Minot Air Force Base

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The Minot Air Force Base (in short: Minot AFB ) is a base of the United States Air Force, around 20 kilometers north of Minot, North Dakota.

Since 2009 /10 is part of the Air Force Global Strike Command and is one of two remaining B-52 home bases and barracks of intercontinental nuclear missiles Minuteman III. The base has a start and runway (11 /29) of 4,022 meters in length and housed in 2006 about 5,000 soldiers stationed laid the United States Air Force.

History

In order to counter the growing threat of Soviet long-range bombers that could fly over the North Pole, the USA, examined the United States Air Force in the 1950s reinforced for suitable sites for new bases in the north-central states of the country. One of these bases for the Air Defense Command was created in North Dakota near Minot. Minot's citizens and businessmen supported the proposed settlement in 1954 with $ 50,000 for the purchase of land.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 12, 1955 instead of the actual construction work began on 19 May 1956. On December 1, 1955 United States Air Force put the name on Minot Air Force Base firmly. As the first unit established on February 8, 1957 32d Fighter Group took the new base in operation; On 15 February a small opening ceremony was held.

On September 23, 1959, the United States Air Force stationed the first KC- 135A Stratotanker in Minot, end of January 1960 was followed by F -106 Delta Dart, and in July 1961, the first B- 52H Stratofortress.

In June 1961, the United States Air Force took a Sector Control Center for their Semi-Automatic Ground Environment ( SAGE ) in operation, a national network of radar, ground - to-air missile positions, interceptor units and central computers against enemy bombers.

The Strategic Air Command took over from the Air Defense Command on 1 July 1962, the command of the Minot Air Force Base.

In addition, the Minot AFB in the 1960s was an important barracks for ICBMs. Until mid-1963 created around the base 15 control centers and 150 underground missile silos, which extended over eight counties. The first Minuteman I ( LGM -30B ) reached Minot on September 9, 1963 in the fall of 1964, the missile system was ready for use. From 1970 to 1971, the missiles were replaced by the newer type LGM - 30G Minuteman III.

Mid-1970s, about 22,000 people lived on the Minot AFB, the order was the largest establishment of the U.S. Air Force.

In the fighter aircraft of the type F -106 followed the mid-1980s F- 15 Eagle, which until 1988 blieben.Aber today F-15 fighters are on special occasions repeatedly performed before. Since then, no more combat aircraft are stationed in Minot. In April 1994, the last KC -135 tanker aircraft left the base.

Since the dissolution of the Strategic Air Command in July 1992, the Minot Air Force Base was part of the Air Combat Command. Stationed here over subordinate units are:

  • 5th Bomb Wing with 36 B- 52H bombers, which also provides site management
  • 91st Space Wing of the Air Force Space Command, with 150 ICBMs LGM - 30G Minuteman III and some helicopters UH -1N
International Civil Aviation Organization airport code IATA-Code Fixed-base operator Hectare LGM-30 Minuteman Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker Convair F-106 Delta Dart Surface-to-air missile County
480895
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