Detailed tour through a NUCLEAR ICBM missile base! (Includes a mock missile launch!)

[@JamesD1701]

Interesting fact for any Star Trek fans here, This is where they filmed parts of First Contact when they were with the "Phoenix" Warp ship

[@garypillischafske1425]

I was Quality Control and Evaluation at these sites in 67/68/69. Proud to have helped. Good people with lots of skill. Enjoyed my time there.

[@SilverSergeant]

Thanks for posting this video. My time as a launch crew member (BMAT) was the very best part of my 20 year career in the USAF. I had the honor of "pulling" 200+ alerts under the hills of north Arkansas 1978-1987. Line Crew BMAT, Training Crew BMAT, Senior Training Crew BMAT, Chief, MPT. What an experience!!!!

[@Bbendfender]

Former MFT here from McConnell, 1971-75. I pulled over 200 alerts also. Instructor MFT for final year and a half on crew. I got out but wish now that I had stayed in. It was an unforgettable experience for sure.

[@jasonduncan69]

Did you by chance pull time in the ghost silo outside of searcy?

[@thefieldphoneguy8254]

Was stationed at LR when they stood the 308th down. They had some INCREDIBLE fast and slow pitch softball teams!!

[@thefieldphoneguy8254]

Was stationed at LR when they stood the 308th down. They had some INCREDIBLE fast and slow pitch softball teams!!

[@doomed-y3s]

Then you know how to launch these doom machines so do it and don't play games

[@laguy9091]

I was here over 10 years ago. It was an interesting trip and still remember it today.

[@laguy9091]

I remember I pressed the lunch button, and many other lights lit up. Now, the museum put a plastic glass to cover the control panel...hahaha

[@jamesharrison2570]

I spent over 7 years under ground in a Titan II Silo. This was my home site.

[@jamesharrison2570]

I forgot to add. The missile fuel, a form of hydrazine, has given me leukemia. Knowing that, I would do it again. When I taught Survival for the USAF, I would write on the board a sentence. I told my students, if you can read this sentence, thank your teacher. If you can read it in English, thank the military.

[@Mike_Malloy]

Nice presentation. I was a 308th FACE/RPIE Electrician at LRAFB silos complexes from 1980-1986. Since all the silos were built identical, everything in this video was exactly how I remember it at the 308th. I was in my early 20's back then, an enjoyable experience.

[@ivo4357]

I hope the people working in these bases are allowed to watch Netflix. Can you imagine a more boring job than waiting your entire career to possibly push 1 button?

[@Woody2Shoe]

They could watch "Threads"!!! Or " The sum of all Fears". Or "The Day After". You get it ..

[@carlosvasquez9890]

​@@Woody2Shoe...but probably Wargames was banned...for not to undermine the line of command. 😂

[@cameronsienkiewicz6364]

It’s an extremely boring job that pays amazingly well, but a job you wish you never have to actually have to do “the work”

[@francisdbrooksjr5025]

​@@cameronsienkiewicz6364 Not sure where you got your info, but these were not manned by civilians, but by USAF personnel, specially trained, and not highly paid, no haz duty pay or any such thing. We ( I was a PadDad [MMT] at 381st SMW McConnell, '73-'75, boring at times, but ever vigilant, had many friends on the Command and Control Teams (BMATs, etc). There was always books, magazines, TV for entertainment. No special compensation just your salary by rank, which for some of us was about $300 monthly including seperate rations if we lived off base and not in the barracks. It was more stressful arriving at the launch site each day and going through the security checks, than being in the launch duct with that big beautiful bird!

[@youtuuba]

I think it would have been useful to actually name this museum. Also, it is not located in Tucson. Potential visitors might wish to know where this is when watching this video, so I can add that that it is the "Titan Missile Museum", and is about 25 miles (40km) south of Tucson, just off of I-19 in Green Valley, Arizona.

[@johnt.4947]

Thanks for the memories Paul! I was stationed there from 1977-80 as a missile tech, engine and "handling". My first USAF assignment, then trained to aircraft maintenance. BTW, kudos to your thoroughness for mentioning the Titan 2 being used for the Gemini program.

[@budlaumer]

I worked in the Guidance shop and later Elab on the Titans in Arkansas from 1974-79. Walking with you down the stairway was a memory and thank you for sharing it. Coding on the way in or clearing topside on the way home were always an opportunity for drama and never of the sort that you wanted. At the bottom of those stairs we picked up the phone and only got down to the outer door if we got our codes right. Lots of hard work for young men and women who were not always appreciated by management and it being the 1970s, not always a hit out around the community. Jeff Kennedy and David Livingston and Greg Devlin all paid a huge price one night in Damascus. We did the best we could

[@gabrielorigega4753]

Been here before I appreciate you for showing what arizona offers and the little secrets we have stored around arizona

[@spazda_mx5]

There's a good book called 'Command and Control' by Eric Schlosser that deals with the Arkansas Titan II accident.

[@iitzfizz]

2:50 is a very cool view of the injector head

[@OTRABlog]

I took the tour in september and actually had to turn the launch key as the deputy. The whole visit was incredibly exciting yet also a very frightening experience. Thank you for this video, which sums up the museum nicely!

[@Iamthelolrus]

The last time I was at that museum, they were still shooting scenes for "Star Trek First Contact." After I left, I started wondering what the missle crew do after launch, I didn't remember that being covered. Crack a beer? Walk home? What do you do in an empty silo? Assuming it's not a smoking crater.

[@GM8101PHX]

They would stay put for 30 days after they launched the missile, then exit through a secondary exit and attempt to make it to the mountains!!!

[@Robslondon]

An astonishingly good video Paul, I was transfixed all the way through. Keep up the fantastic work mate.

[@davesherman74]

Well worth a visit, my wife and I visited earlier this year. She got drafted to turn the missile launch key!

[@GM8101PHX]

She was either the deputy commander or the commander, I was selected as the commander on my tour!

[@Doug_Dimmadome]

I love 4k because I can stop the video and easily read the signs as he walks.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Agreed! Sometimes if I forget to take a photo of the signs on my phone, i can pause the video and still read the text

[@skovner]

Great video. And it explains why we moved to solid fuel rockets. They don't need to be refueled, and are hard to iginite, so no accidents. So much 1960's technology. I do have to ask if it has the old military equipment smell. I do think the tunnels remind me of the Stargate SG-1 series.

[@picardbs]

Fascinating

[@allezvenga7617]

Thanks for your sharing

[@Stllno]

Very informative, thx for posting!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

You're welcome!

[@10splitter]

That's why the technicians who work in the missile silos now have all their tools connected by a lanyard to their work belts.

[@docbrown9018]

My favorite ICBM 👍

[@tazrugby]

Visted there last year. Was a Communications Tech for that site and the other 17 from 1978 to 1982.

[@mrsmith4662]

What a construction.

[@TAllyn-qr3io]

I am a Navy veteran and retired Army. While in the Navy, in the 80’s, as a sonar technician, was stationed aboard d DDG. We had ASROC’s and Nuclear missiles. I was part of the Nuclear Weapons Handling Team. Also on the 2-man rule team for the missile house. The biggest responsibility of all of this was being in the PRP. Personal Reliability Program. Which was pretty close to what the two members in the missile silo’s were part of. Extreme confidence was placed on us and we had to be morally sound, no psych issues and no chemical dependence.

[@GM8101PHX]

This also counted for Security Police both missile and bombers, if you suspected someone of having issues you reported it to your flight chief as soon as possible!!! As a Security Police supervisor I could relieve an airman of duty if I noticed problems or they were reported to me.

[@johnwatson3948]

A well done tour video. The museums missile is the training one from Sheppard AFB - it never contained fuel or was in an active silo. And of course they made that cutout in the re-entry nose cone to show there’s no warhead inside. The engines on display outside are from this missile so it has no engines to view when taking the special tour downstairs (now discontinued I’m told).

[@applejacks971]

'Watch for Rattlesnakes', yeah, that's kind of an important sign...

[@henrycook1474]

I want to this museum a couple of months ago and let me just say, it was incredible. I would highly recommend it to anyone nearby One of my favorite museums of all time

[@Taskforce1]

imo one of the coolest parts of american military history - something mysterious. makes me wonder what sorta similar sites we may have set up nowdays.

[@cmcb7230]

Terrifyingly scary yet so interesting

[@DeepWebDiary]

Good to see ya again Paul.

[@emilysmith3446]

This is a fantastic tour of the signt, im making a game based of the missile explosion in Damascus and this video is a fantastic reference, thank you for this

[@kbanghart]

How's the game coming along?

[@thedudeshaunsa]

Yet another great video, Paul, and it’s nice to have this in the mix of the others you typically do.

[@admiralbeez8143]

9:30 Sir, we are at launch, turn your key! Captain Jerry Lawson : I'm sorry. 1st Lieutenant Steve Phelps : [cocks his sidearm] Turn your key, sir!

[@michaeldavidson2767]

There's a book and documentary called Command and Control that covers the incident in Arkansas. Pretty scary how close central Arkansas was to getting wiped off the map! Cool tour and awesome channel!

[@johnt.4947]

The systems in place designed to arm and detonate the warhead are such that was never a danger of a nuclear explosion. Some radiation leakage is possible from physical damage to the RV, but the warhead(s) were armed through a series of events that, for instance, included it reentering the atmosphere before detonation could occur.

[@stevevisscher1350]

I used to live in Arkansas with a retired Titan II Combat Missile Crew Commander and his wife. I remember him telling me the incident at Damascus, AR, wouldn’t have resulted in a nuclear detonation, although there may have been some risk of radiation leaking if the RV had been sufficiently damaged. Interestingly, the missile involved in that mishap at silo 373-7 at Damascus, was the same one that had been installed in silo 373-4 in Searcy, about 30 miles east, which caught fire in 1965.

[@SilverSergeant]

Except that is bogus, Why do people keep repeating this garbage.

[@colinstewart1432]

Was this the infamous spanner ( wrench ) incident? That one had the Angels worried

[@zenunderground]

Eric Schlosser..same guy who wrote fast food nation

[@chiefcrash1]

If you're a ham radio operator, there's also a giant discone antenna at the site that you can use after checking in with the museum staff

[@Uberaroundtheworld530]

The most clever way for us to have a fully functioning ICBM hidden in plain sight ;) “it’s a moo-seum”

[@horrgakx]

A sobering reminder of things in the shadows which would completely destroy our planet.

[@halitosis75]

Once again a brilliant video. Absolutely fascinating 👏

[@davenz000]

The book and later documentary "Command and Control" painted a slightly different view of how the Arkansas incident could have panned out.

[@ChrisSlack]

Thanks for the tour. Well done.

[@kanzeon7729]

Thanks for the tour!

[@CaymanIslandsCatWalks]

Yeaaahhhh my man! Was waiting on next upload.

[@TheBloodStripeArtist]

On the opposite side of the first blast door is a beautiful mural/patch of the SAC unit that operated this silo. Has a copper penny on it for the copper mine that this silo sits next to.

[@newflyer6837]

I guess there were a lot of systems built into the launch process to avoid an world destroying chain reaction. But it also seemed very simple. I guess it had to be done quickly! Imagine the terror those young officers would have had every time that alarm went off!!

[@jfbeam]

Actually, there's surprisingly little _technology_ preventing a "rogue launch". It was almost entirely down to the the two people down in that hole. If the stories are correct, the code they were later required to install was set to "00000" for a great many years, out of spite. (How dare the POTUS not trust his missile command!)

[@Leoluvesadmira]

There one code for the butterfly valve and it is 16 to the sixth power and you had six tries to enter the code so on the seventh one even if you got it right the missile would commit electronic suicide and the CO would be in trouble

[@chrisbeauchamp5563]

This video is cool Paul and fits in with your normal Aircraft ones. I like it

[@rick5346]

Visited last month, kind of chilling to think that there are still functional missile bases such as this up in Northern US. Was a great tour and would recommend to everyone.

[@Ronaldl2350]

I was just there last month. I was the missile commander in the launch simulation. The place is neat.

[@bits2646]

I'd be happy even with the stage 2 engine strapped to my car :DDD

[@desert-walker]

Been there done that a few times also got to turn the key😊

[@michaelgrey7854]

There is even an old Titan base that has been converted into a B&B that would be cool to stay in!

[@arkadyfolkner]

Vilonia, Arkansas - the Titan Ranch ;) I so want to go stay there.

[@mcds54]

I did the tour and placed my hand on the key.. awesome... and terrifying. The launch doors are permanently fixed at half open so Russian satellites can verify that it's no longer a threat. The missile is huge!

[@simonr8323]

Thanks for sharing, very interesting 👍

[@pixelfehler1111]

Keep making these!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

glad you enjoy them!

[@markwng]

Interesting subject

[@dvanerdivkanade]

Trully great format of videos! Appreciate the hard work! Thank you

[@themastrofall]

Saw the mountains in the background and new it was Arizona instantly, hope you enjoyed the views and weather during your time here!

[@GM8101PHX]

Those to the north are the Santa Catalina Mountains, closer by and to the east are the Santa Rita Mountains!!!

[@applejacks971]

I finally got to visit the Minute Man visitor center in western South Dakota last year. Really interesting stuff! They had the under ground silo tours closed at the time (which were at a different location 2 mile away) but the main center was worth the visit. The silo's are 1/2 mile off the interstate and not even hidden. If you didn't know what the little building and mound of dirt was 'over in that pasture', you'd totally pass it off as an abandoned farm from the 1920's with only a single out building left standing. The movie 'The Day After' still makes me nervous when I watch it.

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

I'm going to the Museum of the USAF next week, I'm looking forward to it.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

It’s an incredible museum. I’ve got a whole playlist from some air craft there. kzbin.info/aero/PLGUGczNtdL08k1k3i5dH5MwShqnWkCVAW

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

@@PaulStewartAviation I've seen bits and pieces but avoided watching a lot so as to be able to experience all of it w/out knowing what's there, I've dedicated 2+ days there to take in as much as I can. As a USAF veteran and former crew chief on F-16's I'm very excited to go.

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

@@PaulStewartAviation I just came back last night from my 10 day vacation, I spent 2 solid days at that museum and what an incredible and awesome place it is!

[@MartinHurych]

I have been in Pervomajsk ICBM museum in Ukraine couple years ago And it Is very similar.

[@davechapman7735]

wow that was a blast! the workmanship and tech from that year was incredible, thanks so much for creating the vid to share. Love your work Paul. cheers NZ

[@sparc77]

Nicely done. I would mention that by the time I worked at the sites in Kansas, they propellant was only changed out every few years. Both the commander and the deputy were commissioned officers which generally meant they graduated from college. I would put the ages closer to 25 to 30.

[@On-Our-Radar-24News]

I have been to this site many times. It never gets old and is a MUST see if you are in Arizona. Great video!!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Cheers! Yes between this and two days at PIMA, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit minus staying in a dodgy Casino hotel haha.

[@On-Our-Radar-24News]

@@PaulStewartAviation Ya, gotta stay away from the dodgy casino hotels.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

@@On-Our-Radar-24News it was cheap, though. 😂 I guess it’s subsidised by the human misery they cause… 😢

[@On-Our-Radar-24News]

@@PaulStewartAviation LOL...so well said!!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

@@On-Our-Radar-24News I work in mental health so I see the harm of gambling. I can’t not think about that whenever I walk past the pokies…

[@qwaszxpolkmncvb]

I've had random people argue there were no silos in Arizona. I'm the type of person who assumes they were everywhere at some point. Aside from the weapon itself they seem like the least complicated "hidden" defense system we could install. I'm glad I watched this. I lived in AZ for a decade and seen a lot of interesting places but had no idea that place was there. Looks like a great excuse for a visit.

[@GM8101PHX]

18 of the Titan II missiles surrounded Tucson from 1962 to about 1983 all of them on alert!!!

[@GM8101PHX]

I went on the tour and was selected as the Commander and then tour guide ordered the two of us to turn the key at the count of 3. Alarms went off, and the process to launch the missile was under way!! You can not stop an missile once it is launched and pretty much guarantee a Soviet city would be wiped off the face of the planet!! I also served in SAC with the 92d Security Police Squadron, we had the B-52G on 15 minute nuclear ground alert. Thankfully no bomber or missiles from the Air Force or Navy were ever launched. Our motto was Peace Is Our Profession!! We collectively with the bomber bases, missile bases and the Navy's boomer submarines won the cold war without firing a shot in anger for 46 years!!!

[@utubecorporatetroll]

Great to see an up to date video on this

[@nolanshockley7674]

Great vid Paul! If you get a chance, check out the Quebec-01 site in Chugwater, Wyoming. No silo, but they’ve got the Missile Alert Facility, Launch Capsule, and service area. Quick tour, but it’s in great condition.

[@oldcarnocar]

hey thanks! i gotta go see that

[@arkadyfolkner]

On my bucket list as well, probably the only site left that is configured for the Peacekeeper (aka the MX) ICBM system

[@maxdamage1983]

One note on the fuel valve-code. For a long time after the code for the fuel was implemented, the correct code was "00000000" as SAC had some major trust issues...

[@paulbrown3302]

Imagine chilling one day, all systems failed, no one noticed and fireball rains down on you…. The talk about the soft area was funny because no private person has things like this, all of us dead if it comes to it.

[@applejacks971]

A video showing how these installations were actually built and wired would be epic. Most of those types just show things being put together. I'd like to know how they figured out which wire goes to what connector...and how they connected the missile stuff to the launch control panel. I guess hook the red wire to + and the black wire to - :) Imagine going top side to wire the door to the underground panel and forgetting your light tester lol! 😳🤨😑

[@sik59rt]

I remember going here in ‘99 and loved it. But since when are mechanical clocks more accurate than electric clocks?

[@seanaugagnon6383]

Maybe one day every. Single. ICBM site will be turned into museums to preserve and teach about humanity's dark past. This WAS an ICBM. Was, can be a beautiful word. This was when we had ICBMs. This was when climate change was a problem. This was when earth had wars.

[@Hnelson469]

Yep.. My GF got to "press the button" (key). Ironic.. As a kid, my grand mother would drive in from Oracle and pass the other missile complex as she went to Tucson. I remember it quite well.. The long drive from Oracle to Tucson and going pass the other missile site. At that time, it was miles and miles with nothing but miles and miles in between.

[@thefieldphoneguy8254]

Sea Foam Green. UUUGGGHHH

[@CNC295]

Thank you for what you do.

[@Frisky0563]

Hi Paul, my sister lives 5 minutes away from the Titan 2 Museum. They have a cool large discone HF antenna on site that Amateur Radio operators can hook to and use it while they are at the museum. Great video, and I'll subscribe to your channel. I like that. contain.

[@Rheilffordd]

I greatly enjoy your aircraft tour videos, this one however is absolutely next level and I greatly enjoyed this one more! I'm not even a Military fiend yet I found it interesting. So thanks!

[@josephtaylor3857]

"Greetings Professor Falken. Would you like to play a game of chess?"

[@ElementoryMyDearWatson]

11:34 Check out the documentary film 'Command & Control' about the near disaster with that exploding silo/missile.

[@jaybernieschoep]

great video

[@MrQwint22]

I've always wanted to visit this place. When I eventually do, I'm going to put a Vault Boy sticker somewhere unobtrusive for the keen eyed visitors.

[@GM8101PHX]

You could end up on charges, the facility is meant to stay in the same it was when de-activated.

[@charlesachurch7265]

Fascinating presentation thanks xxx. Scary stuff!

[@jpdive8664]

Very very cool. Thank you for sharing this

[@DexterSkelter]

Soooo Cool!!! 😃

[@jar8459]

good video sir

[@mc171]

What a great channel brother so glad I found it. I've always loved aviation and these videos are great. Keep up the good work!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Thanks!

[@cruisinguy6024]

Would love to see the footage of the other 2 floors if you had access to film there!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Hopefully as my channel gets bigger, I hope to get more access behind the scenes

[@ashleystyles6888]

Great video. Thank you for the upload.

[@jamieshardlow1486]

Nice video. I've recently re-read Eric Schlosser's Command And Control of which a large part covers the accident you refer to. So it's nice to be able to put some visuals to the descriptions. Thanks!

[@firewalker1372]

There is a video here on KZbin of someone who took a missile silo and is turning it into a living space. The cool thing about those springs. The floors above and just below the Missile launch center also sits on this same springs. In that video the owner gives you a dang good example of how those springs work and where they attach near the top of the dome. Extremely cool design and how these silos worked. Unfortunately the area that held the missile had been buried in and he could not open the doors going to that area for obvious reasons…. I think. Have to go back and watch the videos.

[@jfbeam]

That'd be "Death Wears Bunny Slippers" (Titan Ranch). It's an airbnb now. A few YTers have videos of staying there. ( Kara and Nate - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hILYhGWkmNtmiLs )

[@legendhasit2568]

Another great video! Well done 👍

[@dash8brj]

I'm so jealous - shame you didn't get to sit in the captains chair and turn the key but that would have detracted from your other responsibility - showing us all the cool stuff in the silo :) Apparently all the codes for the butterfly valves where the same, and a repetition of one number.

[@kylerader4093]

I was there 5-6 years ago when I was visiting a friend in Tucson. They let me turn the key and they gave me a card.

[@kindnuguz]

Very much one of the older silos , looks to be 60's as the one that 60 mins did in 2011 or 2013 looks newer with more up to date equipment and they complained of aging equipment that dated back to 70's and early 80's.

[@GM8101PHX]

Some of the equipment was analog on purpose so a strong EMP pulse could not wipe it out!!!

[@speedbird737]

Watch the start of movie Wargames for a launch sequence and a twist!

[@jerrodlarson8391]

Such a brilliant-but profoundly disturbing and scary-weapon. Thanks for this awesome tour. Kind of surprising the US opened it up for tours; imagine the red tape that must have been involved…

[@balljointfd3s]

Death Wears Bunny Slippers

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

So Snake Jazz really is a thing.