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Posted: 5/12/2023 9:52:02 PM EDT
How about we talk about these?
 The Titan Rocket - From War Machine to Space Giant to Obsolescence An interesting piece of hardware. But it probably stayed in service a little longer than it should have. Hypergolic fuels are pretty dangerous.   Command and Control (2016) The Socket HD 1980 Damascus Titan II Missile (ICBM) Explosion |
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Posted: 5/12/2023 10:03:08 PM EDT
[#1]
If you ever get the chance:
https://titanmissilemuseum.org/ |
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Posted: 5/12/2023 10:10:00 PM EDT
[#2]
War stuff is interesting.
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Posted: 5/12/2023 10:18:48 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryThis. Titan II. Was pretty cool. Got to "Turn The Key" for a simulation launch. Facility is very 60's but got the Job done until the 80's. The Titan II was groundbreaking as it could be stored fully fuelled & ready to launch from inside the silo. No waiting to load Kerosene & Lox or having to raise the entire missile up & out to launch. And the Titan II served as the launch platform for the Gemini spaceflights. Bigger_Hammer 
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Posted: 5/12/2023 11:57:49 PM EDT
[#4]
There were/are underground silos scattered all throughout the desert southwest.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:31:14 AM EDT
[#5]
Back when ICBMs were in the multi megaton range.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:47:35 AM EDT
[#6]
     
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Posted: 5/13/2023 3:59:56 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Back when ICBM accuracy was in the multi megaton range. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 4:09:39 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This. Titian II. Was pretty cool. Got to "Turn The Key" for a simulation launch. Facility is very 60's but got the Job done until the 80's. The Titian II was groundbreaking as it could be stored fully fuelled & ready to launch from inside the silo. No waiting to load Kerosene & Lox or having to raise the entire missile up & out to launch. And the Titian II served as the launch platform for the Gemini spaceflights. Bigger_Hammer |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 4:29:16 AM EDT
[#9]
Remarkable missile for sure.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 4:36:18 AM EDT
[#10]
Neat stuff.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 5:25:32 AM EDT
[#11]
Thanks for posting this.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 5:30:23 AM EDT
[#12]
Daughter served eight years in the silo and a total of twenty five years in the AF.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 10:28:21 AM EDT
[#13]
My father worked on the team that devised the guidance system.
All done with slide rules and sine tables. Analog computers. The missiles had their own spinning gyroscope on board. He didn't care to talk about the accuracy of the finalized system they proved in New Mexico and over the Pacific, so long as there were missiles in the ground. He did say that they were very, very pleasantly surprised. Astonished even. He would be 94 today. He did that work when he was in the prime of his life, just out of the Navy. That's a really old system. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 10:36:04 AM EDT
[#14]
I did the Titan II museum over a decade ago and it was awesome. I went to Pima the next day as well. They are must see places if you find yourself in Arizona.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 10:40:23 AM EDT
[#15]
Fun Titan II Fact. The Titan II was primarily the "Big Stick" of the ICBM force for going after Soviet / Chinese Command & Control Bunkers - (A.K.A. leadership).
While each of the later solid fueled Minuteman III carried a MIRV 'package' of three warheads in the 'Kiloton' range + "penetration aids", the Titan II carried one Big & Bad 6 Megaton Monster warhead. Anyplace underneath such a beast... would NOT be a good place to hide when set to surface burst.  Bigger_Hammer
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Posted: 5/13/2023 10:41:35 AM EDT
[#16]
Minuteman III for the win. Silos are so much simpler with easier access to reentry system if the need arose. Plus we didn’t feel like it would self-launch at any time.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 10:43:28 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I did the Titan II museum over a decade ago and it was awesome. I went to Pima the next day as well. They are must see places if you find yourself in Arizona. Did exactly that in April. They are close enough that you can do both in a day (if you start early & have the stamina). Do Pima Air & Space first (lots of outdoors displays and it gets HOT in AZ quickly when the sun comes up), then enjoy the cool comfort of that Titan Facility under ground. Five Stars!  Bigger_Hammer
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:18:21 AM EDT
[#18]
Scott Manley vid. He goofed when he said "Michael Burke" perfectly timed a Titan launch during a TV segment--it was James Burke at the end of an episode of Connections, the classic late '70s show about technological change.
I got a tour of the Martin Marietta plant near Denver in 1984, got to see Titan rockets under construction. Very impressive, and kinda old school--old ladies were building the wiring harnesses by stringing various colors of wire on long panels. It was basically a full size schematic of the rocket on a long plywood wall, with every wire and connection painted on the surface. I also saw the bare rocket motors being built--the actual combustion chambers were surprisingly small considering how powerful they were. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:33:55 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fun Titian II Fact. The Titian II was primarily the "Big Stick" of the ICBM force for going after Soviet / Chinese Command & Control Bunkers - (A.K.A. leadership). While each of the later solid fueled Minuteman III carried a MIRV 'package' of three warheads in the 'Kiloton' range + "penetration aids", the Titan II carried one Big & Bad 6 Megaton Monster warhead. Anyplace underneath such a beast... would NOT be a good place to hide when set to surface burst. Bigger_Hammer I believe it was a nine megaton warhead when I was in the business. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:36:10 AM EDT
[#20]
Great topic. Very interesting history.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:37:52 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My father worked on the team that devised the guidance system. All done with slide rules and sine tables. Analog computers. The missiles had their own spinning gyroscope on board. He didn't care to talk about the accuracy of the finalized system they proved in New Mexico and over the Pacific, so long as there were missiles in the ground. He did say that they were very, very pleasantly surprised. Astonished even. He would be 94 today. He did that work when he was in the prime of his life, just out of the Navy. That's a really old system. Neat. Those missiles always knew where they were, because they knew where they weren't |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:44:33 AM EDT
[#22]
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:50:26 AM EDT
[#23]
Manly is a good dude.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:52:09 AM EDT
[#24]
Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS has a neat one you can get up close and personal with.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:55:02 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I believe it was a nine megaton warhead when I was in the business. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Fun Titian II Fact. The Titian II was primarily the "Big Stick" of the ICBM force for going after Soviet / Chinese Command & Control Bunkers - (A.K.A. leadership). While each of the later solid fueled Minuteman III carried a MIRV 'package' of three warheads in the 'Kiloton' range + "penetration aids", the Titan II carried one Big & Bad 6 Megaton Monster warhead. Anyplace underneath such a beast... would NOT be a good place to hide when set to surface burst. Bigger_Hammer I believe it was a nine megaton warhead when I was in the business. You are Correct Sir! Missed the "9" & got the "6" by mistake on the number pad. W-53 warhead = 9 Megatons of good ol' America - Fnck Yeah!!"  Bigger_Hammer
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:55:21 AM EDT
[#26]
Not made anymore, but you sometimes find them for sale on auction sites.
 
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Posted: 5/13/2023 11:56:56 AM EDT
[#27]
The engine test stands at Edwards are really cool to see. Locals say they could hear the rumble in town every time they fired one up.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:02:03 PM EDT
[#28]
I went to the museum when I was around 11-12 years old. Would like to go back 30 years later to experience it as an adult. Would leave a different impression for sure.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:08:23 PM EDT
[#29]
A Mini-Map of the Facility.
 You enter via stairs (there is an elevator but it is only used for moving large / heavy components) You have to cross Several VERY Thick & Serious Blast Doors. One side the Launch Control & Crew Capsule. Other side of the complex is the solo missile in the silo. The entire interior is "isolated" from the surrounding hardened exterior on springs & dampers. I was sort of surprised that the facilities only had one missile per command center. I'm pretty sure each Minute Man III launch center can supervise & fire multiple silos. Tucson had several Titan II silos ringing the city. Good for jobs, maybe 'not so good' if things had ever gone "Hot" in the "Cold war"  It was a both educational & sobering (that we had / have such weapons then & now with crews ready to rain nuclear destruction on a moments notice with the right message & the twist of two keys) - definitely worth it. Bigger_Hammer |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:21:14 PM EDT
[#30]
There's a Titan I sitting out on display/corroding away at I-75 and 16th Ave in Cordele, GA.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:30:15 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The astronauts said they could tell it was designed to jump off the pad and deliver nukes quickly. During Gemini launches the acceleration was so intense the forces would reach up to 8 Gs inside the capsule. Yeah, the Atlas & Titan missiles weren't designed for the purpose of launching people into orbit. The Saturn V maxed at 3G's during launch I believe. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 12:38:14 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fun Titan II Fact. The Titan II was primarily the "Big Stick" of the ICBM force for going after Soviet / Chinese Command & Control Bunkers - (A.K.A. leadership). While each of the later solid fueled Minuteman III carried a MIRV 'package' of three warheads in the 'Kiloton' range + "penetration aids", the Titan II carried one Big & Bad 6 Megaton Monster warhead. Anyplace underneath such a beast... would NOT be a good place to hide when set to surface burst. Bigger_Hammer I thought the W53 was 9 MT? |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 1:23:29 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Neat. Those missiles always knew where they were, because they knew where they weren't Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: My father worked on the team that devised the guidance system. All done with slide rules and sine tables. Analog computers. The missiles had their own spinning gyroscope on board. He didn't care to talk about the accuracy of the finalized system they proved in New Mexico and over the Pacific, so long as there were missiles in the ground. He did say that they were very, very pleasantly surprised. Astonished even. He would be 94 today. He did that work when he was in the prime of his life, just out of the Navy. That's a really old system. Neat. Those missiles always knew where they were, because they knew where they weren't  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 1:31:37 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There's a Titan I sitting out on display/corroding away at I-75 and 16th Ave in Cordele, GA. Passed it yesterday on my way back from my FL house. I always point it out to who ever is with me. Usually my wife. She doesn't care. I wish they would put the real nose cone back on it. The crap they have on it now makes it look weak. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 1:46:42 PM EDT
[#35]
drove past that launch site while it was active every time i went to work at the copper mine and had NO idea of what was waiting there...
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Posted: 5/13/2023 1:50:29 PM EDT
[#36]
Warhead yield alone made it badass when it wasn’t trying to kill its crews. One exploded in a silo in Arkansas, and a site in Kansas was put out of service by a propellant spill that killed a couple guys.
Titan II was obsolete before the first site went on alert. Minuteman actually beat it into service. If not for the giant warhead it probably would have been withdrawn by 1970. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 1:50:46 PM EDT
[#37]
I've been in an abandon Titan missile silo.
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Posted: 5/13/2023 1:52:45 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The astronauts said they could tell it was designed to jump off the pad and deliver nukes quickly. During Gemini launches the acceleration was so intense the forces would reach up to 8 Gs inside the capsule. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: This. Titian II. Was pretty cool. Got to "Turn The Key" for a simulation launch. Facility is very 60's but got the Job done until the 80's. The Titian II was groundbreaking as it could be stored fully fuelled & ready to launch from inside the silo. No waiting to load Kerosene & Lox or having to raise the entire missile up & out to launch. And the Titian II served as the launch platform for the Gemini spaceflights. Bigger_Hammer They also described it as much smoother than an Atlas or Saturn launch. Those rockets had a lot of vibration. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 2:09:07 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryAlso got to "Turn the Key" Such a cool experience |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 2:11:48 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This. Titan II. Was pretty cool. Got to "Turn The Key" for a simulation launch. Facility is very 60's but got the Job done until the 80's. The Titan II was groundbreaking as it could be stored fully fuelled & ready to launch from inside the silo. No waiting to load Kerosene & Lox or having to raise the entire missile up & out to launch. And the Titan II served as the launch platform for the Gemini spaceflights. Bigger_Hammer |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 2:25:39 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Right. Accuracy was so much improved by minutman and especially Trident that they didn't need the huge multi megaton monsters to guarantee a kill on a hardened command and control bunker. Reading about the new trident superfuze is incredible stuff. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 3:46:07 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Passed it yesterday on my way back from my FL house. I always point it out to who ever is with me. Usually my wife. She doesn't care. I wish they would put the real nose cone back on it. The crap they have on it now makes it look weak. Why is there a nuclearly armed Krystal in Georgia, and wtf is that on the top of it? |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 4:18:25 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My father worked on the team that devised the guidance system. All done with slide rules and sine tables. Analog computers. The missiles had their own spinning gyroscope on board. He didn't care to talk about the accuracy of the finalized system they proved in New Mexico and over the Pacific, so long as there were missiles in the ground. He did say that they were very, very pleasantly surprised. Astonished even. He would be 94 today. He did that work when he was in the prime of his life, just out of the Navy. That's a really old system. That's a big leap, the first version of Titan didn't have internal guidance, but rather ground guidance. The had a radar dishes in a separate silos. As the missile was getting ready to launch the radar would be raised out of its silo. The missile was launched. The radar would track it. A computer in launch control would feed the missile course corrections based on data from the radar. The Titan 1 complexes contained multiple missiles, they were huge. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 4:21:40 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Warhead yield alone made it badass when it wasn't trying to kill its crews. One exploded in a silo in Arkansas, and a site in Kansas was put out of service by a propellant spill that killed a couple guys. Titan II was obsolete before the first site went on alert. Minuteman actually beat it into service. If not for the giant warhead it probably would have been withdrawn by 1970. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 5:17:50 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There were actually 2 "mishaps" (their words, not mine) in AR, one in 1965, the other in 1980. The same missile was involved in both. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Warhead yield alone made it badass when it wasn't trying to kill its crews. One exploded in a silo in Arkansas, and a site in Kansas was put out of service by a propellant spill that killed a couple guys. Titan II was obsolete before the first site went on alert. Minuteman actually beat it into service. If not for the giant warhead it probably would have been withdrawn by 1970. Same actual missile, or same site? |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 5:20:52 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's a big leap, the first version of Titan didn't have internal guidance, but rather ground guidance. The had a radar dishes in a separate silos. As the missile was getting ready to launch the radar would be raised out of its silo. The missile was launched. The radar would track it. A computer in launch control would feed the missile course corrections based on data from the radar. The Titan 1 complexes contained multiple missiles, they were huge. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: My father worked on the team that devised the guidance system. All done with slide rules and sine tables. Analog computers. The missiles had their own spinning gyroscope on board. He didn't care to talk about the accuracy of the finalized system they proved in New Mexico and over the Pacific, so long as there were missiles in the ground. He did say that they were very, very pleasantly surprised. Astonished even. He would be 94 today. He did that work when he was in the prime of his life, just out of the Navy. That's a really old system. That's a big leap, the first version of Titan didn't have internal guidance, but rather ground guidance. The had a radar dishes in a separate silos. As the missile was getting ready to launch the radar would be raised out of its silo. The missile was launched. The radar would track it. A computer in launch control would feed the missile course corrections based on data from the radar. The Titan 1 complexes contained multiple missiles, they were huge. Titan I was supposed to get inertial guidance, but the system developed for it was turned over to the Atlas program for Atlas E and F. I have never seen an explanation for why Titan was switched to radio command guidance instead of using the same inertial system for both missiles. Atlas D used radio command guidance as well. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 6:07:13 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Same actual missile, or same site? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Warhead yield alone made it badass when it wasn't trying to kill its crews. One exploded in a silo in Arkansas, and a site in Kansas was put out of service by a propellant spill that killed a couple guys. Titan II was obsolete before the first site went on alert. Minuteman actually beat it into service. If not for the giant warhead it probably would have been withdrawn by 1970. Same actual missile, or same site? |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 6:10:25 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fun Titan II Fact. The Titan II was primarily the "Big Stick" of the ICBM force for going after Soviet / Chinese Command & Control Bunkers - (A.K.A. leadership). While each of the later solid fueled Minuteman III carried a MIRV 'package' of three warheads in the 'Kiloton' range + "penetration aids", the Titan II carried one Big & Bad 6 Megaton Monster warhead. Anyplace underneath such a beast... would NOT be a good place to hide when set to surface burst. Bigger_Hammer 9 Mt warhead  Eta: everyone needs to visit the museum |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 6:14:54 PM EDT
[#49]
The pucker factor of watching that giant socket fall down the silo and rupture the fuel tank is something else.
It's a few years old now, but I highly recommend this book about the US' nuclear infrastructure. It is mind blowing how extensive and expensive it was. A Nuclear Family Vacation: Travels in the World of Atomic Weaponry Also tremendous environmental damage all over the country.  I guess in a way we are lucky that poisoned soil, water and air probably killed more people than the weapons themselves. Everything has its price. |
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Posted: 5/13/2023 6:40:59 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not made anymore, but you sometimes find them for sale on auction sites. https://i.imgur.com/YOQM56V.jpg https://i.imgur.com/gCC0kvb.jpg Know of the lady who does Marketing for MotoArt, she's hotter than any nuke ever thought about being. One of my old Comair pilots, in addition to flying B-52s, was also Chief of Security at Little Rock AFB. Titan l silos were never imploded, dumb shits go into the silos. Sometimes they don't come back out. |
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