? Missile maintenance crews at Minot AFB, N.D., carried out the crucial task of updating the computer codes that national command authorities would use to initiate the launch of the base’s Minuteman III ICBMs in a conflict. “We change the codes every year to make sure those launch codes are as secure as they can possibly be,” said 1st Lt. Paul Wolfe, a 740th Missile Squadron missile combat crew commander, in an Aug. 12 base release. “It’s a way to make sure we have control of the missile at all times,” he said. Changing the Minuteman launch codes requires going to the missile launch facilities. “We open the site and we’re the last ones to leave,” a process that can take up to 20 hours, said SSgt. Michael Swain, the 91st Missile Operations Squadron facility maintenance and penetration team member. The process also requires additional security airmen while launch crews remain on alert, resulting in an increase in personnel at the usually lonely launch sites.
B-21 Bomber Shelter May Reveal Size of Secret Jet
March 3, 2021
The Air Force may have inadvertently revealed the size of the secret B-21 bomber with the release of an image of a temporary shelter for the airplane. The service is evaluating several designs for temporary shelters for everyday use and deployment to temporary operating locations. If the B-21 fully fits…