Malmstrom Air Force Base - History - Strategic Air Command - 341st Strategic Missile Wing

341st Strategic Missile Wing

With the development of the three-stage, solid-fuel Minuteman I missile in the late 1950s SAC began searching for sites to deploy this revolutionary weapon. Because Malmstrom’s location placed most strategic targets in the Soviet Union within range of Minuteman, the base was selected to become a command and control center for ICBMs located in central Montana.

On 23 December 1959, the Air Force Ballistic Missile Committee approved the selection of Malmstrom AFB to host the first Minuteman ICBM base. A change of mission for the base occurred on 15 July 1961 when the 341st Strategic Missile Wing was reassigned to Malmstrom. The 341st was previously assigned to Dyess AFB, Texas, where it was designated as the 341st Bombardment Wing. With the reassignment of the 341st SMW to Malmstrom, the tankers of the 407th ARW were reassigned or retired and the runway at the base was used by the Air Defense Command F-101 and F-106 interceptors along with transient aircraft.

Construction of the wing's first launch facility began in March 1961 and was completed in December. The 10th Strategic Missile Squadron (SMS) was activated on 1 November 1961 and Alpha-01, the first launch control facility, was completed in July 1962. The first Minuteman I ICBM arrived on base by rail 23 July 1962. Just four days after the missile's arrival, Launch Facility Alpha-09 gained the title of the first Minuteman missile site. The 12th SMS and 490th SMS activated in March and May 1962.

On 3 July 1963, following 28 months of construction, the wing and its three squadrons became operational. Each squadron controlled 50 missiles, bringing the total wing strength to 150 Minuteman I missiles. Two years later, construction began on the fourth and final squadron, the 564th SMS. This squadron was equipped with the more modern Minuteman II missiles. On 5 May 1967, the 564th SMS was declared fully operational. Malmstrom's missile field was now the largest in the United States, covering 23,500 square miles (61,000 km2). Two years later, the 10th, 12th and 490th SMSs were also upgraded to the Minuteman II missiles, increasing the wing's capabilities to four missile squadrons equipped with a total of 200 Minuteman II missiles.

In late 1962 missiles assigned to 341st would play a major role in the Cuban Missile Crisis. On 26 October, at 11:16 am, the 10th SMS's launch facility Alpha-06 went on "strategic alert" after it was discovered the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba to counter the threat to Moscow and most of the Soviet Union east of the Urals posed by American nuclear-armed Jupiter and Thor missiles based in Turkey. Over the next four days the wing placed four more missiles on alert, with the last missile from Alpha flight achieving alert status on 10 November The Soviets eventually removed their missiles from Cuba. Later President John F. Kennedy said the Soviets backed down because they knew he had an " Ace in the Hole," referring directly to the Minuteman missiles of the l0th SMS.

In fact, the Minuteman missiles at Malmstrom were able to substitute for Jupiter and Thor missiles based in Turkey, which were removed under a secret accord, thus allowing the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba, and replace them with submarine-based missiles and longer-range ICBM's based on Soviet territory. The overall effect of the Cuban Missile Crisis was to greatly expand and extend the nuclear arms race, in which Malmstrom played (and continues to play) a leading role.

Throughout the Cold War era, the wing's missiles remained on alert and underwent extensive weapons systems upgrades. The 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, equipped with EB-57 Canberras, was activated in the 1970s to train NORAD air defense personnel in electronic countermeasures. In 1988 the Hardened Mobile Launcher for the Small ICBM was tested at Malmstrom AFB to verify its ability to operate in harsh winter conditions.