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Missile silo house location1/2/2024 ![]() The current ICBM force consists of Minuteman III missiles located at the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Today's Minuteman weapon system is the product of almost 60 years of continuous enhancement. Modernization programs have resulted in new versions of the missile, expanded targeting options, and improved accuracy and survivability. Through state-of-the-art improvements, the Minuteman system has evolved to meet new challenges and assume new missions. Minuteman's maintenance concept capitalizes on high reliability and a "remove and replace" approach to achieve a near 100% alert rate. From the beginning, Minuteman missiles have provided a quick-reacting, inertially guided, highly survivable component to America's strategic deterrent program. Both the missile and basing components incorporated significant advances beyond the relatively slow-reacting, liquid-fueled, remotely controlled intercontinental ballistic missiles of the previous generation. Minuteman was a revolutionary concept and an extraordinary technical achievement. If you want to see the weapons in person, Nike Ajax and Hercules missiles are on display at the VFW post in Cedar Lake, Indiana.The Minuteman weapon system was conceived in the late 1950s and Minuteman I was deployed in the early 1960s. Located in Munster, a site called C-46 was redeveloped into an industrial park.Ī site called C-48, located in Gary on 35th Avenue and Grant Street, was redeveloped into a commercial and industrial site. Gary Municipal Airport housed both a firing battery and headquarters, called C-45. The launch site, largely intact but overgrown, is behind a locked gate. The launch area, radar towers and administration buildings remain intact.Ĭ-32 Nike in Porter County was redeveloped for offices of the National Park Service at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Aside from areas made into paintball fields by a local business, the grounds, which include buildings and radar towers, are accessible for exploring. The Nike system was named after the Greek goddess of victory - not the shoes.Ĭ-47 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Interestingly enough, Indianapolis did not have a ring protecting it. The Nike Missile Site C-47, near Portage, was one of 21 spokes in the ring that protected Chicago and the nearby Gary Steelworks. Then a special safe was opened, and special instruction cards with special codes were revealed to start the launch of the surface-to-air missiles.ġ960s: If you couldn't get to the fallout shelter, then duck and cover Cold War Indianaĭillsboro isn’t the only former missile site in Indiana. The voice on the other end would announce the alert. The Hercules batteries were capable of firing 41-foot-long missiles up to 150,000 feet, and they could intercept enemy bombers for approximately 75 miles.Īnd there really was a red phone. They were later replaced by the Hercules missiles, which were armed with nuclear warheads. The silos were first armed with Ajax missiles. Instead, the Russians were developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, better known as ICBMs. The government began installing the Nike-Hercules system nationwide in 1958, when defense planners believed the Soviet Union was capable of sending bombers to the U.S. In the event of a launch, the 100 soldiers stationed at the base could take cover in the fallout shelter that was equipped with a 60-day supply of food, water and Geiger counters, a device that detects and measures radiation. They were built in a ring for protection around major urban and industrial areas in what was known as “Rings of Fire.” Three hundred other bases just like it in 29 states were the last line of defense against Soviet aggression in the late 1950s and 1960s. It was part of the Cincinnati and Dayton area defense program. The Dillsboro site, built in 1958 and used until March 1970, was known as CD-63 during the Cold War. The history of the site and others like it ![]() Knowles said the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said it was time to move. “The owner has all the original U.S.Army blueprints from when it was built in 1958,” said Keller Williams Realty listing agent Jay Knowles, who said he has a couple of prospective buyers interested in renovating the home. ![]() The 14.58-acre property in Dearborn County also includes 10 above-ground concrete buildings that were used as a bomb shelter, missile repair building and barracks. ![]()
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