Minot Air Force Base

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Beginning in 1956, Minot AFB quickly grew to become one of the largest dual-wing Strategic Air Command bases, covering over 5,000 acres of land, with the Minuteman missile complex distributed over 8,500 square miles. During the sixties, there were 5,742 officers and enlisted personnel working at the base with another 468 at the radar sites, making Minot one of the largest of the forty-nine SAC bases. Throughout the Cold War, the importance of the base cannot be overemphasized for it fielded a full arsenal of weapons for nuclear deterrence, including 150 Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in silos; fifteen B-52H Stratofortress nuclear bombers, also capable of air-to-ground missile launch systems; fifteen KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tankers; UH-1F Huey rescue helicopters; and the Aerospace Defense Command's 5^th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of twenty F-106 Delta Darts. To this day, the B-52 Stratofortress, and 150 Minuteman III ICBM's remain on alert at Minot AFB.

See also:

• Minot AFB Homepage at: http://www.minot.af.mil
• Minot AFB, FAA information: http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMIB
• Google Maps: Minot Air Force Base