facilities and workforce.

The company has honed numerous capabilities that can reduce risk and shorten development timelines for GBSD. As an experienced flight system/launch vehicle provider, the company has integrated and launched flight systems at sites around the world, and advanced, common avionics have flown on more than 100 missions with 100 percent success.

Including strategic missile targets and interceptors, Orbital ATK has developed, on average, two new flight systems each year for the past 20 years. In addition, Orbital ATK has significant experience building flight-proven composite structures like shrouds, interstages and motor cases. The company has also developed nuclear hardness and survivability protection for its structures, which will help ensure the success of GBSD.

Orbital ATK has modern, automated facilities ready to support GBSD development and production. The company currently utilizes Additive Manufacturing, virtual reality and model-based systems engineering to design and build state-of-the-art rocket motors. In 2017, Orbital ATK’s solid rocket motors achieved 100-percent success on 16 flights and 11 static fires for a total of 64 motors fired.

Orbital ATK has played a key role on every Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program for more than five decades. Since the Minuteman I was first fielded in 1962, Orbital ATK, along with its legacy companies, has provided motor stages and refurbishment services for the program. Today, Minuteman III continues to play an integral role in our nation’s defense, but is preparing to be replaced by the next generation ICBM program: Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD).

The Minuteman III weapon system is projected to be in service through 2030, and sustainment activities like those Orbital ATK is now performing on a Propulsion Subsystem Support Contract for the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate at Hill Air Force Base, will ensure operational readiness through that time. Once Minuteman III is retired, the Air Force’s GBSD program will take over: “The Orbital ATK team is dedicated to helping the Air Force with a smooth transition to the GBSD system,” said Charlie Precourt, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Propulsion Systems Division. “Minuteman III sustainment is a vital element of our nation’s defense and the Air Force is partnered with Orbital ATK to ensure that Minuteman remains safe, capable, reliable and responsive while beginning development of GBSD."

With a long history of ICBM experience, proven expertise in flight systems and components, and the ability to share facilities and experienced workforce across programs to keep costs down, Orbital ATK is ready to provide the GBSD program with outstanding solutions throughout its lifecycle.

341st Missile Wing commander confirmed for promotion

Col. Ronald G. Allen Jr., began service as commander of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in April 2016.

He was among 1.317 eligible colonels for promotion to the rank of brigadier general and at the end of December the U.S. Senate confirmed him for promotion to brigadier general in the United States Air Force.

“It’s a great honor to serve with someone of Col. Allen’s caliber and character,” said Col. Peter Bonetti, 341st MW vice commander. “I’m grateful to see the Senate confirmation. It’s an acknowledgement that Col. Allen’s senior leadership is vital to the Air Force and the United States.”

The wing’s 4.000 personnel defend the United States with combat-ready Airmen and nuclear forces. They are responsible for base support, maintenance, security and operation of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles located throughout a 13.800 square-mile complex in central Montana.

Lockheed Martin: Impresión 3D para el GBSD

Lockheed Martin ha revelado que planea utilizar la Impresión 3D para desarrollar la futura generación de ICBMs de la USAF, más conocida como el proyecto GBSD. La razón de ser de este proyecto radica en que los actuales Minuteman III se han ido quedando obsoletos, y se hace necesario dotar a la USAF de nuevos misiles más rápidos y de mayor alcance.

Misiles impresos en 3D

Para ganar en velocidad y alcance, es preciso reducir peso. Y ahí es donde entra en escena la Impresión 3D, ya que por un lado permite sustituir el metal por el plástico, y por otro lado permite diseñar cada pieza enfocándose en la reducción de peso como factor clave a tener en cuenta.

Adaptabilidad: La clave del éxito

Uno de los beneficios clave que Lockheed Martin ha encontrado en la Impresión 3D estriba en su facilidad de adaptación: Dado que estamos hablando de una tecnología que permite la Fabricación Digital Directa sin necesidad de procesos intermedios, esto permite a la empresa responder con rapidez a cualesquiera cambios de diseño durante todo el ciclo de vida del producto. A este respecto Iris Bombelyn, vicepresidente de Comunicaciones Protegidas en Lockheed Martin Space Systems, comenta: "La Impresión 3D nos proporciona la capacidad de implementar innovaciones con celeridad, en base a una producción controlada desde el diseño hasta la implementación, partiendo de un modelo digital. Gracias a la posibilidad de proporcionar soluciones asequibles e innovadoras a nuestros clientes en plazos muy cortos, podemos adaptarnos a la rápida evolución del entorno espacial militar."

Minuteman III: Algunos detalles que pocos conocen

Vamos a ver en este Post algunas particularidades del sistema de ICBMs Minuteman III, que quizá conviene recordar en los momentos actuales.

Más concretamente, vamos a ver algunos detalles de cómo y por qué se prueba periodicamente este sistema.

Como los lectores ya conocen, Minuteman III es la denominación de ciertos ICBMs ubicados en silos bajo tierra, que de manera permanente se encuentran dispuestos para ser lanzados en caso de un ataque a gran escala contra los Estados Unidos.

El sistema se prueba periodicamente mediante lanzamientos que se llevan a cabo por el 576 Escuadrón de Pruebas de Vuelo de la Base Vandenberg (California).

La misión principal de este escuadrón es triple:

• Asegurar que el sistema esté listo para ser utilizado en cualquier momento
• Asegurar que el equipo humano esté listo para utilizarlo en todo momento
• Advertir a potenciales adversarios que el sistema defensivo funciona

En cada prueba, los misiles son transportados desde las bases de Malmstrom (Montana), Minot  (Dakota del Norte) o F.E. Warren (Wyoming) hasta la base Vandenberg, si bien sus vehículos de reentrada carecen de carga nuclear: "Los vehiculos de reentrada usados en nuestros lanzamientos de prueba no tienen componente nuclear alguno en su interior" afirma el Capitán Joe Liles, Jefe de pruebas de lanzamiento. "Son virtualmente idénticos en características de vuelo, pero el material nuclear se sustituye por equipos de medición para recabar datos durante el vuelo."

Sin embargo, la misión de este escuadrón va más alla del mero lanzamiento de misiles: "Mucha gente piensa que nuestra única misión aquí es la de llevar a cabo lanzamientos de prueba, pero lo cierto es que los lanzamientos constituyen tan solo una cuarta parte de nuestra misión," afirma Liles. "Nuestra responsabilidad incluye probar cada pieza del sistema, sea cual sea. La testeamos, la evaluamos y emitimos un dictamen final recomendando o rechazando su utilización como parte del sistema."

Ahora bien, aunque el escuadrón es el responsable de las pruebas, el equipo humano que se encarga de lanzar los misiles proviene de la misma base que proporciona el misil de prueba: "Queremos que las pruebas sean lo más realistas posible, así que empleamos a las mismas personas que deberán utilizar el sistema, llegado el caso", añade Liles. "No sólo debemos testear el funcionamiento del sistema, sino testear asimismo la aptitud de las personas que deben manejarlo: Si el operador no está capacitado para usarlo, el sistema simplemente no funciona."

¿Se está cumpliendo realmente el nuevo START?

Los EE.UU. y Rusia firmaron en abril de 2010 el nuevo tratado START para reducir su arsenal de armas nucleares. El acuerdo entró en vigor el febrero de 2011, y se espera que dure por lo menos hasta 2021. Dado que la mayoría del arsenal nuclear de Estados Unidos está asignado a la Fuerza Aérea, ésta ha trabajado con denuedo para demoler ciertas instalaciones de lanzamiento de ICBMs para cumplir con el tratado.

Ahora bien: ¿Se está cumpliendo realmente el nuevo START? Un informe recientemente publicado por el Departamento de Estado norteamericano ha dado a conocer algunos interesantes datos recabados desde el 1 de Septiembre de 2013 hasta el 1 de Septiembre de 2014, que ilustran claramente el nivel de semejanzas y diferencias entre las capacidad nuclear de ambas superpotencias. Vamos a verlas a continuación:

Misiles nucleares

• La suma total de misiles nucleares desplegados por los EE.UU. se redujo en un año desde 809 hasta 794 unidades
• El arsenal de misiles nucleares rusos aumentó en ese mismo periodo desde 473 hasta 528 unidades

Ojivas nucleares

• Estados unidos redujo su número desde 1.688 hasta 1.642
• Rusia aumentó su número desde 1.400 hasta 1.642 unidades

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Asesoría en Impresión 3D

ICBM Modernization: Challenges and Opportunities

A 2014 RAND Corp. study found that sustaining the current Minuteman III force with gradual upgrades is a relatively inexpensive way to retain current ICBM (Inter Continental Ballistic Missile) capabilities. The study also found that a new ICBM system would likely cost two to three times as much as incremental modernization and sustainment of the current ICBM system.

One constraint on the lifespan of the current system is the declining quantity of missile bodies due to required annual test launches. The Air Force conducts three tests per year, and the ICBM system program office has recommended increasing that to four times annually. It means a force of 420 operational ICBMs is not sustainable beyond 2030 without new units and the entire missile asset will be depleted by 2135, RAND said.

Minuteman III rocket motor aging surveillance test completed at AEDC

Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) personnel completed testing of a Minuteman III Stage II motor in the Complex's J-6 Large Rocket Test Facility for aging surveillance of the 48-year-old defense program. 

"Motors such as this Stage II, are pulled from the field and sent to us to test," said Brandon Dorman, a J-6 test engineer. "The motor's age and storage conditions are tracked and documented for the test. It is fired at the J-6 facility and various performance parameters are collected and analyzed to determine the motor's overall performance. This information is then compared to build specifications, as well as previous firings, to assist in early detection of trends that could threaten the readiness of our nation's ICBM  fleet."

Since these motors are located in different operational locations for varying lengths of time, aging surveillance testing may uncover critical information that is valuable to the Department of Defense. "The Stage II motor is part of the Minuteman III Aging and Surveillance test program to obtain motor performance data that is used to identify and quantify age-related degradation," said Richard Kirkpatrick, an AEDC test manager and engineer in the Space and Missile Test Branch. "In addition, the motor is inspected post-test for any emerging critical failure modes."

US Nuclear Missiles: So aged as ignored

The Minuteman is no ordinary weapon: This missile can hit the enemy across the globe, as quickly as you could have a pizza delivered to your doorstep.

The “Big Sticks,” as some call the 60-foot-tall Minuteman III missiles, are just plain old. But the Air Force asserts with pride that the missile system, more than 40 years old and designed during the Cold War to counter the now-defunct Soviet Union, is safe and secure.

¿Safe and secure? Mmm... The Minuteman has indeed been updated over the years and remains ready for launch on short notice, but the items that support it have grown old. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the Air Force will find $50 million in this year’s budget to make urgent fixes, and will invest an additional $350 million in improvements over the coming five years. Even that, she said, is unlikely to be enough and more funds will be sought.

Since its initial deployment in 1970, the Minuteman III missile itself has been upgraded in all its main components. But much of the rest of the system that keeps the weapon viable and secure has fallen on hard times. One example is the Huey helicopter fleet, which escorts road convoys that move Minuteman missiles, warheads and other key components. It also moves armed security forces into the missile fields in an emergency, even though it’s too slow, too small, too vulnerable to attack and cannot fly sufficient distances. And It’s also old: The seven Hueys flown daily at Minot were built in 1969. The yearly cost of keeping them running has more than doubled over the past four years, according to Air Force statistics – from $12.9 million in 2010 to $27.8 million last year. “Obviously we need a new helicopter, based on the mission,” said Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, who as commander of 20th Air Force is responsible for the operation, maintenance and security of the full fleet of Minuteman missiles.

A look at the Minuteman III

The Air Force's nuclear missiles have stood ready for war on short notice for more than 50 years.

Americans tend to assume the missiles are safe, but ¿Do they remember they exist? Let us look, in brief, at the Minuteman III missiles and their mission

The Air Force operates just one type of land-based nuclear missile, the Minuteman III. It is a class of weapon known as an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. The U.S. has 450 of these missiles, each with a single nuclear warhead attached. The missiles are guided to a target by a self-contained navigation system that uses motion and rotation sensors to track and update the missile's position and orientation.

Each Minuteman 3 missile is based in its own underground silo "hardened" with concrete to withstand an enemy nuclear strike. At the heart of the silo are the men and women who command the missiles. They are called missileers and are junior officers - lieutenants and captains, typically ages 22 to 27. Two missileers operate an underground launch control center, which is responsible for 10 missiles. The missileers do 24-hour "alert" shifts, then hand off to a replacement crew. Because the missiles are meant to be ready for combat on short notice, the launch capsules are manned without interruption, 365 days a year.

There are three Air Force ICBM bases: Malmstrom in Montana, F.E. Warren in Wyoming and Minot in North Dakota. Each base operates 150 missiles, divided into three squadrons of 50 missiles each. The force is commanded by a two-star general who heads the 20th Air Force. He answers to a three-star general at Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana who is responsible not only for the ICBMs but also for the B-2 and B-52 bombers that have a nuclear mission as well.

Minuteman III missiles are the third generation of Minuteman missiles. The first generation went into service in October 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis. The Minuteman II became operational in 1966, and the current version was declared operational at Minot in December 1970, according to an official Air Force history of the ICBM. No ICBM has ever been launched other than for testing. The Obama administration has decided to take 50 of the 450 Minuteman 3 missiles off active duty by February 2018, but it is committed to preserving their role as part of the "triad" of strategic nuclear forces, along with bombers and nuclear-armed submarines.

91st Missile Wing gets new leader

Command of the 91st Missile Wing was transferred Tuesday from Col. Robert Vercher to Col. Michael Lutton. Vercher will become deputy director of mission assessment and analysis at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska — a position Lutton has held for the past two years. 

The 91st Missile Wing oversees 150 Minuteman III missiles buried in silos across 8,500 square miles in northwest and north central North Dakota, and is assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees nuclear missiles and bombers.

¿Blast door open?

Twice this year alone, Air Force officers entrusted with the launch keys to nuclear-tipped missiles have been caught leaving open a blast door that is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering their underground command post, Air Force officials have told The Associated Press.

Transgressions such as this are rarely revealed publicly. But officials with direct knowledge of Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile operations told the AP that such violations have happened, undetected, many more times than in the cases of the two launch crew commanders and two deputy commanders who were given administrative punishments this year.

The AP has discovered a series of problems within the ICBM force, including a failed safety inspection, the temporary sidelining of launch officers deemed unfit for duty and the abrupt firing last week of the two-star general in charge. The crews who operate the missiles are trained to follow rules without fail, including the prohibition against having the blast door open when only one crew member is awake, because the costs of a mistake are so high.

The officers, known as missileers, are custodians of keys that could launch nuclear hell. The warheads on the business ends of their missiles are capable of a nuclear yield many times that of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. "The only way that you can have a crew member be in 'rest status' is if that blast door is shut and there is no possibility of anyone accessing the launch control center," said Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. He is responsible for the entire force of 450 Minuteman 3 missiles, plus the Air Force's nuclear-capable bombers.

The blast door is not the first line of defense. An intruder intent on taking control of a missile command post would first face many layers of security before encountering the blast door, which — when closed — is secured by 12 hydraulically operated steel pins. ICBM fields are monitored with security cameras and patrolled regularly by armed Air Force guards. Each underground launch center, known as a capsule for its pill-like shape, monitors and operates 10 Minuteman 3 missiles. The missiles stand in reinforced concrete silos and are linked to the control center by buried communications cables. The ICBMs are split evenly among "wings" based in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Each wing is divided into three squadrons, each responsible for 50 missiles.

In an extensive interview last week at his headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Kowalski declined to say whether he was aware that ICBM launch crew members had violated the blast door rule with some frequency. It is clear that Air Force commanders do, in fact, know these violations are happening. One of the officers punished for a blast door violation in April at the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., admitted during questioning by superiors to having done it other times without getting caught. The other confirmed blast door violation happened in May at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. In that case a person who entered the capsule to do maintenance work realized that the deputy crew commander was asleep with the door open and reported the violation to superiors. Upon questioning, the deputy crew commander initially denied the accusation but later confessed and said her crew commander had encouraged her to lie, Sheets said.

The willingness of some launch officers to leave the blast door open at times reflects a mindset far removed from the Cold War days when the U.S. lived in fear of a nuclear strike by the Soviet Union. It was that fear that provided the original rationale for placing ICBMs in reinforced underground silos and the launch control officers in buried capsules — so that in the event of an attack the officers might survive to launch a counterattack. Today the fear of such an attack has all but disappeared and, with it, the appeal of strictly following the blast door rule.

ICBM Launch from Vandenberg AFB

An LGM-30 Minuteman rocket, also known as a Minuteman III, was successfully launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base,  at 3:01 PDT.

• The letter “L” in “LGM” indicates that the missile is silo-launched
• The “G” indicates that it is designed to attack ground targets
• The “M” indicates that it is a guided missile

Under a full moon, the rocket lifted off from Launch-Facility 10 (LF-10) which is Minuteman rocket launch silo complex at Vandenberg. The unarmed weapon was topped with a dummy warhead — typically a re-entry vehicle equipped with sensors to gather reams of data.

Another Minuteman test is scheduled for early Thursday 26th. Both tests are part of an ongoing program to collect data about the reliability and accuracy of the nation’s Minuteman 3 weapon fleet. A task force for both launches includes members from the 90th Missile Wing, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., and 91st Missile Wing, Minot AFB, N.D., officials said. They handle chores associated with readying and launching the weapons. The 576th Flight Test Squadron, which is based at Vandenberg, installs all the test-unique equipment on the weapons.

The ICBM was named Minuteman after the Revolutionary War’s Minutemen who were able to respond quickly to a threat during the war with England. The missile can be prepared and launched in minutes after a valid launch order has been issued and plans are to keep the missile in service until 2030. There are currently 450 Minuteman III missiles in silos located in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming.

341st Missile Wing: A brief look

The 341st Missile Wing, headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., is one of three U.S. Air Force Bases that maintains and operates the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.

The 341st Missile Wing reports directly to 20th Air Force, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and is part of Air Force Global Strike Command, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. 

Mission 

The mission of the 341st Missile Wing is to defend America with safe, secure, effective nuclear forces and combat-ready Airmen.

People 

• Approximately 4,000 people, including more than 3,300 active-duty and more than 700 civilians, comprise the 341st Missile Wing.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base is also host to a tenant unit, the 819th RED HORSE Squadron, which accounts for nearly 500 personnel. 

Organizations 

The 341st Missile Wing is made up of a wing staff and five groups:

• 341st Operations Group
• 341st Maintenance Group
• 341st Mission Support Group
• 341st Security Forces Group
• 341st Medical Group

The 341st Operations Group consists of more than 500 operators, administrators, chefs and facility managers and is composed of three missile squadrons:

• Operations support
• Helicopters
• Standardization and evaluation element

Each of the operations group's three missile squadrons are responsible for:

• Five Missile Alert Facilities
• 50 Minuteman III ICBMs

The units of the 341st Operations Group include five squadrons:

• 10th Missile Squadron
• 12th Missile Squadron
• 490th Missile Squadron
• 341st Operations Support Squadron
• 40th Helicopter Squadron 

The 341st Maintenance Group provides the maximum number of fully modernized, combat capable Minuteman III missiles and the command and control required to execute launch per higher command authority. The units of the 341st Maintenance Group include:

• The 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron
• The 341st Maintenance Operations Squadron
• The 341st Munitions Squadron

The 341st Mission Support Group provides world-class support to enable the deterrent mission of the 341st Missile Wing, while preparing and deploying expeditionary combat support forces in support of the combatant commanders. The support group provides the war-fighting and peace-time support to the 341st Missile Wing. This includes:

• Supporting 43 units and tenants
• Resource protection
• Engineering and construction
• Disaster preparedness
• Personnel administration
• Communication services
• Recreation facilities
• Dining and lodging services
• Worldwide contingency mobility forces

The units of the 341st Mission Support Group include:

• 341st Civil Engineer Squadron
• 341st Communications Squadron
• 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron
• 341st Contracting Squadron
• 341st Force Support Squadron

The 341st Security Forces Group, the largest security forces group in the Air Force, ensures the most stringent security forces' support to the largest intercontinental ballistic missile complex in the world through effective management of all war-fighting and peacetime security taskings assigned to the 341st Missile Wing. The units of the 341st Security Forces Group include:

• 341st Security Forces Squadron
• 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron
• 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron
• 341st Security Support Squadron
• Tactical Response Force unit

The 341st Medical Group is responsible for all medical and dental care for nearly 15,000 beneficiaries throughout north-central Montana. The group's mission is to maximize 341st Missile Wing personnel health, fitness and readiness through comprehensive managed health care systems emphasizing health promotion and preventive medicine. The units of the 341st Medical Group include:

• 341st Medical Operations Squadron
• 341st Medical Support Squadron

Resources

• 150 Minuteman III missiles 
• 8 UH-1N "Huey" helicopters 
• Malmstrom Air Force Base is also host to the 819th RED HORSE squadron

Unit that failed nuclear missile inspection raring for second chance

The commander of a nuclear missile wing that failed a surety inspection earlier this month likened the results to failing a complex physics problem by being off by a “fraction of a decimal point.”

Col. Rob Stanley, commander of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., declined to say what part of the inspection the wing failed because doing so would give too much information to adversaries. The wing, which handles 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, failed because of tactical-level errors during one exercise during the inspection. The failed inspection comes about three months after the Air Force sidelined 19 missile officers from the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., after the wing was rated “marginal” on one aspect of the inspection.