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This heritage pamphlet from Malmstrom AFB traces the history of the 341st Missile Wing. The unit began as a B-25 bomb group in the China-Burma-India Theater in 1942, then flew B-47s at Abilene AFB before being activated at Malmstrom in July 1961. The pamphlet covers the Minuteman I, II and III deployments, the Cuban Missile Crisis alert, arms-reduction work under START, trophies, wing commanders and a missile field chronology. It also has museum display notes on missiles and the UH-1 helicopter.
341st Missile Wing History BOEING LGM-30G MINUTEMAN III (Minuteman III Display Malmstrom AFB Museum) The Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is the United States' only current operational land-based strategic nuclear missile. It is one leg of the nuclear deterrent "triad" that also includes USAF bombers and U.S. Navy submarine-launched missiles. U.S. nuclear forces are on alert at all times, ensuring a swift response in the event of a nuclear attack. Serving Since 1970 Minuteman III became operational in 1970, and is the most modern missile in the Minuteman family. The Minuteman series was the first in the U.S. ICBM arsenal to use solid fuel. This important feature allows the missile to be stored for long periods in its silo, requiring much less maintenance and fewer technicians than older liquid-fueled missiles like Titan and Atlas. It can also be launched almost instantly. Minuteman III was the world's first missile to carry more than one warhead, using a "Multiple Independently- targetable Re-entry Vehicle" (MIRV) system. Though Minuteman III can carry three warheads, each missile has been limited to one by international treaty since 2005. The Minuteman system was designed in the 1950s. Minuteman I, the first of the family, became operational in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Later, the retirement of the U.S. Air Force's Minuteman II missiles in 1995 and Peacekeeper missiles in 2005 left Minuteman III as the only American land-based ICBM. Today, Minuteman III missiles are located in widely-separated, hardened underground silos at three bases -- F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., Malmstrom AFB, Mont., and Minot AFB, N.D. Over the years, new technology has increased Minuteman III's reliability, accuracy and ability to survive nuclear attack. Advanced guidance systems, new solid rocket fuel, and improved electrical power are the most recent updates. The Air Force has also upgraded launch facilities and installed better communications gear with new command and control consoles. These improvements enable Minuteman
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