I remember driving along the highway between Bismarck and Minot and seeing the missile silos just off the road (basically just a pole and a fence). I was a rocket fan and said "sure would be cool to see one of those fly" and my Dad said "If we see one of those take off, we have about 30 mins to live"
@@SobboMonkeVR It was more a sort of morbid rhetoric, but basically that poster's dad was getting at the fact that if we [American citizens] saw our silos launching, it probably meant it was a retaliatory strike against a massive nuclear attack against us and/or us making a preemptive strike against the Soviets where they would launch missiles in return.
Haziel Soberal because if they launch more than one at once you will know it’s not a test which means they are heading to a target somewhere else in the world and most likely one with the ability retaliate in kind
We called them Glory Trips when I was a MCCC at Whiteman AFB, MO in the 1970s/80s. Shows how reliable these weapon systems are - you can select one that has stood alert for years and it launches and flies as if it was brand new. Awesome!!!
@ Tom Bohon. MMII/CDB MCCC 321st SMW/OA 81 primary competitor/4315th CCTS IQT Instructor/WSMC/ETR RCO VAFB. Also called them Glory Trips when I was a crew dog from ‘78 - 82 at the Forks.
EMT Force Mod (Malmstrom)/CDB (Warren) I went on three FOT shots. The first trip was for two missiles back to back from LF-04. We had a week off while Refurb put the LF back together. A historic event occurred that week - the Sylmar Earthquake. It woke me up at my parents home in Downey. The third missile was from LF-02, using the LCC 01-B. We hung out with our Vice Wing Commander in the dining hall, with the telemetry truck right outside the door.
That's the big difference between the US and Russia. US picks a random regular rocket and uses it for a test to see if everything works as expected. Russia would carefully cherrypick the best missile they got, go over it with a magnifying glass and look for the tiniest flaws, so they can stage a test, hoping it'll not fail, so they can impress other nations. This is why the US is the best and most powerful military force that has ever existed, easily capable of setting up logistic chains across the globe within a few weeks if they need to and why Russia is a worthless cleptocracy of shams and lies, incapable of invading a neighboring nation with a direct land border and 10 years of preparation.
Defending xD You know that nuclear winter does not respect your borders right? Plus you can be sure that if you send out these things, there are also many coming your way. So much for "defending". And while the ones sparking said war are sitting comfortably in an underground war until mankind is ready for their indoctrination again, you and I are gonna get the worst of it. Solution: Hang the phonies, go back to nature.
@@moos5221 It's not the missile itself that does the protecting. It's the *_THREAT_* that the missile represents. The ICBM force is a deterrent - a weapon that's designed *_not_* to be used.
Notice after ten years in a fairly humid underground storage silo, it was randomly pulled, taken apart, transported across country, assembled, and it worked. Then it hit a target across the world, while traveling in outer space most of the way. Putin take note.
People don't realize, when you are on the ground watching this, the thing lifts into the sky so fast you can't believe it. Whoosh, thud....2 sec pause, roar like you wouldn't believe, gone, that quick.
So impressive, we have thousands of these things, ready to fly at a moments notice, using technology that was designed nearly 50 years ago, and North Korea can't get even one to work.
There are thousands but actually only 400 are active. The technology is not in the launch systems, it's mostly in the missiles and the challenge is to get them to the target accurately. Well, yes, there is also some technology in the lauch sites:the chamber housing the rocket must be sound absorbing for the rocket to lauch from inside it without being lifted up. Otherwise the ICBM might get destroyed insise the launch chamber. Also, the sliding vault like "door" must be blast proof and I suspect its made of some kinda super alloy with an outer layer of concrete.
I was at Cal Poly, SLO living on campus in '83 and a group of us saw a launch from Vandenberg AB at dusk. At the time, California was experiencing rolling brown outs with the power grid. US-Soviet tensions were still high and there were no shortages of movies, documentaries, and media hype. It was extremely eerie feeling to think how long it would take for a counter-strike....or were did they lauch first!
@Gregster I haven't lived in California since Thanksgiving '07. I just saw a power shut-down map yesterday. This is the second consecutive year of PG&E shut-downs. My family still has a restaurant business, barely.....they lost 30K in product before they could get generators. Plus revenue from sales while they were closed. PG&E isn't entirely to blame. Environmental policies and forestry management practices in California prevent clearing overgrowth. Population hasn't helped either....but hey, what do I know!
@Gregster I feel like a foreigner when I visit my place of birth! California was the 7th largest economy in the world....no idea where it ranks now! I've found videos on here that shows footage of San Francisco in tbe '60's-'70's! It makes me feel like a kid again!
One evening about an hour after sundown I was westbound on I-40 out in the middle of nowhere just west of the NM - Arizona border when I saw a very strange light directly ahead, low on the horizon, illuminated against the dark sky. The light slowly elongated into what looked like a white beam with definite ends, moving at first vertically then right to left horizontally just above the horizon, slowly changing into a glowing triangular cloud behind a very bright point of light. Just when I was wondering if I was the only one seeing it, brake lights started coming on and traffic slowed down ahead of me, and some vehicles even pulled over and people got out to stand along the freeway and watch it and take photos or videos. As the strange light continued moving silently southward just above the horizon, another glowing point of light separated from the main point and slowing moved down, disappearing below the horizon. It then occurred to me what I was seeing. It was a missile launch from Vanderberg AFB, approximately 600 miles directly west of me. The reason it was so visible from that distance was that the sun had set and the sky was dark at my location, but over the horizon on the west coast the sun had not yet set and was back lighting the missile's plume as it rose and traveled downrange toward the South Pacific. I later heard on the radio that it was indeed a missile launch from Vanderberg, and that it got reported as a "UFO" all over the SW US. Many videos of it were posted on YT as a UFO and are probably still posted that way even though at the time it was widely reported as a missile launch.
I was a Missile Tech on a submarine in the 1980s. I was part of the launch crew for five test launches. The Navy’s ballistic missiles don’t light off in the missile tube. We used a gas generator system to eject them from the tube and they would light off just above the water.
@@colinashby3775 More solid fuel in the missiles. The original Polaris A1 had two stages and about a 1200-1500 mile range with one warhead on it. IIRC it was only 54 inches in diameter and about 29 feet tall. It weighed around 28,000 pounds. The D-5 missile has three stages, weighs 130,000 pounds, is about 44’ 6” tall, and 83” in diameter. There is more solid fuel in the D-5 rocket motors. Obviously that will give it more range. It will also carry multiple warheads that can be targeted at different aim points. Range is also affected by the number of warheads that each missile carries.
@@colinashby3775 BTW, the range of the D-5 Trident 2 missiles is more that 4200 miles. It is also more accurate than previous U.S. submarine launched ballistic missiles.
Yup, I remember seeing at least the multi colored vapor trail and if lucky, the plume from the missile as it went. Remember the occasional sonic booms from aircraft during the day?
The crazy part is they never open them at full speed during tests bc if they did they would destroy them. So as fast as this is they open much faster. They destroy themselves
Does anyone know where I can find videos and or pics of the silo AFTER the launch? I have looked fairly extensively and cant seem to find any. It would be interesting to see how well the interior holds up from all the heat and shear volume of the engines. Along with that, did they reload that silo?
I heard from a video discussing the launch process of a Titan II ICBM that Silos are basically one shot deals, after the missile lifts off it torches and burns nearly everything around the area that the missile was being held in the silo. The only saved section is the actual launch control complex which is located a good distance from the actual silo itself. So, in short, everything catches fire and or burns, the silo is ruined, and reloading it is kind of impracticable in a strategic sense as if you really needed to use this, reloading it would be the last thing on your mind, as you see/hear an enemy ICBM hit nearby. From a technical standpoint it wouldn't be impossible to reload a silo, but you'd basically have to rebuild it from the ground up since all the supporting structure for actually holding the missile and keeping it on standby has been destroyed on launch or damaged beyond repair.
An operational silo would be completely burned out by the missile exhaust, as you can see from the video. The Vandenberg test silos are specially outfitted to be covered with fire resistant insulation on all surfaces and cables to prevent destruction. After ever test launch, extensive repairs have to be made before another launch is attempted.
US ICBMs are 'hot launch', the missile ignites in the silo and flies out. You'd have to check and repair any damage before reloading. Most Soviet/Russian ICBMs use a 'cold launch' system; the entire missile is encased in a launch capsule, which is loaded into the silo. There's a massive black powder charge at the bottom of the capsule; when ignited, it generates enormous pressure, which pops the 100 ton missile out of the silo like a cork. The missile engine then ignites, with no damage to the silo. (Search for SS-18 launch - ruclips.net/video/Ml1-E5kAeGU/видео.html - at 0:49 you can see the powder charge get pushed aside just before the rocket ignites). Theoretically, if your reload crews were well drilled, you could launch, reload and launch again before the US retaliatory strike hits your silos.
I remember driving east out of Fort Collins on 14 and pulled over to get snacks from the cooler, and when I checked the satellite map, I had pulled over at the entrance to one of the silos. When I got home I researched a bit and it's pretty amazing how many there are. Folks just drive by them without giving it a second thought. Pretty cool.
People in North Dakota that night were probably like "Oh no. It's happening" . just hearing the roar out of nowhere and not being warned up front (or you didn't hear about it) would seem like a moment of lifes reflections.
@Thom Pablo. Test launches are not conducted from ND. The missiles are selected at random. Re-entry vehicles are removed and replaced by instrumented “dummy” RVs. The missile is shipped to Vandenberg AFB for launch. An instrumented waifer is installed and a destruct package is added for Range Safety purposes. The missile is then launched from Vandenberg to Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. The RVs come streaking down about the speed of a 30-06 bullet and splash down in the lagoon at Kwaj. The splash when they hit is about 200 - 300 ft high. Radar based at Kwaj triangulate on the spashes and determine exactly where the missile hit which is then used to add to the Circular Error Probable (CEP) data which is used to determine the weapon system’s accuracy. I’m a former MMII/CDB ICBM Combat Crew Commander/Instructor from the 321st SMW, GFAFB, ND. Spent 4 years on missile combat crew at the Forks.
@@brax2364 I was told that before. I was just making a Joke. if it was Minot and people were just sitting around in a small local town next to it and they got picked for the random testing. sky lit up and they're thinking "Well is must be that time" thats all. it's a bit humor with I feel what would be a reflection, Yet, if someone didn't know it and it happened suddenly. those things are probably really loud taking off. they would cause a bit of fear.
@@raudiaz6245 LOL. Being on Minuteman missile crew you never get to actually see the missiles you are responsible for unless you go out to one of the LFs with a maintenance team. Other than that they are mostly a column of status lights on your console. My next USAF assignment after GF was Vandenberg where i did get involved in missile launches as a Range Control Officer. At Vandenberg we had to send spotter teams out to visually watch the missile launch because the mountainous terrain prevented the RADARs from acquiring the missile until it was high enough. I went out with those teams on occasion and we are positioned 1000 yards directly behind (back azimuth) or 1000 yards 90 degrees to the direction of flight (Program). I can tell you that when you are that close to the missile it is VERY loud.
Thank you David Murphy for setting him straight I was at Minot from 82-93, some people should make sure their brain is engaged before using fingers or opening mouth
Forgot to add I worked the 5th BW and the 91st as aircraft, missile maintenance my afsc I could work both sides but I loved the aircraft side, but I didn't turn up my nose to my friends on the missile side of the house. Drove by 91st HQ every day on my way to work.
Out of curiosity, why does the USA's Minuteman III use a pneumatic concrete silo that slides open sideways and Russia uses big steel pneumatic lids that pop up and the whole lid lifts open before launch? Is there a particular reason for each using this type of setup?
The sliding part is armor grade steel. The old atlas and titan silos used a similar style to what the larger russian missiles use, but I don't know specifically why we chose the sliding setup.
Its because the US decided that it would be easier to open if obstructed by rubble, and when using the same hydraulic system, it is substantially easier to slide a 100T lid to the side than it is to lift it all the way up, flip it over and then lift up again and close.
@@mryusuf6086 How about all of your home country? Edit: Why don't we just blow it all up? I mean, there are people living in your street or your city who want life differently than you do. Don't they all deserve some atomic shroomy goodness?
Of the thousands of missiles owned by the US, only a few hundred are actually deployed in silos. After they pull one out of a silo for testing, that silo is refilled with one from storage.
Because its a treaty we have with russia. decrease the amount of warheads. We actually currently only have 450 ICBMs on alert now. that does not include the sub launched ICBMs just the silo launched ones.
Yes, they do. We notify eachother several months in advance of a test so there can be absolutely no confusion. The very last thing either country needs is the other thinking a routine test is an actual launch event.
Whats more interesting to me is. How they build those bases/bunker. Do they make a huge hole and fill the places with concrete. Or do they dig in the ground and build it like that
I think so, they could launch from Minot AFB but they normally don't. so far Minot AFB and 2 other sites in the mid west are the only other places where we have LGM-30 minuteman 3s at the ready
Derek Wall I thought so, since Minot and the other Bases are in landlocked states, the Missiles would have to go over Residential areas which could spell catastrophe if there's an error/malfunction with the Main Computer or Missile's Guidance System. With Vandenberg, it's right on the Pacific Ocean, which lessens the risk for danger of there's an error. I actually took Photos of some of the Silos and a SLC on my Amtrak trip last weekend. The Coast Starlight/Surfliner go right through the base along the Old SPRR Coast Sub which was there prior to even Camp Cooke(to which VAFB is an upgraded version of), so Amtrak actually has Right-of-way on the Base. If they're launching/testing something, they will postpone it until Amtrak comes through and leaves. Sorry to drone on and on; I really love History, especially local History. My Dad grew up at the Base in the Sixties and Seventies, and My Grandfather "Babysat" the Peacekeepers or one of the early Minutemen missiles while he was a fireman out there.
Satchel Hogan well the thing is that ICBMs account for at least 1/4 of our strategic nuclear arsenal, SLBMs in our 18 trident SSBNs and the rest in stand off (gravity bombs) and tactical nuclear weapons. and safety of the public both on the ground and in the air on private and commercial flights and any other air traffic in the area. yes it would be wise to fly a test missile over areas that have little to no population and the missile cant be detonated in mid flight so launching from a coastal bases and flying over open oceans is the only safe choice. the last time we launched a Trident D5 SLBM was a few year ago so we need to check and see if that weapon system needs to be modernized and if possible made more accurate (less than 50 meters CEP or circular error probability) and get it down to with a 3 foot radius
Vandenberg AFB is home to the 30th Space Wing, which is responsible for testing the USAF's ballistic missiles (including the Minuteman III) and all military space launches. It is however not an operational launch site for the Minuteman III, meaning in the event of nuclear warfare, Vandenberg does not have any ICBMs with nuclear weapons it can launch. All operational Minuteman units, the 90th, 91st and 341st Missile Wings, are located in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana respectively. The ICBM bases were located in such a way they could easily strike the Soviet Union in the event of World War III. The shortest route to the Soviet Union isn't over the east coast, nor is it over the west coast; It's over the North Pole. The only city with more than one million inhabitants on the route to the Soviet Union is the Canadian city of Calgary. But by the time the ICBMs pass over it, they are very high up in the atmosphere and harmless until they actually strike their target.. Add to that the fact each ICBM can be remotely self destructed in a non-nuclear explosion, I think the chances of a disaster are pretty low. Another reason why Vandenberg isn't an ICBM launch site, but why Minot, Francis E. Warren and Malmstrom are, is because they are in the middle of nowhere. If someone launches a retaliatory or preemptive strike against US ICBM bases, you don't want the enemy targeting the base which is right next to a city like Los Angeles. Infrastructure like an ICBM bases makes Los Angeles a military target, which is what you don't want your cities to be. The ICBM bases are, compared to Vandenberg, in the middle of nowhere. It invites less nuclear weapons to be used against your cities and less civilian causalities usually makes for a happier (and healthier) civilian population.
@Piero Locaus Not quite. Maybe German ideas from people like Von Braun, but the missile is powered by three solid-fuel rocket engines. Von Braun didn't design them. Americans did. But if we're going to get that technical...Russia and China stole the USA's ideas for the atom bomb, then. Designed by Julius Robert Oppenheimer, who was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. So German ideas and the actual boom capability came from the USA. A missile with no boom is kind of useless unless you want something like Hitler's V-2 rocket that barely does anything damage-wise. Without the USA creating nuclear weapons, they wouldn't exist in the world. Every other country only has them because they stole the ideas and designs.
@@jesser5127 research was already being done in Germany, but America was the first to figure it out all the way. Nuclear weapons were going to be figured out by somebody, America or not
These test launches are not an accurate portrayal of a real tactical launch. During a real EAM launch there are 4 ballistic gas generators that literally blast the launcher closer down the tracking rails at hyper speed well off into the distance. This is necessary to drive the launcher door through snow and ice in winter, the edge of the launcher is shaped like a huge snowplow. Without this power, the door could get stuck and partially block the missile during the initial launch phase out of the silo. That door will blast through deep snow/ice or displaced dirt or rock from an incoming strike. A minuteman can also launch at an off angle if a nearby strike caused ground shift. Long story short - If a launch command is authorized by 2 separate crews, THAT MISSILE IS GOING.......
It's pretty impossible given the airtight mechanical seal and frequent maintenance. It was designed to withstand any weather and deploy under any conditions up to but not including a direct hit from a russian scorched-earth nuke.
What an incredible site...the most beautiful site I hope we never see. I pray the theory of MAD, and Peace thru Strength keeps us from ever witnessing our ICBM's being launched, because once the missles are flying, they are not coming back. I still would rather have and not need than need and not have. I don't know why I take comfort in knowing if anyone kills us, they are also coming...
These tests are announced well in advance, and they are launched from Vandenberg, which has no live missiles at all. And they are launched towards Kwajalein Atoll, not in the direction of anyone who is worried about a nuclear attack from the US.
There are specific communication protocols which are agreed upon and followed by the various military institutions around the world to avoid "misunderstandings".
I'm looking for ICBM launch video showing late-stage thrust dumping needed for less-than-max-range trajectories. It might look like a spiral or twin side-lobes. Can anybody help? Here’s the type of missile test in Russia that makes spirals for warhead deploy stabilization: satobs.org/seesat_ref/misc/171226_kyss.pdf I suspect the Dec 2009 'Norway spiral' was premature thrust-dumping initiation. satobs.org/seesat_ref/misc/Norway_Spiral_--_15_FAQS_final.pdf
We used to do that yearly for Titan II missile system, too. After Titan was decommissioned, the pulled birds were used for successful launches of classified payloads for the Air Force. Good use of taxpayer dollars! A nuclear deterrent and successful launch platform.
It's funny how I have particular relatives who took out the computers in these missiles for a scrapping company that they got clearance from minot operating the silos, According to them, some of the missiles are just duds or interceptors to fool the enemy lol.
Minuteman missiles can reach orbital velocity, but I guess they are simply not designed for orbital maneuvers. This would require enhanced guidance systems, reaction control thruster and a reignitable engine.
@Matthew Familia ["can use the earths spin to go all the way around the globe and hit the silo it was launched from"] ====> "Military" and "Intelligence" at work?
I remember driving along the highway between Bismarck and Minot and seeing the missile silos just off the road (basically just a pole and a fence). I was a rocket fan and said "sure would be cool to see one of those fly" and my Dad said "If we see one of those take off, we have about 30 mins to live"
damn
Why exactly?
@@SobboMonkeVR It was more a sort of morbid rhetoric, but basically that poster's dad was getting at the fact that if we [American citizens] saw our silos launching, it probably meant it was a retaliatory strike against a massive nuclear attack against us and/or us making a preemptive strike against the Soviets where they would launch missiles in return.
Haziel Soberal because if they launch more than one at once you will know it’s not a test which means they are heading to a target somewhere else in the world and most likely one with the ability retaliate in kind
@@grantrichardet6250 oh, thanks.
We called them Glory Trips when I was a MCCC at Whiteman AFB, MO in the 1970s/80s. Shows how reliable these weapon systems are - you can select one that has stood alert for years and it launches and flies as if it was brand new. Awesome!!!
@ Tom Bohon. MMII/CDB MCCC 321st SMW/OA 81 primary competitor/4315th CCTS IQT Instructor/WSMC/ETR RCO VAFB. Also called them Glory Trips when I was a crew dog from ‘78 - 82 at the Forks.
EMT F.E.Warren ‘86-89. SAC all the way!
EMT Force Mod (Malmstrom)/CDB (Warren) I went on three FOT shots. The first trip was for two missiles back to back from LF-04. We had a week off while Refurb put the LF back together. A historic event occurred that week - the Sylmar Earthquake. It woke me up at my parents home in Downey. The third missile was from LF-02, using the LCC 01-B. We hung out with our Vice Wing Commander in the dining hall, with the telemetry truck right outside the door.
That's the big difference between the US and Russia.
US picks a random regular rocket and uses it for a test to see if everything works as expected.
Russia would carefully cherrypick the best missile they got, go over it with a magnifying glass and look for the tiniest flaws, so they can stage a test, hoping it'll not fail, so they can impress other nations.
This is why the US is the best and most powerful military force that has ever existed, easily capable of setting up logistic chains across the globe within a few weeks if they need to and why Russia is a worthless cleptocracy of shams and lies, incapable of invading a neighboring nation with a direct land border and 10 years of preparation.
thank you for your service
never knew Seth Green was into nukes
IKR, I was thinking the same thing.
LMAO I was just about to comment is this chris griffin
that's a cool missile, but not as cool as this settlement that needs your help, here, I'll mark it on your map...
Damn, that one caught me off-guard.
Nice
Ready on the minute and prepared to defend ones nation. That’s the meaning of the minutemen if anybody was curious.
Defending xD You know that nuclear winter does not respect your borders right? Plus you can be sure that if you send out these things, there are also many coming your way. So much for "defending". And while the ones sparking said war are sitting comfortably in an underground war until mankind is ready for their indoctrination again, you and I are gonna get the worst of it. Solution: Hang the phonies, go back to nature.
That's utter bullshit though, because these missiles can not defend ones nation, their purpose is to kill as many people as possible.
@@moos5221
It's not the missile itself that does the protecting.
It's the *_THREAT_* that the missile represents.
The ICBM force is a deterrent - a weapon that's designed *_not_* to be used.
@@stickiedmin6508 oh really...you are so smart.
@@moos5221
I try.
Chris Griffin?
FryChicken
*I KNEW I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THAT*
Seth Green. But no, that is just how half the males in the Airforce sound naturally.
0:07 why that door cover after it opened reminds me on turret of M-1A2 abrams
+
Maybe there are structural an constructional necessities for heavy armored doors and hatches wich leading to similar results?
This is what the brink of extinction looks like.
General, another settlement needs your help.
Okay What Are The Co-Ordinates!!??
"My dad says he's gonna launch one of these unless of course you give him one meeellion dollars."
Notice after ten years in a fairly humid underground storage silo, it was randomly pulled, taken apart, transported across country, assembled, and it worked. Then it hit a target across the world, while traveling in outer space most of the way. Putin take note.
if you think the russians don't have that capability, you're living a fantasy.
And you assume the Russians can’t do to same thing?
@@michealklondike4049yes
@@valyushalee2320 that’s a pretty bad assumption.
@@michealklondike4049 fake
People don't realize, when you are on the ground watching this, the thing lifts into the sky so fast you can't believe it. Whoosh, thud....2 sec pause, roar like you wouldn't believe, gone, that quick.
So impressive, we have thousands of these things, ready to fly at a moments notice, using technology that was designed nearly 50 years ago, and North Korea can't get even one to work.
Its "only" 400 missiles but still the point stands
There are thousands but actually only 400 are active. The technology is not in the launch systems, it's mostly in the missiles and the challenge is to get them to the target accurately. Well, yes, there is also some technology in the lauch sites:the chamber housing the rocket must be sound absorbing for the rocket to lauch from inside it without being lifted up. Otherwise the ICBM might get destroyed insise the launch chamber. Also, the sliding vault like "door" must be blast proof and I suspect its made of some kinda super alloy with an outer layer of concrete.
Well, a lot of it was from the Germans who were captured after WW2. Werner Von Braun was involved in the V2 rocket before working for the US.
Can’t get one to work until now
imagine the shit we got now
I never realized Seth Green was a senior officer in the Air Force.
his father Dr. Evil must have had some connections to get him the job
"Senior Airman" = not a commissioned officer.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought the same thing! lol
I was at Cal Poly, SLO living on campus in '83 and a group of us saw a launch from Vandenberg AB at dusk. At the time, California was experiencing rolling brown outs with the power grid. US-Soviet tensions were still high and there were no shortages of movies, documentaries, and media hype. It was extremely eerie feeling to think how long it would take for a counter-strike....or were did they lauch first!
@Gregster I haven't lived in California since Thanksgiving '07. I just saw a power shut-down map yesterday. This is the second consecutive year of PG&E shut-downs. My family still has a restaurant business, barely.....they lost 30K in product before they could get generators. Plus revenue from sales while they were closed. PG&E isn't entirely to blame. Environmental policies and forestry management practices in California prevent clearing overgrowth. Population hasn't helped either....but hey, what do I know!
@Gregster I feel like a foreigner when I visit my place of birth! California was the 7th largest economy in the world....no idea where it ranks now! I've found videos on here that shows footage of San Francisco in tbe '60's-'70's! It makes me feel like a kid again!
One evening about an hour after sundown I was westbound on I-40 out in the middle of nowhere just west of the NM - Arizona border when I saw a very strange light directly ahead, low on the horizon, illuminated against the dark sky. The light slowly elongated into what looked like a white beam with definite ends, moving at first vertically then right to left horizontally just above the horizon, slowly changing into a glowing triangular cloud behind a very bright point of light. Just when I was wondering if I was the only one seeing it, brake lights started coming on and traffic slowed down ahead of me, and some vehicles even pulled over and people got out to stand along the freeway and watch it and take photos or videos. As the strange light continued moving silently southward just above the horizon, another glowing point of light separated from the main point and slowing moved down, disappearing below the horizon.
It then occurred to me what I was seeing. It was a missile launch from Vanderberg AFB, approximately 600 miles directly west of me. The reason it was so visible from that distance was that the sun had set and the sky was dark at my location, but over the horizon on the west coast the sun had not yet set and was back lighting the missile's plume as it rose and traveled downrange toward the South Pacific. I later heard on the radio that it was indeed a missile launch from Vanderberg, and that it got reported as a "UFO" all over the SW US. Many videos of it were posted on YT as a UFO and are probably still posted that way even though at the time it was widely reported as a missile launch.
2022 Minuetman III: "well hello there"
When he's not making Robot Chicken, Seth Green narrates ICBM launches.
I was a Missile Tech on a submarine in the 1980s. I was part of the launch crew for five test launches. The Navy’s ballistic missiles don’t light off in the missile tube. We used a gas generator system to eject them from the tube and they would light off just above the water.
How the heck do they have a 4200mile range. That’s stupendous.
@@colinashby3775 More solid fuel in the missiles. The original Polaris A1 had two stages and about a 1200-1500 mile range with one warhead on it. IIRC it was only 54 inches in diameter and about 29 feet tall. It weighed around 28,000 pounds.
The D-5 missile has three stages, weighs 130,000 pounds, is about 44’ 6” tall, and 83” in diameter. There is more solid fuel in the D-5 rocket motors. Obviously that will give it more range. It will also carry multiple warheads that can be targeted at different aim points. Range is also affected by the number of warheads that each missile carries.
@@ssmt2 ok. That makes sense. Never having seen one I can't sorry gauge the size of the things. That's plenty fuel. Gotcha. Thanks
@@colinashby3775 BTW, the range of the D-5 Trident 2 missiles is more that 4200 miles. It is also more accurate than previous U.S. submarine launched ballistic missiles.
@@ssmt2 amazing. Thanks. Would love to see one launch one day
Grew up in SoCal in the late 60's and 70's. We used to see missile test shots go up from Vandenberg AFB north of Lompoc all the time.
Yup, I remember seeing at least the multi colored vapor trail and if lucky, the plume from the missile as it went. Remember the occasional sonic booms from aircraft during the day?
damn these heavy bunker covers open up fast
The crazy part is they never open them at full speed during tests bc if they did they would destroy them. So as fast as this is they open much faster. They destroy themselves
The power of lots and lots of explosive charges ...
Does anyone know where I can find videos and or pics of the silo AFTER the launch? I have looked fairly extensively and cant seem to find any. It would be interesting to see how well the interior holds up from all the heat and shear volume of the engines. Along with that, did they reload that silo?
I heard from a video discussing the launch process of a Titan II ICBM that Silos are basically one shot deals, after the missile lifts off it torches and burns nearly everything around the area that the missile was being held in the silo. The only saved section is the actual launch control complex which is located a good distance from the actual silo itself.
So, in short, everything catches fire and or burns, the silo is ruined, and reloading it is kind of impracticable in a strategic sense as if you really needed to use this, reloading it would be the last thing on your mind, as you see/hear an enemy ICBM hit nearby.
From a technical standpoint it wouldn't be impossible to reload a silo, but you'd basically have to rebuild it from the ground up since all the supporting structure for actually holding the missile and keeping it on standby has been destroyed on launch or damaged beyond repair.
An operational silo would be completely burned out by the missile exhaust, as you can see from the video. The Vandenberg test silos are specially outfitted to be covered with fire resistant insulation on all surfaces and cables to prevent destruction. After ever test launch, extensive repairs have to be made before another launch is attempted.
US ICBMs are 'hot launch', the missile ignites in the silo and flies out. You'd have to check and repair any damage before reloading.
Most Soviet/Russian ICBMs use a 'cold launch' system; the entire missile is encased in a launch capsule, which is loaded into the silo. There's a massive black powder charge at the bottom of the capsule; when ignited, it generates enormous pressure, which pops the 100 ton missile out of the silo like a cork. The missile engine then ignites, with no damage to the silo. (Search for SS-18 launch - ruclips.net/video/Ml1-E5kAeGU/видео.html - at 0:49 you can see the powder charge get pushed aside just before the rocket ignites).
Theoretically, if your reload crews were well drilled, you could launch, reload and launch again before the US retaliatory strike hits your silos.
Now is NOT the time to recommend this RUclips
Go on Google Map, and you can see every U.S Silo. They're located in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
I remember driving east out of Fort Collins on 14 and pulled over to get snacks from the cooler, and when I checked the satellite map, I had pulled over at the entrance to one of the silos. When I got home I researched a bit and it's pretty amazing how many there are. Folks just drive by them without giving it a second thought. Pretty cool.
Is Seth Green the narrator?
Amazing
People in North Dakota that night were probably like "Oh no. It's happening" . just hearing the roar out of nowhere and not being warned up front (or you didn't hear about it) would seem like a moment of lifes reflections.
@Thom Pablo. Test launches are not conducted from ND. The missiles are selected at random. Re-entry vehicles are removed and replaced by instrumented “dummy” RVs. The missile is shipped to Vandenberg AFB for launch. An instrumented waifer is installed and a destruct package is added for Range Safety purposes. The missile is then launched from Vandenberg to Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. The RVs come streaking down about the speed of a 30-06 bullet and splash down in the lagoon at Kwaj. The splash when they hit is about 200 - 300 ft high. Radar based at Kwaj triangulate on the spashes and determine exactly where the missile hit which is then used to add to the Circular Error Probable (CEP) data which is used to determine the weapon system’s accuracy. I’m a former MMII/CDB ICBM Combat Crew Commander/Instructor from the 321st SMW, GFAFB, ND. Spent 4 years on missile combat crew at the Forks.
@@brax2364 I was told that before. I was just making a Joke. if it was Minot and people were just sitting around in a small local town next to it and they got picked for the random testing. sky lit up and they're thinking "Well is must be that time" thats all. it's a bit humor with I feel what would be a reflection, Yet, if someone didn't know it and it happened suddenly. those things are probably really loud taking off. they would cause a bit of fear.
@@raudiaz6245 LOL. Being on Minuteman missile crew you never get to actually see the missiles you are responsible for unless you go out to one of the LFs with a maintenance team. Other than that they are mostly a column of status lights on your console. My next USAF assignment after GF was Vandenberg where i did get involved in missile launches as a Range Control Officer. At Vandenberg we had to send spotter teams out to visually watch the missile launch because the mountainous terrain prevented the RADARs from acquiring the missile until it was high enough. I went out with those teams on occasion and we are positioned 1000 yards directly behind (back azimuth) or 1000 yards 90 degrees to the direction of flight (Program). I can tell you that when you are that close to the missile it is VERY loud.
Thank you David Murphy for setting him straight I was at Minot from 82-93, some people should make sure their brain is engaged before using fingers or opening mouth
Forgot to add I worked the 5th BW and the 91st as aircraft, missile maintenance my afsc I could work both sides but I loved the aircraft side, but I didn't turn up my nose to my friends on the missile side of the house. Drove by 91st HQ every day on my way to work.
Out of curiosity, why does the USA's Minuteman III use a pneumatic concrete silo that slides open sideways and Russia uses big steel pneumatic lids that pop up and the whole lid lifts open before launch? Is there a particular reason for each using this type of setup?
Just guessing but the slide ones don't need to be hidden as they only launch them from a test facility.
The sliding part is armor grade steel. The old atlas and titan silos used a similar style to what the larger russian missiles use, but I don't know specifically why we chose the sliding setup.
That’s not pneumatic its hydraulic LOL
Its because the US decided that it would be easier to open if obstructed by rubble, and when using the same hydraulic system, it is substantially easier to slide a 100T lid to the side than it is to lift it all the way up, flip it over and then lift up again and close.
I'm surprised they don't explode in the tube from the initial launch do to the exhaust pressure pressing on the missile casing.
Do you have one of these left over to use on Portland, Ore. ?
Seattle 2
@@mryusuf6086 How about all of your home country?
Edit: Why don't we just blow it all up? I mean, there are people living in your street or your city who want life differently than you do. Don't they all deserve some atomic shroomy goodness?
Dumb question. Do they have spares to replace the ones they pull out of the ground?
I'm so proud to witness that video
Oh neat, we've got Chris Griffin doing narration.
We saw more than a few launches when my father was stationed at Vandenberg.
minuteman? fallout 4 confirmed
They seem to do several launches a year. Where do they get all of these missiles? Are they just part of the stockpile leftover from the cold war?
Of the thousands of missiles owned by the US, only a few hundred are actually deployed in silos. After they pull one out of a silo for testing, that silo is refilled with one from storage.
+Tim Schmidt no, actually, after the start and short treaties is about 750 silos
+Tim Schmidt and it's supposed to decrease to 450 by 2018
Because its a treaty we have with russia. decrease the amount of warheads. We actually currently only have 450 ICBMs on alert now. that does not include the sub launched ICBMs just the silo launched ones.
They're probably manifactured in factories.
good job Shane that was awesome
Thanks, ..I worked really hard on that movie..that's for sure. My net worth went up to $7billion!
smoke ring rizz
I wonder if US and Russia alerts each one when a test is about to happen...just to avoid false alarms.
Yes, they do. We notify eachother several months in advance of a test so there can be absolutely no confusion. The very last thing either country needs is the other thinking a routine test is an actual launch event.
Sure China alerts others of tests too .. not to many want nuclear war
They do worn each other, and launch the test missiles from dedicated test silos well away from the missle fields proper the each side knows about.
A single vehicle killing multiple cities . A single launch vehicle destroying multiple cities.
Whats more interesting to me is. How they build those bases/bunker. Do they make a huge hole and fill the places with concrete. Or do they dig in the ground and build it like that
How accurate is this test? If they had to pull the rocket and tear it apart and rebuild it, then this is more of a show than a test.
Why not Minot?
Freezin’ the reason!
It'z really a Minuteman !
going to bed june 2022 feeling warm and cozy inside knowing every blank square from Wyoming to Nebraska...
Isn't Vandenberg the main launch site for these?
I think so, they could launch from Minot AFB but they normally don't. so far Minot AFB and 2 other sites in the mid west are the only other places where we have LGM-30 minuteman 3s at the ready
Derek Wall I thought so, since Minot and the other Bases are in landlocked states, the Missiles would have to go over Residential areas which could spell catastrophe if there's an error/malfunction with the Main Computer or Missile's Guidance System.
With Vandenberg, it's right on the Pacific Ocean, which lessens the risk for danger of there's an error. I actually took Photos of some of the Silos and a SLC on my Amtrak trip last weekend.
The Coast Starlight/Surfliner go right through the base along the Old SPRR Coast Sub which was there prior to even Camp Cooke(to which VAFB is an upgraded version of), so Amtrak actually has Right-of-way on the Base. If they're launching/testing something, they will postpone it until Amtrak comes through and leaves.
Sorry to drone on and on; I really love History, especially local History. My Dad grew up at the Base in the Sixties and Seventies, and My Grandfather "Babysat" the Peacekeepers or one of the early Minutemen missiles while he was a fireman out there.
Satchel Hogan well the thing is that ICBMs account for at least 1/4 of our strategic nuclear arsenal, SLBMs in our 18 trident SSBNs and the rest in stand off (gravity bombs) and tactical nuclear weapons. and safety of the public both on the ground and in the air on private and commercial flights and any other air traffic in the area. yes it would be wise to fly a test missile over areas that have little to no population and the missile cant be detonated in mid flight so launching from a coastal bases and flying over open oceans is the only safe choice. the last time we launched a Trident D5 SLBM was a few year ago so we need to check and see if that weapon system needs to be modernized and if possible made more accurate (less than 50 meters CEP or circular error probability) and get it down to with a 3 foot radius
Vandenberg AFB is home to the 30th Space Wing, which is responsible for testing the USAF's ballistic missiles (including the Minuteman III) and all military space launches. It is however not an operational launch site for the Minuteman III, meaning in the event of nuclear warfare, Vandenberg does not have any ICBMs with nuclear weapons it can launch.
All operational Minuteman units, the 90th, 91st and 341st Missile Wings, are located in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana respectively. The ICBM bases were located in such a way they could easily strike the Soviet Union in the event of World War III. The shortest route to the Soviet Union isn't over the east coast, nor is it over the west coast; It's over the North Pole.
The only city with more than one million inhabitants on the route to the Soviet Union is the Canadian city of Calgary. But by the time the ICBMs pass over it, they are very high up in the atmosphere and harmless until they actually strike their target.. Add to that the fact each ICBM can be remotely self destructed in a non-nuclear explosion, I think the chances of a disaster are pretty low.
Another reason why Vandenberg isn't an ICBM launch site, but why Minot, Francis E. Warren and Malmstrom are, is because they are in the middle of nowhere. If someone launches a retaliatory or preemptive strike against US ICBM bases, you don't want the enemy targeting the base which is right next to a city like Los Angeles. Infrastructure like an ICBM bases makes Los Angeles a military target, which is what you don't want your cities to be.
The ICBM bases are, compared to Vandenberg, in the middle of nowhere. It invites less nuclear weapons to be used against your cities and less civilian causalities usually makes for a happier (and healthier) civilian population.
no we only test launch them there and we also have the maintainers tech school here which im in rn. no active missiles on the base
American Technology at Work
@Piero Locaus Not quite. Maybe German ideas from people like Von Braun, but the missile is powered by three solid-fuel rocket engines. Von Braun didn't design them. Americans did. But if we're going to get that technical...Russia and China stole the USA's ideas for the atom bomb, then. Designed by Julius Robert Oppenheimer, who was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. So German ideas and the actual boom capability came from the USA. A missile with no boom is kind of useless unless you want something like Hitler's V-2 rocket that barely does anything damage-wise. Without the USA creating nuclear weapons, they wouldn't exist in the world. Every other country only has them because they stole the ideas and designs.
True. Minuteman is a solid-fuel missile because of Colonel Edward Hall (U.S. Air Force).
@@jesser5127 research was already being done in Germany, but America was the first to figure it out all the way. Nuclear weapons were going to be figured out by somebody, America or not
@@jesser5127 🖕🖕🖕🤣🤣
That was launched to show lil Kimmy rocket boy what a REAL ROCKET looks like.
These test launches are not an accurate portrayal of a real tactical launch. During a real EAM launch there are 4 ballistic gas generators that literally blast the launcher closer down the tracking rails at hyper speed well off into the distance. This is necessary to drive the launcher door through snow and ice in winter, the edge of the launcher is shaped like a huge snowplow. Without this power, the door could get stuck and partially block the missile during the initial launch phase out of the silo. That door will blast through deep snow/ice or displaced dirt or rock from an incoming strike. A minuteman can also launch at an off angle if a nearby strike caused ground shift. Long story short - If a launch command is authorized by 2 separate crews, THAT MISSILE IS GOING.......
can it work underwater too ? i dont think its impossible to get flooded.
It's pretty impossible given the airtight mechanical seal and frequent maintenance. It was designed to withstand any weather and deploy under any conditions up to but not including a direct hit from a russian scorched-earth nuke.
What an incredible site...the most beautiful site I hope we never see. I pray the theory of MAD, and Peace thru Strength keeps us from ever witnessing our ICBM's being launched, because once the missles are flying, they are not coming back. I still would rather have and not need than need and not have. I don't know why I take comfort in knowing if anyone kills us, they are also coming...
Why do u sound like chris from family guy??
Safe and secure. 2 words that dont belong when talking about death and destruction.
This is s launch from Minot AFB, North Dakota......?
No. The missile was selected at random from Minot, but it was trucked to Vandenberg for it's test.
*FREEDOM INTENSIFIES*
FREEDOM DOESNT EXIST IN RUSSIA SO STFU
["that silo is refilled with one from storage"] ===> Yay, america, land of "Unlimited Free Refills."
Its nice to know US silos open faster
Hey when all that lives gets blown to hellfire it's the milliseconds that REALLY COUNT.
I take it the country lets the other country know its a test so someone dosnt accidently launch actual missiles back?
What if I hit it with a bat just after it pops out? I mean before the main engines cut in.
do it, you won't
Regarding the weight of the missile, it wouldn't do anything, you'd juste get burned to a crisp.
"It's time"
Fired on themeselves Vandenberg. Now fires on Macs in DC.
Hey I'm from north Dakota
Me too
["....from north Dakota...."] ====> Good gawd, WHY?
Wintertime's enough to banish sensible people, much less nukes.
i hope theres no evil minute
Let's hope Putin doesn't make us use a few of these.
This launched from Vandenberg... you can tell by the fog.
I was on a boomer when we did a ripple shot of 6 Polaris A3 SLBM’s. About 1969
Cool,fireworks.
Damn that door opened hella quick
All 110 tons of it.
sheeit
Nice
This sylo looks like the one from Rise of Nations game
Ah yes. The missile spam.
launches are from Vanderberg AFB. a test launch from minot would be seen as an act of war, and trigger firing chains they always fire from VAFB
+Dragonx0562. Listen again, he says the missile was selected at random from Minot and then taken to Vandenberg for testing.
City bursters warheads.
And how do our enemies know it’s not actually armed? I’ve always wondered that.
They don't ... :)
These tests are announced well in advance, and they are launched from Vandenberg, which has no live missiles at all. And they are launched towards Kwajalein Atoll, not in the direction of anyone who is worried about a nuclear attack from the US.
@@hydra70 thank you so much for this information!!
There are specific communication protocols which are agreed upon and followed by the various military institutions around the world to avoid "misunderstandings".
I'm looking for ICBM launch video showing late-stage thrust dumping needed for less-than-max-range trajectories. It might look like a spiral or twin side-lobes. Can anybody help? Here’s the type of missile test in Russia that makes spirals for warhead deploy stabilization:
satobs.org/seesat_ref/misc/171226_kyss.pdf
I suspect the Dec 2009 'Norway spiral' was premature thrust-dumping initiation.
satobs.org/seesat_ref/misc/Norway_Spiral_--_15_FAQS_final.pdf
Minutemen wouldnt agree
'
very cooool nice Minuteman3 ICBM missile...
america can make many more MX missiles, bigger sizes, longer range miles, powerful nuclear TNTs
Bet you space X gives us the super Sonic we're waiting on now
Essentially fuck your government financed program
We used to do that yearly for Titan II missile system, too. After Titan was decommissioned, the pulled birds were used for successful launches of classified payloads for the Air Force. Good use of taxpayer dollars! A nuclear deterrent and successful launch platform.
It's funny how I have particular relatives who took out the computers in these missiles for a scrapping company that they got clearance from minot operating the silos, According to them, some of the missiles are just duds or interceptors to fool the enemy lol.
you sound like chris Griffin at the start of the video
Another settlement needs your help
>My knot
Didn't know these things are OLD. When was the last time US build a new ICBM?
1980’s Peacekeeper; since retired.
Minuteman III’s were built in the 70’s and are still going strong.
It was the peacekeeper, but I heard there was a new one in development.
Такая милая, красивая ракета...
Let's hope that such a scene never plays out in anger with live warheads.
Are we going to ignore the fact that the dank Air Force launched it 4,200 miles?
pretty long range, from North Dakota to Bikini Atoll
Matthew Familia no, just no....earths spin? You must be joking
Minuteman missiles can reach orbital velocity, but I guess they are simply not designed for orbital maneuvers.
This would require enhanced guidance systems, reaction control thruster and a reignitable engine.
The missile was pulled from a silo at Minot Air Force Base. It was later reassembled and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
@Matthew Familia ["can use the earths spin to go all the way around the globe and hit the silo it was launched from"] ====> "Military" and "Intelligence" at work?
Typically they go to kwajalein
muff?
"Safe nuclear deterrent"- if your nukes are safe, you did something wrong
Contra Duval M. A. D.
Advocatus Diaboli
no u
mansei! mansei!
the worldender
Nuclear Free World!
isso mete medo também
Another "GLORY TRIP" from California.....right....?
Hey Americans...put the money to the health system and your citizens...nobody needs this weapons anymore.....
Tell that to China and Russia, there building new ones!
They have been keeping us safe and doing they're job for many years.
Dusty Fortier their*
My apologies
I hope you have other sweet dreams, because they clearly are just.... dreams
Gonna be sending a few of those to Beijing next.
who invented this evil thing????
A very, very evil animal indeed.
@@devilsoffspring5519 hell awaiting all evil ppl
@@limeddie3864 And THIS is what opens that door to hell.
@@devilsoffspring5519 👍🏻👌🏻😹
Weissnat Villages
End of the world.....