Minuteman -- From Design to Delivery (1963)

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Minuteman -- From Design to Delivery by United States. Department of Defense. Department of the Air Force.
Summary: Boeing film describing the assembly of the weapon system from design assembly, check-out and testing; site locations and construction; preparation of equipment and personnel; and acceptance speech by Brig Gen Samuel C. Phillips, Dir of Minuteman Program at Ogden Plant 77. Shows Minuteman in SSCBM moving out of MATS C-133B, transported to missile transfer building, transported by transporter-erector to missile site, emplacement in silo, launch and tracking of missile.
Description courtesy of the National Archives
National Archives Identifier 68894

[@Ammo08]

I built and maintained the RVs for the Minuteman III at FE Warren AFB in the early 70s. Loved it. They were regularly brought in for maintenance and sent back out. I got to go to Vandenberg for three operational tests of our missiles that were pulled from the silo for testing.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

They're still using the 5.25" floppies from when you were serving.

[@Ammo08]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 We didn't in RV maintenance, that was a targeting function, which we had nothing to do with. Our "test set" was the size of a VW Beetle and very slow. If I'm not mistaken the old floppies are still being used because there is no way to hack them.

[@Odessia-ij5ys]

How powerful the nukes were at that time

[@Odessia-ij5ys]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 might find a vic 20 still working there

[@Ammo08]

@@Odessia-ij5ys They weren't huge, not even in the megaton range, but they are very accurate.

[@larrybliss8330]

How fitting to see the words THE END superimposed on the ascending missile...

[@lindaeasley5606]

"This land of ours is a land of many people.A land of peace" So don't f*** with us

[@BoleDaPole]

Indeed, unfortunately being peaceful doesn't guarantee peace.

[@WootTootZoot]

I remember when they were upgrading the Minuteman missiles in at Minot and the USAF sent down an order that no one talk about what we had, what we were doing or anything else about our mission. Then, two weeks later they put up a huge sign outside the base "455 Strategic Missile Wing, Home of the New Minuteman III".

[@davelowets]

That's not surprising at all... They didn't want other countries to happen upon the information that some silos were down at the time, but you can bet that once they were done being upgraded, they wanted EVERY nation to know about it.. Pretty common tactic, really.

[@rael5469]

I saw the same in the Air Force in the early 80s. Most of us on the base had a Secret Clearance or even Top Secret clearance. Well one day the shuttle carrier aircraft 747 dropped into our base carrying Discovery. They acted like space aliens had just landed on Earth. Big stinking deal....."Do Not approach the space shuttle. Don't make any calls off base. Don't talk about it and so forth and so on." Next morning they had let the public on base to drive practically under the thing. Thousands of people. Yet they would deprive us of that special privilege of getting a private screening, so to speak. I mean....we all had security clearances ....and we may not dare to look at our nation's space shuttle???? Unbelievable.

[@well-blazeredman6187]

And last time I drove through the missile fields, I could compile an ORBAT by noting the signs stating which units had volunteered to keep the road verges tidy.

[@johnkern7075]

I love watching these old films like this one. At 16:28 that office furniture the desks the swivel chairs. That vintage furniture is worth a lot of money.

[@dennissvitak6453]

I was stationed at Chanute AFB, IL, for eight years, off and on, from 1974 to 1991.

[@BoleDaPole]

Amazing, did you ever see the room?

[@goldgeologist5320]

I held the keys and manned the silos from 1984 to 1988. Minuteman was old and outdated then! But I have confidence it would work. But nearly 40 years later? USA is long overdue to upgrade the strategic nuclear forces.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

I agree if you can show me a current viable threat. Russia is bankrupt. China? Maybe.

[@somedumbozzie1539]

There is nothing wrong with your missile subs and there are quite a few of them.

[@davegeisler7802]

Even though this was a Nuclear defense system , like the DEW line , it amazes me how this Country could actually design and build complex projects in a limited time frame. Now we have crumbling infrastructure and a general decline Nationwide for the last 50 years.

[@JDA2185]

The reason the US can't do those things today is simply because it doesn't have the things it needs to do them with. Namely, industries. All of its industries were relocated to China. In the name of saving the planet from the "global warming" obviously... And now we see how this "climate change" bullshit was actually nothing more than just a component of the economic war waged against the US by the communist world. Which apparently was the most damaging component of that war. Which continued being waged by America's inside commies after the Cold War ended. That's all this "climate change" hoax was ever about: about destroying the US economically. And unfortunately, since the US was run by cowards and traitors (RINO's), it worked.

[@billenright2788]

The fear of getting vaporized will do that. Unlimited budget and motivated manpower helps also.

[@JDA2185]

@@billenright2788 The US never actually had "unlimited budget" pal... LOL. Even during WWII, it had no such things as an "unlimited budget". In 1963 in fact the defense budget accounted for about 7% of the GDP. Extremely far from being "unlimited". In fact, Kennedy's coming to power meant precisely more limits placed on the defense budget.

[@MrSimonw58]

US government debt is over 130% of GDP and growing and the Fed buys most of it. Basically unlimited. Although they're scaling back now. Anyways ...

[@tricitiesair]

Gold standard.

[@highvoltageswitcher6256]

Narrator sounds like a slightly toned down version of the Fallout 4 narrator who explains the “your S.P.E.C.I.A.L” leaflet that features Vault Boy. American narrators sounded so reassuring back in those days, even about absolutely terrifying ideas.

[@BHARGAV_GAJJAR]

LoL it does sound S.P.E.C.I.A.L

[@franknord4826]

Pretty sure this is the exact guy they were trying to emulate in FO4. Heard him in so many military tech documentaries from the mid-20th century.

[@irish89055]

It's amazing the Minuteman 3 was designed for 10 years and is going to be almost 60 before it's replaced.. of course in different variations.

[@PartTimeLaowai]

I've always been a minute man although I've never thought it something to be proud of 💥😩

[@lundsweden]

This has to be the best comment on here, lol!

[@krazyoldkatlady192]

🤣

[@jmanner2562]

Not the speed but the size of the warhead

[@davelowets]

Sorry dude.... I really mean that also..

[@frederickwise5238]

I worked at the NAFS repair/test facility in Heath Ohio from Oct 62 to May 66 . Minuteman I's and II's, Titan and Atlas guidance packages were sent there for analysis of failures, repair and testing.. I was on a crew that worked Minuteman computer problems. I'd hoped this video would go that fr but I guess repair was for a leter date. LOL

[@BoleDaPole]

Big ups to these men and women for keeping us safe in such crazy times. Everyone of them is am American hero in my eyes, from the guy keeping watch outside to the people keeping these amazing weapons operational , God Bless them and God Bless America🇺🇸

[@antikoerper256]

Wonderful documentary! Respect to all servicemen from the US, as well as the allied anglo-saxon countries like the UK and the Commonwealth for providing the free world with security and guaranteeing the freedom and democracy of the West after WW2. The war in Ukraine has showed that if it werent for NATO and the anglo-saxon countries, most of Europe would have fallen prey to the russians. Respect from your humble NATO partner - Bulgaria

[@Jan_Miklas]

:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

[@dougball328]

We will do our best in November to keep Donald Trump as far away from NATO as possible.

[@The_Ninedalorian]

When the Minuteman Sites were decommissioned, some were gutted and the land sold. The land still contained the bare bones launch facilities. One of my friends purchased one of these in the UP of Michigan and turned it into his home. What this old video isn't telling you is the 3ft lead lining placed between the layers of reinforced concrete. The Site was rated to take a near miss from a Russian ICBM.

[@Maxim.Teleguz]

Decommissioned lol.

[@user-cc2sq5kh5k]

Штаты разбогатели после, 2 мировой войны а Союз лежал в руинах.. И мы русские угрожали богатой Америке.. Просто смешно. Добрый привет с Волги))..

[@jamesbarnard9710]

That wouldn't have been Minuteman. Not in the UP.

[@dougball328]

@@jamesbarnard9710 Niki or Bomarc perhaps . . . ?

[@thomasmcginnis3783]

*"Quality Assurance"* I love how a 1960s video can spout QA protocols that are regularly missed/ignored *sixty years later.* ("Hrmph!") My species concerns me.

[@buckhorncortez]

Exactly how are they "missed / ignored"? WTF are you even talking about? This is a pure public relations film and nothing ever fails or is done incorrectly in a PR film. You figure they were working to ISO 9000/9002? You figure they spent 10+ years jumping through EPA hoops with environmental studies out the ass to figure the number of insects per square centimeter that would be displaced with each site? I can see why you're concerned when your species (whatever that may be) makes unfounded assumptions...

[@thomasmcginnis3783]

@@buckhorncortez Sorry for your butt-hurt, but I didn't do it to you. If you ever recover, compare/contrast the Q/A implied by this vid to what passes as "latest thing" in 2022 -- whether high tech or low -- and try to find a difference. (Hint: there is none.) When you're older (or sober, or less butt-hurt), you'll see this. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Ass.

[@MrShobar]

0:39 Elliott Bay Seattle, with the ferry Kalakala underway.

[@dougball328]

Home sweet home for 36 years. Loved the view of Mt. Rainier just a few seconds later.

[@CC-te5zf]

Great video! I had many years working on the mighty Minuteman. It's reaching the end of its lifespan now. The new system will be amazing.

[@dudeimbusy]

I loved the general that’s said “can’t we throw one out the back of a plane and have it go orbital”…. Turns out yup

[@dougball328]

Nope. Won't go orbital, but it could still do its suborbital mission.

[@grumblekin]

Now we’d need a bunch of people who couldn’t do math to get involved and it would take 26 years.

[@josephmatthew6541]

Peace through strength is the only guarantee to an everlasting Freedom 🇱🇷✌️

[@greggweber9967]

3:22 What can stop a pressure essure wave? Nothing can. I don't mean unstoppable. I mean a vacuum flask big enough so that the outer wall doesn't deform enough to contact the inner wall and pass on the shock wave.

[@caseinnitratjr6861]

We have to call Peter Kuran to restore that films @Nuclear Vault

[@JakobKsGarage]

I like that the first white jumpsuited minuteman's office chair has a seat belt!

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Well when a one megaton commie warhead detonates 100ft above them at the surface, some bumpiness might occur.

[@paaat001]

They were KC-135 navigator's seats when I worked the system. That included the three point harness that went with the seat.

[@rael5469]

@@paaat001 Also, wasn't their command bunker mounted on some sort of shock absorbing system?....thus the need for the seat belts?

[@mickyday2008]

I’ve visited a decommissioned site on a national parks service tour. Very interesting

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

when do two guys turn keys at the same time?

[@mrknowmyself]

way better content and better music than this crazy Tiktok era

[@BoleDaPole]

4:06 Dude literally has seat belts, which is ironic seeing as seat belts weren't even mandatory on automobiles, yet they used them here while stationary. Ofcourse i must ask, why? Does anyone know? I'd love to hear from you.

[@65gtotrips]

It’s because those underground installations are built on giant springs incase a warhead hits directly ontop of them; Such that they remain in their seats allowing them to conduct a counter-strike.

[@RCAvhstape]

It's so when the pillars of heaven are shaking ole' Jack Burton can get those missiles launched.

[@michaelbruns449]

No breaks no trips to the bathroom your staying where you are.

[@KidDynamite6]

@@RCAvhstape lmaooo right over these jokers’ heads lo pan

[@jollyrogerhobbies2386]

I did a full tour of an MAF/LCF here in Wyoming called Quebec 01. the Video is on my channel for anyone interested.

[@alzeNL]

imagine the russian equivalent then and now.. how much of infrastructure is rotten/broken due to corruption and lack of mainteance in those systems.

[@stephaneracicot791]

what ever you do dont drop the socket

[@dougball328]

I understand the comment - but the Minuteman was a solid fuel rocket, not liquid like the Titan II.

[@Zoomer30]

15:12 Huh, Denver is in extreme northeast Colorado. Who knew.

[@bossman1974]

Fascinating

[@rbrtjbarber]

Just curious, can anyone explain the purpose of the seat belt/shoulder harness systems on the chairs. Thanks in advance...

[@dougball328]

A nearby hit by an incoming nuke could send the crew flying - possibly ending up unconscious - or worse. Seat belts were intended to keep that from happening.

[@tenpotkan7051]

Where can I find the music? I believe this isn't the only documentary where it was used.

[@josephtaylor3857]

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

[@hamaljay]

Global thermal nuclear war.

[@davegeisler7802]

Well played sir 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@Odessia-ij5ys]

After the fallout would have to spend 45 days in that hole

[@eddiekulp1241]

Minuteman was better than WW3

[@simonjackson7269]

I don't understand why considering the launch controllers are deep underground yet they are wearing construction helmet and four point seat belts?,,

[@kaipirinha8871]

Typical "just in case" thinking.

[@rael5469]

Simon, they have detonated thousands of nukes in tests both above ground and below ground. I think they know enough about blast effects to design these bunkers.

[@theredscourge]

You never know when a chunk of the ceiling might get shaken loose, whether from an earthquake or an above-ground missile strike.

[@johndyson4109]

We got over 400 of them ready to go. INSANITY thinking deterrence is going to keep us safe forever. We humans never learn our lessons from past mistakes... You can't simultaneously prepare for war and avoid it at the same time.. M.A.D. is INSANE...

[@Mujangga]

Some of that music sounded like _Deutschland hoch in Ehre_

[@65gtotrips]

🔰 All the while…the 🎶 🎵 in the background makes it sound like nuclear weapons are a peaceful endeavor❓

[@davidsmith3736]

Going from this life in the natural to the next in the spiritual is peaceful but I wouldn't advise it.

[@billjohnson8575]

wow!

[@peterpsaradellis5010]

What is DEW line?

[@jamesbarnard9710]

Distant Early Warning line. A string of radar sites along Canada and Alsaska.

[@michaelbruns449]

Lets make a documentary telling our enemies exactly where and how to destroy us.

[@WednesdayAddamsMW]

13:13 Thumbnail. You're welcome.

[@Cancun771]

What you really need to do to gain an insight into US defense corruption is read Samuel Cohen's account of all this. And more. The book is "Confessions of the father of the neutron bomb".

[@davelowets]

17:38 Well then, perhaps they should have named them Secondman Missiles.. 🤔 But, I suppose, that's probably NOT a name you want to be known by in nuclear war scenarios.. 🤷🏻

[@francoissuissae6217]

And a few of these old misSIle silos are now either bought by the Uber rich and turner into doOMsDAy Bunkers Or the old farmers nearby which use it to place things or if the groundwater & rain has got in they become in land locked diving training facility but the bunker us tge best use to have near a mountain or water source and forest is what is the best use of it.

[@Mujangga]

Doesn't the opening of this film remind you for the opening of the movie _1984_ ?

[@manuwilson4695]

No.

[@josephpiskac2781]

Interesting I worked in relation to this system in 1975 at North Dakota. The public perception was the minuteman missile failed most test and if needed would not work.

[@jackmack1061]

The threat that it might work was enough/.

[@dalecomer5951]

I haven't had the perception that it failed most tests but any flight test failure of an operational system is a concern. Of course, the failures get more media emphasis than the successes.

[@josephpiskac2781]

@@dalecomer5951 Yeah this is what the local North Dakota people told me. It seems years later I read better test results records. I have not referenced this as accurate I only want to share one public view on the system.

[@Ammo08]

@@josephpiskac2781 They worked just fine. I was on a number of test shots where a missile was pulled at random, taken apart, put back together in California and fired with a dummy warhead...they worked.

[@josephpiskac2781]

@@Ammo08 Again I only repeat the exchange to share one public perception of the system. I am not commenting on the system or it's performance.

[@rachelstrahan2486]

👍

[@jamesbugbee6812]

'The end', w/ Sam Kinnison's voice.

[@ccfmfg]

14:05

[@jackmack1061]

sickening threat.

[@marvintpandroid2213]

I don't want no minuteman...

[@WhitefolksT]

When the minuteman come thru...it's all over pretty quick 😂

[@user-vg5rv5xf4u]

Imagine a soviet spy getting this 😆

[@alzeNL]

was probably in the room when it was first shown to the generals

[@noalademagogia]

What a good times were those! All individuals involved were of white race! Wonderful!

[@ilovepotatos]

Nukem☢

[@ThomasHaberkorn]

The fact that these weapons are necessary is revolting

[@russellsmith5056]

The only thing that stops evil people intent on violence to you is good people better at violence.

[@ThomasHaberkorn]

@@russellsmith5056 true

[@sudonum3108]

Yes, I felt bereft at the thought of what such intense ingenuity and wealth could’ve been put toward.

[@RCAvhstape]

If you can talk America's adversaries into giving up their nukes we can do away with them.

[@ThomasHaberkorn]

@@RCAvhstape actually making the first step is what is needed. I don't see that anywhere at the moment

[@100iliasm]

🇷🇺 is far way ahead.....

[@ChatGPT1111]

Yeah far ahead of ....... 1963 when this video was made. Ain't saying much so you might want to go back to your kitchen and make us a sandwich.

[@CreatingAlong]

is there a doc like this but Russia?

[@erict5234]

Sure they are... if their missiles are anything like the tanks and aircraft being blown to hell in ukraine, it's garbage too.

[@BoleDaPole]

I'd hope so, this was filmed in the 1960s..

[@anti-communist103]

Russia is on day 330 of "three days to the Dnipro".

[@RSTI191]

This was before they invented black people..

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

"In 250 years of existence as a nation, the US has fought against 29 sovereign countries. (In Fact, since 1785, we have been involved, for 231 years, in some kind of war. And this wars, against all varieties of nations. From going against the Sultan of Morocco, to invading the tiny island of Grenada, 1983. Well, this means that in our entire history, we have only had 17 years of peace, and even fewer, cuz here the almost 5 years of our Civil War (Union/Confed 1861‒1865), are Not counted, since this war was not with another country, but against us. And the wars against the Native Nations of America either are not counted, for the same reason). Anyway: We fought against 29 countries. We have "Grown" 711 the size of our territory from the original 13 colonies. Our Economic, Political and Military development was established thanks to the Piracy, the Slavery, the Massacres, the Opium Trade or Cocaine Traffic, and the Weakness of many abused sovereign nations. We have provoked with total impunity, 12 Genocides and 9 Massacres, ‒inside and outside our own borders‒, and Assassinations of Gov’t. Leaders, Coups d'État and Economic Blockades in 6 UN member nations. Between 1947 and 1989, the US tried to change other nations gov’ts 73 times. It includes 66 covert Ops. And 7 overt ones. In Civil Wars: The US has taken advantage of and intervened without justification in the following Civil Wars: In Marquesas Island. (Massacre. 1813). US Forces seize Nuku Hiva Island (French Polynesia 1813), and establish here «The First US Naval Base», in the Pacific. This historical fact is important, cuz in 1813, the US had NO Territorial Land nor Maritime Rights in the Pacific Ocean, until 1848, when the US seized California and other Mexican territories facing the Pacific. In Haiti. (1813 and 1901 and then 1915-1919-1934-2001). In the Philippines. (1898-1902. Genocide. One Million people dead). In Hawaii. (1889 and 1890-1893 and 1901). In Cuba. (1898 and 1901-1902 and 1906 and 1913 and 1952 and again 1960). In Island Guam and Island Wake (1898-1899 and 1902-1905). In Island of Samoa. (1898-1899). In Puerto Rico. (1898-1902 to 2023 LOL). In Colombia. (1899-1902 and 1948). In Mexico. (1836 and 1847, and 1859-1861 “Cortina Wars”. And 1875 "Las Cuevas War”. And 1886 and 1904 and 1914 and again in 1916-1917 against “Pancho Villa”). In Russia. (1918-1920). In the "Republic Banana Wars" of Central America. (Massacre. 1912-1934). In Dominican Republic. (1916-1924 and 1965-1966). In Honduras. (1903 and 1912 and 1919 and 1924-1925 and again 2009). In Venezuela. (1936 and 1945 and again in 1948). Military Coup in Peru. (1948 and 1967). In China. (1856-1859, and 1899-1901, and 1913 and 1933, and again in 1945-1946-1949). Military assistance to Chinese rebels in Taiwan. (1951-1952). In Korea. (1871 and 1950-1953). In Iran. (1953). Coup against Mohammad Mosaddegh. (Massacre). In Vietnam. (1959-1975. Massacre and Genocide.). In Albania. (1949-1953 and 1955). In Panama. (1856, and 1903, and 1964-1968, and again 1989). In Brazil. (1950 and 1959 and 1964 and again in 2016). Coup and Intervention in Guatemala. (1944, and 1954, and 1966, and again 1982-1985). Coup against Patrice Lumumba and Intervention in Republic of the Congo. (Massacre. 1960- 1961). Coup and subsequent Fascist regime in Greece. (1967). The Hunting for Che Guevara, in Bolivia. (1968). US Military assistance in the Coup in Bolivia (Copper Mining Co. 1971). The “Bombing of Laos”. (1971-1973). Terror in Uruguay. Support for the regime of Juan María Bordaberry. (Genocide. 1973). Support for the regime of Moboth, in Zaire (Genocide. 1974). Attack on Cambodia. (Kampuchea. 1975). Democratic Republic of the Congo “Simba Rebellion”. (Massacre. 1964-1967 and 1975). Entry of US Troops into Nicaragua. (1928-1932 against Augusto Sandino, and 1937 and 1972-1973, and 1983 and again 1995). Coup in Chile against Salvador Allende. (Genocide. 1973-1976). Argentina (1976-1986). Armed conflict between the Saharawi Arab Republic and between Morocco. (1976-2002). Support for the cannibal Jean-Bédel Bokassa, in Central African Republic. (Genocide. 1979). We, the US, assistance Saddam Hussein against Iran. (One Million deads in ten years. 1980-1990). Support and funding of the Khmer Rouge. (Genocide 1980). In Angola-Namibia. (Massacre. 1980-1981-1984). In Chad. (1983-1986 and 2007). Coup in Equatorial Guinea. (1994-1997-2007 and 2021). Coup in Peru against Pedro Castillo. (2022-2023). In Bosnia. (1994-1995 and 2006)... In Libya, Djibouti, Oman, Palestine, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Eritrea, Jordan, in Kosovo, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ukraine, etc.

[@manuwilson4695]

Prattler. Who cares?