How a Titan Nuclear Missile Launch Works

NEW VIDEO! Interested in WWII and/or nuclear history. Click the following link to watch my new video of a tour at the Hanford nuclear plant that created Plutonium for nuclear weapons: • Hanford B Reactor: Mak...
This video was shot in March 2013 at the Titan Missile Museum outside of Tucson, Arizona. According to the museum's website, the complex is "all that remains of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987."
ABOUT THE VIDEO
The first 2 minutes show close-up steps involved in launching the missle.
After that, I've included video from the rest of the one-hour tour, starting at the huge blast doors and taking you through the Launch Control Center.
I encourage anyone traveling to Tucson, or Arizona in general, to stop by this U.S. Historic Landmark. The tour is certainly worth the price of admission. Visit their website at: www.titanmissilemuseum.org.
MORE ABOUT THE MISSILE SHOWN IN THE VIDEO
The Titan II was capable of launching from its underground silo in 58 seconds and could deliver a nine megaton thermonuclear warhead to its target more than 5,500 miles away in less than thirty minutes. For more than two decades, 54 Titan II missile complexes across the United States stood "on alert" 24 hours a day, seven days a week, heightening the threat of nuclear war or preventing Armageddon, depending upon your point of view.

[@QuantumRift]

If you stop at 1:14 and notice the lit lamps next to the key. One says "LAUNCH ENABLE". The unlit key below it says "LAUNCH DISABLE". The control 'computer' or system was analog, so the Launch Enable and Launch Disable lamps were lit by the presence of voltage on that particular wire. In essence, it's a digital 1 if voltage is present and a digital 0 (on or off) if no voltage was present. As I volunteered at the Missile Museum in the early/mid 90's giving tours, I had the opportunity to meet many individuals who were involved in the design and construction of the silos and missiles, as well as people who had worked on decommissioning and demolition of silos when the program ended. In any case, I learned this tidbit of information from an individual who worked on the design. During an actual launch, where the alarm comes in, the red safe is opened and the launch codes are entered, the silo door will slide open and when the keys are turned, the presence of the LAUNCH ENABLE signal would allow the butterfly valves on the fuel and oxidizer to open and mix, which would launch the missile. During one of the test drills, everything is done the same, EXCEPT you would see the lamp on the LAUNCH DISABLE switch LIT. This would allow the codes to be entered into the computer, the silo door would slide open, BUT the keys were turned, the butterfly valves would NOT OPEN, and NO LAUNCH would occur. Now the person I met discussed this with me at some length - each silo had all the manuals and wiring schematics for all of the equipment there, to include the computer equipment. if you were to pull up one of the floor panels behind the computer racks, and find the bundle of wires, you could find the two wires (LAUNCH ENABLE and LAUNCH DISABLE), and if you cut them and wired them so the LAUNCH DISABLE signal was connected to the LAUNCH ENABLE wire, then when you were just going thru a TEST DRILL, and when the crew turned their keys, their panel would 'show' that launch DISABLE was lit, but in reality it was connected so the computer would see LAUNCH ENABLE, and thus, would allow the butterfly valves to open on the fuel tank and oxidizer and the missile would, in fact, launch with its warhead armed. No shit. Any person with access to that floor panel could start a nuclear war. And the reverse of that is that if it were totally cross connected, then IF the crew ever needed to launch that missile, it would NOT launch. Because the LAUNCH ENABLE signal was cross-wired to the LAUNCH DISABLE wire. And the fact is, that due to the command center isolation from the launch silo itself, the crew would never know that the missile HAD launched or failed to launch. They would only know it if they were told by radio or if somebody bothered to look in the silo after the test or launch. Anyways, after I talked to the person who told me this, I asked him what the solution was to prevent this. He told me that after he notified the Air Force of this 'flaw', he was detained in a room at Davis-Monthan AFB for two days, going over the schematics with them to prove how it could be done, and treated him like HE was, well, a bad guy. Well anyways, he said, their brilliant solution was to simply WELD the floor panel down in place to make it impossible go pull up to access the wiring bundle beneath it. At that point, as the tour was over and we were the only two left in the command center, we walked behind the computer rack, and we tried to remove floor panels to look at the wiring , and sure enough, only ONE of those floor panels was welded down tight.....this is probably one of the best things I ever learned while working at the museum...

[@bitcoinpirate3905]

Quantumrift. Can you send this to my messenger on Facebook so I can post your experience. My profile is. Rudy Chapa (bitcoin pirate)

[@QuantumRift]

@MJW Uh, NO. The entire command center is suspended on springs inside the underground sphere or 'egg' it was built in. It was designed to survive a near hit of a warhead. IT is very isolated from the surrounding ground. If you've ever been there, you would see that the launch silo itself is a couple of hundred feet away, via an isolated (by blast doors) walk tunnel that is suspended on springs. The missile itself, when the butterfly valves open and the hypergolic fuels mix is only held momentarily. You cannot hear the silo door slide open, and when the rocket exhaust (which is pointed down into the blast pit) hits the water in the blast pit, it's turned to steam and is ejected upwards. The missile's vibrations are dampened so it cold not shake itself apart. The Crew would have NO idea if the missile had launched or not launched. Also, sound of all the machinery, air handlers, etc is very loud and there's just no way they would know, unless somebody saw it go, or they looked in the silo after the launch to see if it was still there. It's that simple.

[@QuantumRift]

@@bitcoinpirate3905 Yes. I met many people during my tenure there as a guide. Some were Japanese, some were Russians...all were curious. One particular day I had, on the first tour in the morning, a gentleman who was involved with the design and construction (not the same fellow I mentioned above) and he went over a lot of neat stuff I didn't know. Then on the last tour of the day, I had the pleasure of speaking with a fellow who was intimately involved with the demolition and destruction of the silos that were decommissioned. Also a lot of good info.

[@GeraldMMonroe]

Huh. I assumed the butterfly valve system was done by an embedded computer in the missile itself, which would have the other copy of that secret code. But yes, there are probably all sorts of security flaws like this, even in the modern systems. This is because only a small number of people have ever been privy to or have even "red teamed" the architecture and design. The newer Minuteman missiles, while they use early 90s era computers, probably have many flaws like these.

[@QuantumRift]

@@user-nu1vn3yy9s That's not surprising. At least, here, the fellow who figured that out wasn't executed.

[@ljdean1956]

I was a Titan-II E-lab or electronics lab tech in the AF from 1980-83. I went to tech school in Wichita Fall's, Texas during most of 1980. Went to my permanent duty station at LRAFB where I was part of the 308 MIMS or missile maintenance squadron. I was still in Texas when 374-7 blew in September 1980. We had 18 missiles before that accident and 17 for the remainder of Titan-II service. I got out in September 83 after seeing what my job prospects were in the AF. They were kind of bleak but my Titan-II experience landed me at Kennedy Space Center on the Spacelab and later ISS programs. During my Titan stint, one airman expressed concern about the Titan-IIs ability to kill millions. I told him as long as it's not used in combat, it's working. It was designed to be a deterrent to nuclear war. And it worked.

[@WayneDevin]

+J Dean Thanks for sharing some your story and insight here. I've appreciated hearing from others as rocketry in general has always fascinated me. Good to hear your you eventually found a path to Kennedy Space Center after the AF. Thanks again for sharing.

[@tybo09]

+NuggetOfBlueGold I'd say both arsenals worked amazingly. Saving the world from nuclear annihilation was a dance that required both partners.

[@Ardie1962]

How does he know it worked...?? Easy. The U.S. ICBM legacy was and still is used as a deterrent, and NOT a first strike weapon. That is how it works.

[@KansasTallgrass]

I served as a launch crew member at McConnell AFB 1967-1970 as a Missile Systems Analyst Technician...fascinating job.

[@wellheeled88]

You got there just as I was leaving. I, too was a BMAT.

[@smw381st]

I was a MFT

[@williamwisener5778]

381st SPS. At McConnell AFB from 77-79. Was at the " Broken Arrow " Incident at complex 37, Aug. 1978.

[@fasteddie4145]

I was a 31652F Titan II missile electronics tech from '79-'85 I assure you we were deadly serious about our work and made damn sure those missiles were ready to rock should the moment arise......I'm happy to report that we completed our mission with perfect results.....Rivet Cap 1987

[@roymg]

I was with SAC in South Dakota. We had the Titan I back then. You guys replaced us.

[@godfreecharlie]

fasteddie4145 Thank you.

[@sundaydiver]

The language is telling. "Ready to rock" hardly is an appropriate term for what these missiles would actually do if released. This exemplifies a profound problem with everything military: Downplaying the true extent of atrocities by using cute terms and harmless language, often borrowed from utterly non-serious context such as sports and entertainment.

[@QuantumRift]

See my comment above about being able to cross wire the Launch Enable and Launch Disable wires to intentionally launch the missile during a test drill....

[@eddyquick]

QuantumRift: I was an electrical engineer. We also knew about that jumper but I can't remember the exact details.

[@brt-jn7kg]

Absolutely one of the most interesting videos I've ever watched in my life. I could spend 30 minutes just walking around down there asking questions. Thank you for posting it

[@WayneDevin]

Thank you brt 123. I really appreciate your comment. If you are ever in Tuscon, AZ, you'll have to take a tour. There are other areas you get to see that I didn't include in the video. Thanks again.

[@gary95329]

I went on this tour back in 2011, and it was very good. I served in the AF from 1965 to 1969 and spent 2 years at Vandenburg AFB in the Titan II program.before shipping to SE Asia to finish out my military service. I was in electronics, so maintained all launch and com equipment used in the complex. Everyone on site had to be in direct communication with the control center at all times, so we wore small belt clip radios with a boom headset/mic. The bird at this exhibit had a warhead with 9 individually targetable 1 megaton MIRV's. Occasionally I saw a bird come out of the hole and begin to spiral, which then had to be detonated. On one occasion I saw the bird come out then immediately fall back on top of the complex and explode - quite spectacular on a night launch!

[@ttiwkram]

Huh? All reports I've ever seen said the Titan II had one 25-megaton warhead. The Minuteman III had three warheads of about 170 kt each. If I remember correctly, the Peacekeeper has (had?) ten warheads. Does this Titan II museum have a Peacekeeper on display?

[@gary95329]

Firstname Lastname I don't know about the, ummm, "peacekeeper", but the bird on display didn't actually have the warhead mounted due to SALT. They have a mockup warhead in the museum, however, and it is the 9 MIRV model.

[@thesolesurvivor8096]

Firstname Lastname No, you're thinking SS-18 Satan.

[@thesolesurvivor8096]

1 9Mt warhead, dumbass. Minuteman was the first MIRV capable ICBM.

[@robertscheuer7693]

Was an MFT at Vandenburg from early 1967 to late 1968. 395th SMS (sweep, mop, scrub). Took good care of those 3 silos. Although the video says that the launch destroys the silo, we refurbed them and got them ready for the next launch! AND, there were 4, not 3 Titan bases. We had one EWO bird in Delta and test launched out of Baker and Charlie. Spent the last of my hitch on Okinawa with the Mace missile, which, well it wasn't Titan II. But, we had 32 of them pointed at Mao.

[@wendellellison3482]

I've been to this wonderful, historic (and terrifying - at the same time) museum 3 times. It is by far, one of my favorite museums.

[@bobdefalco]

What a well done video. Thanks for taking the time to make and share it!

[@WayneDevin]

Thank you kindly, makthnife. I appreciate the cool comments because it always takes more work than I think to put it together. It's cool that KZbin gives us that "free" window into places I've always wanted to see, but as you've noted, unfortunatly, people don't really edit/take time to shoot what they are seeing. BTW: within the next few hours I'll be posting a new video on the living computer museum in Seattle with a few elements I used from here. Take it easy and thanks again.

[@carl6956]

Saw a sign on a missile silo door put there by a crew member " delivery anywhere in 30 minuets or it's free"

[@jordan3012000]

Carl Covington lol

[@smythe023]

"Delivery in 30 minutes, or the next one's on us" lol

[@robertbenoit5374]

Not the TITAN MISSILE. THAT IS THE MINUTEMAN III. Titan is a liquid fueled rocket, Minuteman is a solid fueled rocket. Minuteman III is the current missile on the land based silos. The minuteman missile was developed to replace the Titan because it took too long to launch the TItan and we needed a counter strike that could be launched much faster. That is why current strategic arsenal is mostly forward deployed on submarines. It is also why the B-52 has been taken out of service replaced by other bombers that have a more stealthy ability and most likely can fly faster.

[@keithhylton4631]

Robert Benoit the B-52 bomber is still in service

[@PC4USE1]

I don't know for sure but i think he means the B-52 is not used as a first line Nuclear Delivery Vehicle. I think they use them conventionally,now.

[@Kufstein7]

Always a fascinating subject having grown up in the 70's and 80's of what went on in those silos. Enjoyed very much. Thank you for posting!!

[@pschroeter1]

My favorite moment from The Day After was was right after the missile crew goes through the launch sequence in a cold orderly fashion, one of them sort of wakes up and realizes they were sitting on a ground zero for either a Russian first strike or counter strike.

[@Bbendfender]

I was on a Titan II launch crew from 1971-75. It was great duty but could be stressful and tense at times. It's something I will never forget. I am very proud they trusted a bunch of young guys with a weapons systems like the Titan II.

[@ttiwkram]

I know exactly what you mean. As a Minuteman III launch control officer I was in charge of ten missiles with 30 warheads at the ripe old age of 22, progressing to 200 missiles and up to 600 warheads (during IG visits) by age 25. Pretty heady stuff. I'm now 58, and every job I've had since then has been trivial in comparison.

[@Bbendfender]

Firstname Lastname I will be 65 this Friday and I probably think about my crew dog days every day of my life. It has been 39 years since I pulled an alert. We were so young back then. I was the oldest on several of my crews and I got out just before I turned 26. I think I know the reason they put young guys on these crews. By the way, thank you for your service.

[@roymg]

What was the range of the MM III?

[@Bbendfender]

Roy G I'd have to Google the exact but probably 6,000 miles or so. Remember, these ICBM's would be going over the north pole or taking the shortest path as possible to it's target. Probably ad 20-30 min. trip.

[@thesolesurvivor8096]

Roy G CLASSIFIED.

[@brandonware2359]

Fantastic job with this video. The editing was great and it was very informal.

[@syscom3]

I went there last year. Great tour. I even got to turn the key.

[@overtaxed3628]

Nice, so can you tell us which 3 targets where on those displays !!!!??????

[@emgeorge105]

Worth the tour! Amazing technology!

[@syscom3]

I went there last year. One heck of a tour. I suggest doing it in the summer when few people would want to be there. And I did sit at the console and turn the key!

[@eetech4356]

Well done. Thanks for posting.

[@edr5367]

yes! thanks again !! this is very interesting and cool!

[@Mattsretiring]

Fascinating. Thank you for sharing

[@ScaleModelKitReview]

Great video, I use to work on them!

[@makthnife]

Wayne, I presume? That was one EXCELLENT and WELL DONE video on a site where lousiness reigns supreme! Thank you for a damn cool vid. Gonna hit that Titan museum next visit down that way :)

[@wolfsmith2865]

I live in Tucson and take as many people as are willing to the museum and on the tour, which happens to be one of my favorite places. We also have The Pima Air Museum here. It is the third largest Air Museum in the U.S. and well worth visting.

[@car296rd]

Been to both places many times enjoyed them both when I go out to San Diego I make a stop at those museums

[@scottaye9999]

Museum narrator is a treasure, good job!

[@wdnew]

I served as a deputy commander and commander of this weapon system and then as a sector commander for sites 532-4, 532-5 and 532-6 out of McConnell AFB, Wichita Kansas. I had 12 fantastic crews and worked with some of the most dedicated AF members. It was a hard, demanding and boring life for all crew members and staff. I will never forget them, the job, and the peace we maintained. USAF Retired.

[@WayneDevin]

+wdnew Thank you for taking a moment to share your experience.

[@smw381st]

wdnew I worked at all 18 Titan 2 missile sites there in Kansas from 1971 to 1974

[@myesenc]

You were the tip of the spear that kept us all safe 👍🇺🇸

[@sdouglasmcconnell870]

I worked on the Titan II in the silos of Kansas. I worked on that (740 ton) silo closure door and got to open it. Of course from where you open it for maintenance, you can't see it. I was a missile pheudraulics tech. I also worked on the blast doors, blast valves, the work platforms, the missile guidance, and antennas that popped up out of the ground. I was the only McConnell at McConnell. I often think it was an IBM glitch like the one that made "Major Major Major a Major in the Book Catch-22.

[@hrdknox2000]

I went to this museum once. It was really cool!

[@smw381st]

even though I worked at all 18 Titan sites in Kansas I would love to go to that museum to bring back a lot of fond memories! And if I ever get to Arizona I surely will go there.

[@redball7362]

Very well done.

[@thomashulvershorn9021]

Great thanks for sharing

[@WE2TECH]

very cool video makes you realize how little the everyday problems in your life are so little in a much bigger world thanks for sharing/uploading

[@koko1914]

great video

[@MidnightGazebo]

Great video, wish I could visit the museum myself!

[@murrygandy6546]

Very well done video on Titan II. One correction: When I was stationed at Vandenberg AFB ('67-'69) there were two Titan IIs on alert in addition to the 54 mentioned at Little Rock, Davis-Monthan and McConnell for a total of 56.

[@sparc77]

Listening to the speaker reminded me of a story from 1984 when I was assigned to the 381 SMW. While it was supposed to be true that we didn't know where the each missile was targeted, it isn't entirely accurate. We were usually told what targets were assigned to the wing, just not which missile was assigned to which target. In 1984, however, anyone who was paying attention could figure one of them out. The wing was assigned 17 targets (this was after the accident that destroyed site 533-7). All the targets were soft targets (air fields, bases, shipyards, etc) except for one target that was listed as "nuclear weapons storage facility". Oddly enough, my home site was the only site in the wing where the warhead was set for ground burst. 2+2=4.

[@joeyknight8272]

Ground burst?

[@sparc77]

@@joeyknight8272 Instead of detonating higher up in the atmosphere to increase the area of destruction for surface structures, a ground burst was a detonation closer to the ground where the fireball and shock wave would "dig up" hardened targets such as bunkers.

[@joeyknight8272]

@@sparc77 that'd interesting! Doesn't that make the ground more radioactive?

[@sparc77]

@@joeyknight8272 Yes it does, and it also increases fallout since all the dirt that was dug up is blasted up into the atmosphere.

[@joeyknight8272]

@@sparc77 was this a ICBM with multiple warheads and each warhead had a target?

[@HailAnts]

I visited this museum in the late 80s. Back then they would play the audio from the launch sequence at the beginning of the movie _WarGames_ (which was actually filmed in that room). The audio was much clearer sounding than the one used here. I still have a VHS camcorder video I took of it (somewhere...)

[@frankieocco4751]

Class post,thanks.

[@orangejoe204]

Protip: Look at 7:15. They chopped a giant rectangular hole in the side of the warhead to prove to the Russians that it's inert and inactive and just for a museum. It's also why the ultra-heavy protective doors over the silo are permanently welded half open in a position that the Russians can verify from their spy satellites. They had to be very nicely persuaded that this was just for show and not worth targeting with a nuke anymore. hahah

[@RCAvhstape]

+Alex Tocqueville Or Russian officials could just visit the museum and look at it up close...would be cheaper than a satellite.

[@orangejoe204]

Helium Road The satellites are already up there. The point was to convince the Russians it wasn't an active silo anymore in a way they'd believe. Insta-verification via Google Earth is a pretty easy way, yeah?

[@SaltVinegar2010]

Helium Road Then they could replace it with an active missile after the Russian officials left.

[@QuantumRift]

Very true. I volunteered at the Titan II Museum in Green Valley (S of Tucson) for a couple of years back in the 90's. Great information.

[@WayneDevin]

Thanks Alex for sharing and adding this fact. I didn't get it on tape while filming this, but I recall the gentleman pointing out that those doors are welded open.

[@eddyquick]

I was a Titan II electrical engineer at McConnell AFB in the late 60's. It was an awesome system. The crew used simulators to run simulated launches. The maintenance side ran on-site simulations. To do that we disconnected all of the ordnance and connected instrumentation in their place then an actual "launch" was started. The engineering department (where I worked) would go over the results to diagnose anything that went wrong. In one case the test failed to separate the 1st stage from the 2nd. One Martian Marietta representative and I were tasked with figuring out why. After spending several hours going up and down the missile we found that the wire going to the explosive nuts was cut. We checked and found that the wire numbers were numbered wrong which caused that wire to be cut during a earlier mod. That got HQ's attention really quick and went top secret immediately.

[@josephparkhurst2164]

My grandfather worked there for 10 years. I as a 10yo child ran the launch sequence it was so cool

[@nonovyerbusiness9517]

Good video, very informative. The Titan II was also the rocket used for launch of the 2-man Gemini spacecraft which worked out many of the problems to be solved before the Apollo program could begin.

[@WayneDevin]

+Nonov Yerbusiness Thanks Nonov for your comment about Titan II. I forgot about that fact until I was recently reading about Mercury and Gemini, and noted that Titan II for Gemini.

[@RCAvhstape]

+Nonov Yerbusiness Yes, also the Titan III and Titan IV launch vehicles were based on the earlier Titan as well and made good space launchers.

[@smw381st]

The Titans had a real good launch record too!

[@shafrobert]

Great video! I live in Tucson, and have been to the missile museum. What's important to remember is that these amazing people giving the tours, are in real life the folks that manned these sites during the cold war. Remarkable people, and an amazing place to visit! But, there are 17 other de-commissioned sites in Arizona as well, most near Tucson due to proximity to Davis Monthan Air Base. I live near 3 of them and often explore them.

[@billfarnham1592]

Last year I worked the anniversary special event amateur radio station set up in the control center of this facility.

[@w5cdt]

The curator seems to be very knowledgeable. Must have been his career job.

[@WayneDevin]

w5cdt Hi. I wanted to confirm your guess. Before the tour started, he spoke to us about serving in one of the US silos.

[@QuantumRift]

Actually it may or may not have been. I worked there giving tours for a few years back in the 90's. As a volunteer, I did the same thing he's doing and my experience was that I have a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, I did 4 years in the Army has an electronic warfare tech, and at the time I lived in Sierra Vista AZ and worked on Ft. Huachuca as a network engineer. WE had to study our 'bible' to give tours, and we were encouraged to learn as much as we could about the silos, missiles, and the cold war era at that time to answer visitor questions. What that tour guide is doing and saying, I pretty much said and did the exact thing, but back in the 90s. I gave top side and underground tours.

[@3melendr592]

The Titan II Missile Museum! I could have visited an operational site and didn't. I did however go to an operational Atlas F missile site in Eagle, NE in 1963.

[@user-eh8lm2xb2q]

The minuteman missile silo tour in South Dakota is similar and equally as interesting.

[@mikezaid3219]

Confidence is high! I repeat confidence is high!

[@ajawofcopan]

That was great

[@Litngbrnco]

I used to work on those missiles in the early 70's. There were 16 missile sites around Tucson.

[@markbaker3679]

i was stationed at 2 of the 3 Titan II Bases.

[@overtaxed3628]

Damn, can you tell us please which 3 targets where there on those 3 displays !?????

[@cjonam]

Thank god..its all over and in museum

[@JROrg2009]

Try being a Tucson native back then. I remember for many years we all lived with the full and generally unnerving knowledge that the city and the 18 Titan's that ringed Tucson landed us in the U.S.S.R.'s top five hit list, the others on that masterful list being the other Titan sites and NORAD. Be happy that they were finally dismantled and some used as NASA launch vehicles, and some for satellite launches, and the rest destroyed under nuclear treaty.

[@1Klooch]

Missiles gone, good. Davis/Monthan AFB, the "Bone Yard", Raytheon, the U of A, two operating copper mines and the Tucson metro area pushing a million people. I'm pretty sure when things get hot we're still in for a Shake n' Bake.

[@kellyoxo2818]

I miss rotary telephones. They just made you feel like some big shindig. Plus the sound they made when you dialed.

[@davidchereneimmel8820]

I have 2 of them still and my children love to play with them, they think it's funny when I tell them that was all we use to have. Yup miss those also, but must say I am writing this with my Note 9 phone and sure like using this as well ha ha

[@wonniewarrior]

Don't forget the satisfaction of slamming a rotary dial handset down when pissed off. Can't do that with a so called smart phone now damn it.

[@iamsam8446]

If you ever get to visit the only US Titan missile museum in Tucson AZ, you won't regret it. I've been lucky to go twice. I would take a bus tour of the Bone Yard too, but they don't offer it anymore.

[@jdanon203]

Interesting. Where did all the footage come from?

[@pschroeter1]

I was amazed to hear launching the missile basically destroyed the silo. I thought one of the far fetched rationales for all the counter force missiles was to keep a silo from being reloaded. I guess most of the attacks targeted on silos were a complete waste of a warhead on the off chance they might catch a few before launch.

[@brendanmcmahan2368]

Two weeks ago I was a guest on a radio program here in Northern California. The radio host had conscientiously read my book, Origins of the Fourth World War, and he was puzzled by it. “By what authority,” he asked, “do you say that future world wars are inevitable?” My answer went something like this: What if you claimed, in A.D. 500, that mankind had outgrown war? What if you claimed, in A.D. 1000, that peace had finally arrived on earth? How sensible is it to claim, in 1999, that war is obsolete? In the last 5,500 years there have been over 14,000 wars. Man has always made war, and he always will. “But we’ve changed,” protested the show’s host. Yes, we’ve changed - for the worst. The human race has entered into a period of decline. Elevation of thought and nobility of soul have almost disappeared from our midst. Our increased scientific knowledge has only made us arrogant. For all our alleged sophistication we remain ignorant, foolish, and worse. Crime and depravity have been increasing for decades. To prove this I might present a long list of statistics. But even our statistics have become corrupt. (An Excerpt of a Jeff Nyquist article)

[@6dreality790]

There is a million times more energy available in the world than there is common sense. I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime.

[@SuperExcedrin]

You could have just said "history".

[@journeystarr]

awesome

[@diygarygaming]

Awesome

[@Zoomer30]

When they came up with Mutually Assured Destruction, no one stopped to consider that the idea wss MAD! MAAAAAD!

[@commentmutant]

What branch of the military oversaw, or was in charge of all this?

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

My older brother, (now deceased from Agent Orange) was at Minot - Deadly business, tough duty

[@MrDuneedon]

In reality, the process involves Michael Madsen pointing a handgun at the second operator and saying "TURN YOUR KEY, SIR."

[@WayneDevin]

No kidding. When I was filming this video that scene from Wargames kept coming up in my head the whole time. I never did but wanted to ask the tour host what he thought of the scene.

[@rjinnh3933]

As a BMAT with 6+ yrs Combat Crew duty with the 381st SMW (63-70), I can categorically guarantee that my bird would launch, cooperative officers or not, because I knew where TB-1 was and what signals were located there! I also had access to the SIOP so I knew what our Launch Windows were. They had their 38s and we had access to our M-1 Carbines. They kept the M-1 ammo under lock and key but some of us had our own loaded mags in our gym bags. It's called 'Contingency Planning'..........

[@smw381st]

the commander and deputy commander could not fire the missile on their own!

[@TheErilaz]

@@smw381st I think that it depends on what type of signals that originated from each key, of those are just a simple voltage present, a few wires from each key, hold the bare ends together and make contact and away she goes!

[@smw381st]

Erilen it still has noting to do with any signal the keys had which they did not have any anyways!

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

I want to go on this tour

[@smw381st]

i was in maintenance at all 18 missile sites around McConnell AFB from 1971 to 1974 as you might have guessed by my id here lol

[@smw381st]

did he leave the service in 64?

[@smw381st]

wish I could have stayed in longer but they were giving early discharges to a whole lot of us

[@karlmarx6487]

No I really hadn't noticed!! Don't flatter yourself

[@insideoutsideupsidedown2218]

Kudos to you all who manned those control centers and let the rest of us sleep safe at night

[@onlyweknow2]

Need to get them back on line...

[@TheMetalHeaD256]

i feel you, brother. in Little Rock, Arkansas, we have Camp Robinson, an Air Force base, and i believe as many as 30 Titans all around our state.

[@adrianspeeder]

What are the disable lights for?

[@soberek]

I pretty much memorized the whole game years ago. The Titan was the largest and most terrifying weapon in US arsenal at it's time, and the SS-18 was designed to outperform the Titan in all aspects. But the two designs was the same: A first strike weapon of mass destruction and primary nuclear deterrent to the enemy. But Titan was cooler, because it carried astronauts in the Gemini program. Lamarr and garden gnome as "passengers" of the rocket is the reference to Titan in a launch vehicle role.

[@kts677]

Sophisticated as fuck, just wow

[@kts677]

ahahahahaha is that what you actually look like? If I was you I'd kill myself instantly for looking like a piece of shit

[@commentmutant]

***** you look like an american homosexual.

[@MarcLloydZ]

Not sophisticated just couple letters, turn key and press launch button idiot

[@thesolesurvivor8096]

____________...........-----------''''"""""''""""'L""''"""""""''''----------.............___________ Dumbass. It's way more complicated. I'm not telling you how complex it is, but it's harder than yo moma

[@Bbendfender]

+____________...........-----------''''"""""''""""'L""''"""""""''''----------.............___________ It was sophisticated in its day. It was a little more sophisticated than couple letters, turn key and press button. No button pressed for launch. Just enter launch codes and then turn keys.

[@marmaladekamikaze]

Good to know, thanks. Damn straight firing off a SS-18 would be balls to the wall awesome! come to think of it both the heavy throw weight SS-18 and the Titan use the same propellant combination, N2O4 & N2H4 derivatives. Have you just finished HL2 ep2?

[@playinitbyear2860]

I can't until 60 years from now when we can see what missile silos look(ed) like today.

[@JROrg2009]

Also note that the lone Titan II Museum outside Tucson has the blast cover AND the missile deliberately opened to show a no-warhead situation, as per agreement between countries. Inspectors from both countries to the respective countries can clearly see those two conditions via personal inspections, and satellite imagery.

[@ApolloWasReal]

I highly recommend a visit if you're near Tucson. But when I saw it, I couldn't resist quoting Dr. Strangelove throughout our tour. It fit the utter absurdity of it all so well.

[@WayneDevin]

+ApolloWasReal I agree. When I was filming this I was in awe at times.

[@marmaladekamikaze]

Ok, for your payload desires and silo requirement, I'd go with something like the Ares-IX. That would do it for sure. What do you think?

[@tonymontana3467]

I'm sure the static on that lousy radio (5:49) would have screwed up an actual launch order.

[@jagc1969]

I've got a stupid question. What would happen if the characters in the cards kept into the red safe do not match those received and noted in the red folder? I guess that the answer will be nothing, no launching, right?

[@brucebedford5121]

I have read through most of the post. I will reply to all hear. I was an MFT for 4 years the first 18 months in school. The crew I was on qualified as instructors. We then trained new crews and provided 40 hours training for each crew every month through questions they needed to look up the answered to while on alert duty. When the system started in 1963 their was only 1 plastic laminated card was carried on a chain along with the launch key around the officers neck. The butterfly valve had not been installed untill 1971 The Idea was to see incoming missiles, get the presidents approvel, and launch your missiles before incoming distroyed the complex. The launch disable lights were controled by the wing command post. Command post sent out a continues signal lighting the launch disable light and preventing launch. The command post received the same Message as the missile silo crew, and on approvel of a valid message would turn off disable and send enable . A safety system was installed at the missile control center that if wing command was unable to send the enable signal, a timer started at the loss of the disable signal after it timed out the crew would then launch. If the crew had wanted to do an unautherized launch it was easy! Go to level 3 and disconect cable from wing command post, Enable timers were set at "0", and turn keys. The jumper wire. The jumper could be used in the back of the CMG cabnet. I learned about it while our crew was monetering and running test to verify the system worked properly. To test the wireing the Martin Co. made a missile simulator box that could give a compleat launch or an abort. We then determine what malfuncion the simulater was set at. We ran about 50 test, most of them started with the jumper. Before the USAF took over the missile complex the door to the back of the cabnet had a pad lock added. To verify the missile was reliable each year they randomly sellected several missiles, removed the fuel and missile. Missile and fuel was transported to Vandenberg USAF base. installed in a silo, refuled and launched down the Pacific test range. Over the 18 years of the program they tested 48 missiles. They all launched, Several failed to get close to target. Modifications were made to the remaining missiles. After the system was shut down the missiles went to Vandy or Canaveral and were used to send up GPS satellites. I think the statement the crew didn't know where the missile was aimed was missleading the BMAT that loaded the targets into the guidance system new the longatude and latatude of the target, Would not know what at that located. After launch! Stand by and wait for instructions "OK" from who? After 2 weeks radiation levels are down to a thousandth of the original level. We had a geiger counter in the air intake shaft. With the incoming air valve shit the control center provided about 17 days of air. We had 30 days of food and water and 124 gal. tank of water to flush the toilet . If the silo was intact and their was fuel and waterfor the diesel-generator It could be run several times a dayto charge emergency bateries for light. With no diesel we would be in the dark in about 4 hours, except for flash lights. An interesting true story. On the side of the missile is a clear plastic panel about 6 inches sq. A light beam from a room on level 2 shines through the panel. The guidence system uses the beam for alinement. The 430,000 lb. missile is suspended from the wall on springs. In 1965 their was an earth quake in Alaska, about 24 hrs latter all missiles guidence system indicated a loss of the light beams. Indicating ground moved made the missile sway about 3 inches to break the light beam. The good old days when things were simple!

[@isukaman4092]

I visited this museum and got the impression that the warhead wasn't armed until arfter the missile's second stage ignited to prevent a detonation should the missile fail upon launch.

[@WayneDevin]

That sounds familiar as well, but I can't recall.

[@sergesret5030]

Nuclear warheads used Permissive Action Locks which would prevent them being armed if stolen or due to malfunction. For missile warheads one safeguard was a lock that sensed the pattern of accelerations and would only unlock after that pattern was within parameters for a valid launch.

[@WayneDevin]

Serge, thank you for sharing your insight. This is really helpful.

[@WayneDevin]

Serge Sret Serge, thank you for sharing your insight. This is really helpful.

[@dinaray2025]

I served as MFT 373SMS LRAFB 82-86. We used to say "If the Russians don't get our bombers, we would." Actually...we used to say a lot of things lol! Thanks for the vid Wayne

[@WayneDevin]

+Ray Mc I appreciate hearing stories like these. Thank you for sharing your experience here, Ray, and for checking out the video. Have a good day.

[@gstep51]

Never mentioned the fourth crew member, the MSAT. That is what I was on an instructor crew for the 373rd missile squadron at Little Rock AFB

[@carbonking53]

Greg Stephens My uncle was a young officer and a silo commander on a Titan ll at Little Rock in the early 70s. The crews took their jobs very seriously he has always told me. Most were 20 something year olds with the fate of world in their hands. The site of the the 1980 explosion that blew an entire silo and missile up was once his station. He's now a Ph.D. in Physics..... Go figure

[@gstep51]

That explosion occurred after I was out. Careless maintenance person dropped a tool in the launch duct and pierced the skin of an oxidizer tank and the rest is history. I believe that silo was the responsibility of my sister squadron, the 374th SMS.

[@stantarver7005]

Greg Stephens It was 374-7, aka 4-7.

[@bonehead292yblock5]

Greg Stephens thank you for your service sir

[@sdouglasmcconnell870]

Without the 4th crew member the 3rd man would have been useless. That's because there was no place underground that wasn't a "No Lone Zone." Everyone had to have a partner to watch everything he did for safety and security.

[@rogert151]

does anyone have the icbm target map from that era ? i`m kinda curious where they would make it rain nukes and how many, USSR was big

[@rekinlas]

No doubt the people manning those controls were well-trained, but if I was sitting there and that alert at 5:45 came on I would probably crap my pants.

[@ulrichfodze355]

I am very interested in buying one of this original checklists and one of the "cookies" or even an original launch key. anyone knows where to get one?

[@timengineman2nd714]

I've always wondered if the multiple launch codes enabled the missile to be fired at different targets.... Also, as bad as the silo guys had it (in the event of WW3) think about the bomber crews, they knew that if the codes ever came in, everyone they knew on and around their airbase would be dead! Same goes for the bases that had KC-135 (refueling aircraft), those would also be targeted!

[@desireegrisham3892]

Correct. Airplanes on the Christmas tree would probably get off and away (six bombers and two tankers). Ground and air crew would try to generate more. Even if we wanted to go home (on or near base) for family, we wouldn't get away.

[@stevendegiorgio3143]

This video is totally cool.I like what someone said about the wiring concerning the launch enable/disable circuits.That is a very interesting and scary fact.ai know basic electricity and military aviation wiring so I understand it.Great fact.Thank you.I wish we still had that missile today.I think it's more powerfully than today's minuteman 3s.

[@CommieFritzTheGreat]

Titan was the launcher that powered the Gemini rocket during the space program. Obviously minus the nukey bit. It's amazing how military technology development advanced space travel and allowed us to to go the moon.

[@ttiwkram]

According to Jim Lovell the Titan II was a bear to ride because it kept twitching back and forth above and below the horizon like it couldn't decide whether it was a space booster or a weapon. It also oriented itself so it laid on its side, which the astronauts found particularly unpleasant.

[@CommieFritzTheGreat]

Firstname Lastname Back in the day, those astronauts had the right stuff. I mean Jim Lovell is a personal hero of mine. Most people today would struggle to strap their ass to a firework and not scream - me included.

[@mikegallant811]

And in Star Trek, it was used for the first prototype warp ship, the Phoenix.

[@SuEnRoD]

Sure would like to see pictures of the equipment level. That's where MOST of my maintenance time was spent. We had some equipment in the LCC but the VHF/UHF transmitters and associated equipment was on the 3rd level.

[@WayneDevin]

+James Chastain Hi James. Thanks for taking a moment to write and share about your work. I wanted to see the 3rd level myself to film it, but then realized we were too late for a special tour that I think (?) would take us there. Maybe next time I'm down there. Thanks again.

[@SuEnRoD]

+Wayne Devin (studiomcgraw) Thanks Wayne. I would appreciate it if you get the chance. I would especially like a view inside the rear and front doors of the VHF/UHF transmitters if possible. Thanks. Rod

[@james1787]

@@SuEnRoD The Titan Missile Museum youtube channel has many, many small videos of each of the working parts of the Titan II site.. very interesting, including the VHF / UHF transmitters, antennas, etc.

[@connerisaacs2625]

The missile knows where it is by knowing where it isn’t.

[@huntingvuk]

wow, pretty interesting no matter how you look at it ;p

[@marmaladekamikaze]

As for coolness points, sure the Titan gains quite a few for lifting Ed White in the Gemini program, but I think the SS-18 was cooler because it is still being used to launch satellites, renamed as Dnepr-1 to prevent people from becoming alarmed when an old SS-18 is launched. Only a few weeks ago a Dnepr-1 launched a commercial satellite. Did you play HL2 on xbox? because I only learned that you could place the garden gnome as a stowaway when I played HL2 for the 2nd time on x-box, 1st was PC.

[@lordoftheflings]

cool

[@thrakerzad5874]

people who worked in these silos did a lot more for world peace than anyone else.

[@hxhxhgfd]

+Thrakerzad It's actually an interesting though to consider; many people tended to and still do look down their noses at operations like this, considering them to be warlike and primitive. Really though, if you consider that your "enemy" has silos just like this, the only thing keeping them from attacking you is your possession of missiles capable of reaching them. Really, this sort of activity ensured that there never was a real instance of global nuclear war.

[@KiloByte69]

+Ethan d MAD contributed more to world peace than "anti-war" libtards ever did.

[@rugerdern1554]

+Ethan d That is deterrence in a nutshell.

[@KiloByte69]

***** Actually it was a warmongering libtard who escalated the Vietnam War. Thanks for nothing, you degenerate asswipes. "Accidents" can lead to war regardless of nuclear weapons, you dumbfuck. What we know for certain is that nuclear weapons did in fact help prevent the Cold War from getting hot. Get that through your thick skull, dipshit.

[@KiloByte69]

***** "Needlessly"? It was the most deadly war in the history of the world, you dumbfuck. Without nukes, a full scale invasion would have been inevitable along with massive military and civilian casualties. The commies would have done the same thing if they had the technology. Instead, they forced millions of under-equipped soldiers off to the front line to be slaughtered. How convenient of you to gloss over the presence of nuclear weapons throughout the Eastern Bloc nations not to mention the brutality brought about with the rise of the Iron Curtain. You're a hypocritical moron.

[@flatcapcaferacer]

Maybe some of the crew members from Titan could comment on a question I have. During my time in Minuteman I have met some former Titan crew members who developed lung cancer before 50 and died soon after. I know one was never a smoker so I'm curious about the long term effects if any from working in the Titan facility?

[@neeslow7081]

Its in Green Valley not outside Tucson

[@peek2much3]

Damn!

[@Chu3505]

His explanations all the procures going through to launch a nuclear missile.Reminded me about the War Game 1987 movie the opening credits before they upgraded out of the human in control to a AI computer name Joshua.

[@markbaker3679]

technically, Joshua was the backdoor Password, the computer was the WOPR.

[@rangertech1]

I enjoyed this, and would love to coach the interpreter in the video. I have helped out several gov agencies involved with the cold war. I know this subject well and know the audience well too.

[@WayneDevin]

+Jon Preston Jon, thank you for your kind comment, especially from someone like yourself who has deep knowledge of the subject. I admit I don't know too much of Cold War history, but I enjoy nuclear history and science. I should note that I'm planning a visit to Hanford WWII reactor this summer and want to make video much how I did this one. Thank you again for your feedback.

[@jamesogle8421]

THIS MIGHT BE A DUMB QUESTION. WHEN IT COMES TO THE MISSLE DO THEY HAVE A BIG CRANE AND LOWER THE WHOLE MISSLE INTO THE GROUND? "OR" DO THEY PUT IT TOGETHER IN THE SILO?

[@marmaladekamikaze]

By the way, the @Andy Ewen: feature doesn't work on youtube, I was not notified of your reply, I only discovered that you replied by scrolling through the comments for fun, and found you asking me a question. In future, if you want someone to reply, just click the reply button below that persons comment. That way they will be notified of your reply. Otherwise, nadda.

[@scottyweimuller6152]

I remember coming here with my wife about 6 year's ago and it was really cool and put in perspective on how close we all came to a nuclear war and why the USA had nuclear weapons and why we don't need them anymore. My wife and I are from southern Germany and still remember the tension during the cold war.

[@spol]

Oh we still have plenty of nukes. Unfortunately, nuclear war will continue to loom for the remainder of humanity.

[@K1w1scot]

I was doing it from an iPad which didn't have that facility.