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Vandenberg Air Force Base
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Details
Vandenberg Air Force Base is located on the central coast of California, approximately 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. It is the third largest Air Force base in the nation, encompassing 98,000 acres, and for nearly half a century it has served as a launch and test site for medium- to long-range ballistic missiles, as well as government and commercial satellites. Vandenberg’s role will soon be expanded to include missile defense operations.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the base was known as Camp Cooke, an Army tank and artillery training center. In 1957, as the arms race against the Soviet Union began to heat up, the U.S. transferred the management of Camp Cooke from the Army to the Air Force, which began the construction of the infrastructure and launch pads for the nation’s first space and missile launch site. The following year, Camp Cooke was renamed Vandenberg Air Force Base in honor of the late General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, the second U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff.
In December 1958, Vandenberg AFB launched its first ballistic missile, the medium-range Thor (SM-75). Two months later, the first polar-orbiting satellite, Discoverer I, lifted off from Vandenberg using a Thor/Agena booster combination. In September 1959, the Atlas 12D intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) made its West Coast debut, and the following month was equipped with a nuclear warhead, making Vandenberg the first combat-ready U.S. launch site.
By June 1960, Vandenberg had flight-tested 45 ballistic, orbital, and probe launch-vehicle systems. In 1961, the Titan I (MGM-25a) was deployed, followed the next year by the Minuteman I (LGM-30A/B). On March 23, 1962, President John F. Kennedy visited Vandenberg to witness the launch of the Atlas 134D. Other notable launches over the years included the Peacekeeper (LGM-118, MX) in 1983, the Titan IV space booster in 1991, the Pegasus booster in 1995, and the Delta II commercial space booster in 1996.
At present, Vandenberg is operated by the Air Force Space Command’s 30th Space Wing, the unit responsible for all West Coast missile and space launches. Vandenberg’s location provides 35 miles of Pacific Ocean shoreline, over 98,000 acres of land, and restricted airspace for these launches and tests. The base is divided into two parts, North Base and South Base. In general, most ballistic missiles are launched from North Base, while most satellite launches take place on South Base.
Vandenberg is supported by approximately 30 instrumentation sites located along the Pacific Coast, including Point Arguello (part of the expanded Vandenberg complex), Pillar Point (near San Francisco), South Point and Kokee Park (Hawaii), Midway and Wake Islands, Canton Island, and Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands, as well as additional instrumentation deployed on Navy vessels.
In addition to being a major launch site for ICBMs and satellites, Vandenberg AFB plays an essential role in the testing of anti-ballistic missile technology. Since it is the only military base within the continental U.S. from which ICBMs can be launched into the Pacific Ocean, Vandenberg serves as the launch site for target missiles aimed at the Reagan Test Site (RTS), approximately 4,800 miles away in the Marshall Islands’ Kwajalein Atoll. The RTS is the premiere U.S. anti-ballistic missile testing ground, and frequently tests its interceptor missiles against target ICBMs launched from Vandenberg.
In 2002, the Pentagon decided to expand Vandenberg’s missile defense role even further, to include anti-ballistic missile operations. It plans to deploy four ground-based interceptor missiles at Vandenberg by December 2005, to support the 16 interceptors located at Fort Greely, Alaska. Together, these 20 interceptor missiles will serve as the initial deployment of the larger Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which will eventually protect all 50 states from long-range ballistic missile attack.
Sources
“30th Space Wing/Vandenberg Air Force Base Launch Site Safety Assessment,” Research Triangle Institute, Center for Aerospace Technology, February 2000.
Breen, Tom. “Missile Defense Agency: Countdown to Historic Deployment,” Armed Forces Journal, 1 April 2004.
GlobalSecurity.org.
Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Fourth and Final Minuteman III Test for Year
The Air Force successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile early today, the fourth and final Minuteman III test of the year. The missile’s single warhead traveled some 4,000 miles in about 30 minutes to a predetermined target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. The last Minuteman test took place on September 7.
» Washington Post on Minuteman launch
» September 7, 2005 test launch of Minuteman III
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Minuteman III Test
The Air Force launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early today, the second such test in recent weeks. The missiles’ two unarmed warheads traveled about 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting targets at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein Atoll in the western chain of the Marshall Islands. The launch was the third this year. The final, fourth, test of the year is scheduled to take place next week.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Minuteman Missile Test
A Minuteman III missile was successfully tested today from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The missile’s warhead traveled toward and hit its target at the missile range in the Kwajalein Atoll. This test was specifically to demonstrate the integration of a Safety Enhanced Re-entry Vehicle into the existing Minuteman III weapons system. The newer warhead is such as that used for the newer Peacekeeper missiles which are now being deactivated.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Minuteman Test from Vandenberg
The U.S. successfully test-launched a Minuteman III ballistic missile on July 21. The missile’s dummy warhead was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and traveled more than 4,000 miles in 30 minutes, finally striking a pre-determined target at the Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands.
The Minuteman III is an intercontinental-range, silo-based, solid propellant ballistic missile system, with a range of 13,000 km.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Interceptor Installed at Vandenberg
On December 10, a 55-foot long Ground Based Interceptor was lowered into an underground silo at Vandenberg Air Force, in California, the first of two to be deployed at VAFB this year. The installation is the first in the continental United States—six are already emplaced at Fort Greely, in Alaska.
» Dec. 12: Lompoc Record: Karako on missile defense
» MDA press release on VAFB installation
» More stories on: Deployment, Land-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base
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