Despite the fact that after the outbreak of World War II, the American leadership declared its neutrality, after Great Britain entered the war and in connection with the ever-increasing expansion of Japan, it became absolutely clear that the United States would not be able to sit on the sidelines. At the same time, the American armed forces in the late 1930s could not compete either in numbers or in technical equipment with the armies of the Axis countries.
In connection with the upcoming sharp increase in the numerical strength of the armed forces, equipping with new equipment and weapons, the US Army command was looking across the country for places suitable for the creation of training camps, shooting ranges, tank training grounds, warehouses for equipment, weapons and ammunition. In March 1941, the Army acquired approximately 35,000 hectares of land along the central coast of California, between Lompoc and Santa Maria. The advantages of this area were the remoteness from large settlements, which made it possible to carry out training firing even from the heaviest guns available in service, as well as a rather mild climate, which allows for intensive combat training most of the days of the year, while living in tents.
The construction of the camp began in September 1941. Formally, the military base, called Camp Cooke, went into operation on October 5. The base was named after Major General Philip St. George Cook, a hero of the Civil War and the war with Mexico. During wartime, units of the 86th and 97th infantry divisions, the 5th, 6th, 11th, 13th and 20 armored divisions were trained here. Anti-aircraft gunners also trained in the area, and the first American ground-based radars were deployed. Due to the shortage of workers, from the middle of 1944, Italian and German prisoners of war took part in the arrangement of the base and the construction of capital structures.
In connection with the massive reduction of the armed forces, in 1946 the Camp Cook training base was liquidated, leaving only a small contingent to protect the property. After the well-known events on the Korean Peninsula, the military returned here in February 1950. Until the end of the Korean War, the training base on the California coast was the training site for units sent to the war zone. However, soon the future of this object was again suspended in the air, Camp Cook, like many other military bases, planned to be transferred to the jurisdiction of the civilian authorities. Interest in this place was shown by the US Bureau of Prisons, the isolated area was the best suited for the creation of a large correctional institution.
However, the area eventually remained at the disposal of the military. In the mid-50s, the US Air Force, guided by the same considerations as the army command at one time, decided to create a testing ground for missile technology here. Deserted terrain and generally clear weather favored the trials. But the main reason was the extremely favorable geographic location for the launch of artificial earth satellites and test launches of ballistic missiles. The construction of trajectories in the westerly direction made it possible to avoid flying over densely populated areas of the United States and possible casualties and destruction in the event of emergencies or the fall of propulsion stages.
In June 1957, Camp Cooke was taken over by the Air Force and renamed Air Force Base Cooke. But in the state in which the base was left by the army units, it was unusable. The personnel of the Air Force engineering units who arrived here saw real devastation. Many residential buildings, structures and warehouses, left without proper supervision, had time to dilapidate, the territory was overgrown with bushes, and the roads were broken by tank tracks. The first step was the repair of those buildings that could be used, and the demolition of the damaged ones. Construction of permanent concrete foundations for test benches and launch pads began soon after. According to the plan of the Air Force command, test launches of ballistic missiles PGM-17 Thor, SM-65 Atlas and HGM-25A Titan I were to be made from the coast of California. In addition, in this area, to the north of the main structures and the residential complex, it was supposed to deploy ICBM positions mine based. The 704th Strategic Missile Wing was formed specifically for this. Testing and experimental operation of the new missile technology was entrusted to the personnel of the 1st Strategic Missile Division (1st SAD), which in 1961 was renamed the 1st Strategic Aerospace Division.
Soon, the personnel of Cooke AFB joined the rocket and space race between the USSR and the United States at that time, and the base was directly subordinated to the Strategic Aviation Command on January 1, 1958. In mid-1958, preparations for the deployment of SM-65D Atlas-D ICBMs began in California. The first modification of the Atlas was installed openly on unprotected starting tables. In September 1959, 3 missiles of the 576th squadron of strategic missiles from the 704th missile wing were delivered to the position. The 576th Squadron officially entered combat duty on October 31, 1959, becoming the world's first combat-duty military unit armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles.
B-52 bomber flies over the positions of the 576th Strategic Missile Squadron
Due to the complexity of maintenance, only one of the three ICBMs was in operational readiness for launch. Later, so-called "sarcophagi" were created to protect missiles. The rockets fueled with kerosene were stored in a reinforced concrete structure in a horizontal position. In preparation for launch, the roof of the "sarcophagus" was moved, and the rocket was installed vertically. After transferring the rocket to the launch pad, it was refueled with liquid oxygen for 15 minutes. Refueling missiles was very dangerous and there were a number of incidents of missile explosions. The first American ICBMs had a very imperfect, radio command guidance system, vulnerable to radio interference, imposing restrictions on the rate of launching missiles from one basing region. The next model, the SM-65E Atlas-E, was equipped with an inertial guidance system, but the low protection against sabotage and damaging factors of a nuclear explosion was criticized. The missiles of the SM-65F Atlas-F variant were already placed in buried mine shelters that could withstand an overpressure of up to 6, 8 atm. After filling the rocket with an oxidizer, it rose from the shaft to the surface.
The process of lifting ICBM SM-65F Atlas-F from the mine
All modifications of Atlas ICBMs were tested in California, for which two launch complexes for the SM-65 D / E and three silos for the SM-65F (position 576B) were built on the Pacific coast. But the Atlas age turned out to be short-lived, after the appearance of solid-propellant LGM-30 Minuteman rockets, the old Atlas rocket-propelled rocket engines began to be removed from service. Subsequently, decommissioned ICBMs were used for a long time to launch payloads into orbit and for various testing purposes. A total of 285 Atlas launch vehicles were launched from positions in California. The Atlas-Agena system was actively used to launch satellites until the late 1980s.
In 1958, after the base was renamed Vandenberg AFB in honor of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Hoyt Vandenberg, the territory of the missile range was significantly expanded. Now that part of the test site, where tests are carried out in the interests of the military, occupies a 465 km² area of territory.
Preparing to launch MRBM PGM-17 Thor
At the new launch sites, training launches of PGM-17 Thor medium-range missiles were carried out, which were in service with the missile units of the US and British Army. In addition to the Americans, British crews of the 98th RAF missile squadron were launched from the positions of the Vandenberg airbase Thor MRBM.
In July 1958, construction began on a launch complex for the first multistage American ICBM, the HGM-25A Titan I. For testing, an underground command post, a missile silo and all the infrastructure necessary for duty were erected. But during the descent of the first fueled rocket, an explosion occurred, which completely destroyed the mine. Nevertheless, the tests continued and the first successful launch from the restored complex took place in September 1961. After that, the launch complex was transferred to the disposal of the 395th missile squadron of the Strategic Aviation Command. Simultaneously with the tests of missiles in this unit, the preparation of calculations for carrying out combat duty was carried out. Soon, however, this launch complex, known as position 395-A1, was converted to test second-generation liquid-propellant ICBMs LGM-25C Titan II. Two more were added to the first mine in a couple of years. Unlike early American strategic missiles, the Titan II could be fueled on alert while in a silo for a long period of time.
Launch LGM-25C Titan II from silos at Vandenberg airbase
The first test launch of the Titan II from silos at Vandenberg airbase took place in April 1963. Regular tests of this type of ICBM continued until 1985. Just as with the Atlas ICBM family, the Titan base was used to create launch vehicles for launching spacecraft. The Titan II was last used in 2003.
In 1961, the construction of the first silo for testing solid-propellant ICBM LGM-30A Minuteman began on the territory of the base. The creation of the Minuteman ICBM was a great success for the Americans. The jet engine used a composite fuel, where ammonium perchlorate was the oxidizing agent. The first successful launch took place in May 1963, and in February 1966, two missiles were launched in one salvo from two nearby mines (positions 394A-3 and 394-A5). Minuteman I trials continued until 1968. In August 1965, tests of the LGM-30F Minuteman II began. The last test of the Minuteman II at Vandenberg took place in April 1972.
Launch of LGM-30G Minuteman III from silos at Vandenberg airbase
The most advanced design in the Minuteman family is the LGM-30G Minuteman III. The first operational test of the Minuteman III at Vandenberg took place on December 5, 1972. Since then, a large number of test and training launches have been carried out from silos located along the coast of California. On July 10, 1979, tests of the "combat mode" were carried out, when, after receiving the command to start, in a short period of time several ICBMs were launched from the mines almost in one gulp.
In the vicinity of Vandenberg airbase, more than a dozen fortified silos for Minuteman III ICBMs were built. During the Cold War, these missile silos, dispersed over a large area, were used not only for test launches, but also for combat duty. By the mid-70s, more than 700 Minuteman ICBMs were on alert. This allowed a significant reduction in the number of long-range bombers, and, ultimately, the removal of the less advanced early ICBMs. Production of the Minuteman III continued until the end of 1978.
In the 80s, Minuteman III supplanted all other types of ICBMs in the SAC. Until now, this missile, which appeared in the early 70s, is the only American land-based ICBM. More than 400 Minuteman IIIs are currently on alert. More than $ 7 billion was spent on their modernization and life cycle extension. At the same time, Minuteman III, even taking into account modernization, no longer meets modern requirements in terms of a number of characteristics. The final decommissioning of the last Minetmen is scheduled for 2030. The silo launchers are located along the Pacific coast of California, 15 kilometers north of the base's main facilities. Currently, about 10 silos are in working order.
Satellite image of Google Earth: silo ICBM Minuteman III in the vicinity of Vandenberg airbase
To confirm the operability of ICBMs from the Vandenberg base, the 576th Missile Test Squadron regularly launches the oldest missiles removed from combat duty. The statistics of test and training launches over the past 20 years shows that approximately 9 out of 10 ICBMs are capable of performing a combat mission. In March 2015, two missiles were launched. The last test launch of Minuteman III took place on April 26, 2017.
In June 1983, the conversion of silos for the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM (MX) began in Vanderberg. This heavy, solid-propellant silo-based missile could carry up to 10 warheads of individual guidance and means of overcoming missile defense. Even at the design stage, a requirement was made that the new rocket should be placed in the minetmen silos. Peacekeeper became the first American silo-based ICBM to launch from a launch canister made from a composite material based on graphite fiber. The first launch of "MX" from silos from the coast in California took place on August 24, 1985. At the Vanderberg base, not only test, but also test and training launches were carried out with the participation of calculations of the 90th missile wing from the Air Force Francis E Warren missile base in Wyoming. In total, three mines were used to launch the MX in California. The Strategic Aviation Command allocated $ 17 million to create a special simulator, where the calculations were evaluated in the most realistic conditions. The last launch of "MX" took place on July 21, 2004, shortly before the final removal of this type of ICBM from service.
Test launch of MX ICBM
When developing the "MX", various variants of basing were considered, including those on a wheeled chassis of increased cross-country ability and on a railway rolling stock. However, the process of creating mobile complexes dragged on and by the time its mass deployment began, relations between the United States and the USSR had become less acute, and the creation of expensive mobile options was abandoned, stopping at the traditional mine placement. The deployment of MX missiles began in 1984. In two years, the 90th missile wing received 50 new ICBMs. Another 50 missiles were planned to be placed on railway platforms, but this was never implemented.
In 1993, the United States and the Russian Federation signed the START II treaty, according to which ICBMs with MIRVs were to be eliminated. One of the main reasons for the conclusion of this agreement was that heavy ICBMs, being the optimal first strike weapon, were themselves very vulnerable and poorly suited for a retaliatory strike - which contributed to escalation and upset the strategic balance. According to the agreement, the Russian P-36M and the American Peacekeeper were to be removed from service. The treaty was signed, but the matter did not come to ratification. The Russian State Duma, at the suggestion of the government, refused to ratify the treaty, citing the fact that heavy ICBMs constitute an important part of Russian strategic forces, and the state of the economy does not allow replacing them with an equivalent number of light monoblock ICBMs. In response, the US Congress also refused to ratify the treaty. This issue was in a state of uncertainty until 2003, when, in response to the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty, Russia announced the termination of the START II Treaty. Despite this, the Americans decided to unilaterally reduce their ICBM arsenal. The MX missiles began unloading from the mines in 2003, and in 2005 the last missile was removed from service. The dismantled thermonuclear warheads W87 and W88 were used to replace old warheads with Minuteman III ICBMs. The missiles and their stages removed from combat duty were used to launch satellites. In addition to the mobile version of the "MX" in the United States developed a ground missile system MGM-134 Midgetman. It was the first and only example of an American mobile ICBM brought to the stage of flight tests.
Tractor - launcher ICBM MGM-134 Midgetman
According to the American concept of using strategic mobile ground-based missile systems, they were to be permanently located at missile bases, in fortified concrete shelters. At the same time, some of them could conduct patrols, moving at night within a radius of several tens of kilometers from the base. To launch missiles on the ground, concreted and bunded areas had to be prepared. For this, Martin Marietta has created a sufficiently compact solid-propellant three-stage rocket with a launch weight of 13600 kg and a length of 14 meters. The missile was supposed to carry one W87 warhead with a capacity of 475 kt. The maximum launch range is 11,000 km. Like the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM, the MGM-134 Midgetman used a "cold start" from the launch container when launching the MGM-134 Midgetman.
Test launch of MGM-134 Midgetman ICBMs
The first test launch of the Midgetman took place in 1989, but 70 seconds after launch, the missile went off course and was blown up. On April 18, 1991, a prototype of a mobile ICBM, launched from the Vandenberg airbase, fully confirmed the declared characteristics. However, the rocket was very late, had it appeared in the mid-80s, it would most likely have been adopted. But in the early 90s, after the collapse of the "communist bloc" and the reduction of the threat of global conflict to a minimum, there was no need for new ICBMs. In addition, the Midgetman program was criticized for its high cost, low immunity to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion, and vulnerability to sabotage attacks.
Currently, in addition to regular test launches of Minuteman III ICBMs at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, anti-missile interceptors are being tested in the interests of the military. The development of a missile defense system under the initial designation NVD (English National Missile Defense - "National Missile Defense") began long before the US withdrawn from the ABM Treaty. In 2002, after being integrated into the Aegis shipborne BIUS program, the complex was named GBMD (Ground-Based Midcourse Defense). Due to the fact that the warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles have a higher speed compared to operational-tactical and medium-range missiles, for effective interception it is necessary to ensure the destruction of warheads in outer space. Previously, all adopted American and Soviet interceptor missiles in space were equipped with nuclear warheads. This made it possible to get an acceptable probability of hitting the target, even with a significant miss. However, during a nuclear explosion in space, a "dead zone" impenetrable for radar radiation is formed for some time. That does not allow for the detection, tracking and firing of other targets.
Therefore, the kinetic interception method was chosen for the new generation of American interceptor missiles. When a heavy metal warhead of an interceptor missile "meets" a nuclear warhead, the latter is guaranteed to be destroyed, without the formation of invisible "dead zones", which allows sequential interception of other warheads. But this method of interception requires extremely accurate targeting. In this regard, the refinement and testing of GBMD antimissiles went on with great difficulties, took a lot of time and required additional investment.
An early example of a GBI anti-missile missile launched from a mine
The first prototype of the anti-missile was developed on the basis of the second and third stages of the decommissioned ICBM Minuteman II. The three-stage interceptor missile had a length of 16.8 m, a diameter of 1.27 m and a launch weight of 13 tons. The maximum interception range was 5000 km.
Later, a specially designed GBI-EKV anti-missile was tested in Vandenberg. Various sources indicate that its launch weight is 12-15 tons. With the help of the GBI anti-missile, it is launched into space into the EKV interceptor (English Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle), flying at a speed of 8, 3 km / s. The EKV space interceptor with a mass of about 70 kg is equipped with an infrared guidance system and its own engine. The destruction of warheads of ICBMs should occur as a result of a direct hit with a total collision speed of the warhead and the EKV interceptor of about 15 km / s. The capabilities of the anti-missile system should increase after the creation of the MKV space interceptor (Miniature Kill Vehicle) weighing 5 kg. It is assumed that the GBI anti-missile missile will withdraw more than a dozen miniature interceptors, which will greatly increase the effectiveness of the anti-missile system.
Test launch of the GBI-EKV anti-missile on January 28, 2016
Target missiles for testing anti-missile missiles are usually launched from the A. Ronald Reagan at Kwajalein Atoll. Starting from a remote Pacific atoll, approaching targets in height, speed and direction of flight completely imitate the warheads of Russian ICBMs. The last test launch of the GBI anti-missile was carried out from the 576-E launch complex on January 28, 2016.
During test launches at Vandenberg airbase, the converted Minuteman-III silos are used. According to information published in open sources, in addition to interceptor missiles on alert in Alaska, several GBI interceptor missiles have been deployed in California. In the future, the number of anti-missile interceptors at positions in the vicinity of the Vandenberg base is planned to be increased to 14 units.
Satellite image of Google Earth: GBI anti-missile silos
The airborne anti-missile system tested in the area was a YAL-1A "flying laser" on a Boeing 747-400F platform. After testing at Edwards AFB, where the detection equipment was tested, the aircraft made a series of "combat missions" in the vicinity of Vandenberg AFB. In February 2010, the YAL-1A successfully fired at targets simulating short-range ballistic missiles in the active phase of the trajectory. For safety reasons, targets were fired over the Pacific Ocean. But as already mentioned in the part devoted to the Edwards airbase, the aircraft with the laser on board, due to its low efficiency, remained a "demonstrator of technology."
