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Au début des années 1950s, avec le démarrage de la Guerre Froide, les chefs militaires craignent la menace possible d'une attaque de l'Amérique du Nord par des bombardiers ennemis passant par le Nord du pays. Ils commençent à chercher des sites possibles pour des bases aériennes dans cette région des Etats-Unis. La ville de Minot vent à l'USAF le fait de devenir le site d'une nouvelle base en 1954. L'année suivante des hommes d'affaires et citoyens de Minot reçoivent près de 50 000 $ pour acheter les premières portions de terrain pour la base. L'inauguration a lieu le 12 juillet 1955, et la construction commence peut après.
La base commence comme une base de l'ADC et sa 1ère unité est le 32ème Groupe de Chasseurs, activé le 7 février 1957. L'USAF prend possession des lieux 8 jours plus tard, le 15 février. Il y a une petite cérémonie devant des Ops de la base lorsque l'officier du Corps des Ingénieurs de l'Armée remet les clés de la base au 1er commandant de la base, le major Joe E. Roberts. Le personnel fête le 1er service religieux en juillet 1958, et le Base Exchange ouvre en septembre 1958. Cette même année, l'ADC établit un secteur SAGE à Minot, la construction d'un énorme bâtiment sans fenêtres, capble de résister à des explosions. Des ingénieurs d'IBM installent 2 grands ordinateurs de 275 t à la base du bâtiment.
Activé en juin 1961, l'installation SAGE processed air surveillance information and sent the data to Air Defense Command units.
La 1ère unité permanente du SAC affectée à Minot est la 4136ème Escadrille Strategique en septembre 1958 et en moins de 6 mois, le 906ème Escadron de Ravitaillement Aérien est réactivé et affecté au 4136ème. Ils fournissent air refueling support to northern defense operations. The first KC-135A Stratotanker, dubbed "Miss Minot," arrived September 23, 1959. In addition, there was one U-2 aircraft stationed on base for 18 months as part of "Operation CROWFLIGHT."
Fin janvier 1960, the 32d Fighter Group brought the first F-106 Delta Dart to Minot. The F106's were assigned to the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron which was transferred to Minot from Suffolk County Airport, New York on February 1, 1960. An interesting thing about the Fifth, was their mascots, two live lynx kittens that produced several offspring which were kept on base. The scope of operations grew as the Air Force assigned the 525th Bombardment Squadron to the 4136th. In July 1961, the first B-52H Stratofortress, named "Peace Persuader," arrived on base and within five months the base received its first Hound Dog Missile to give the B-52 its first stand-off capability.
Egalement en 1961, the Air Force selected the land around Minot for a new Minuteman I Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) complex. Field construction began on the missile complex in January 1962. SAC activated the 455th Strategic Missile Wing in novembre 1962, and in less than a year, on September 9, 1963, the first Minuteman I Missile arrived from Hill AFB, Utah. It was placed in Launch Facility A-02, le 9 septembre 1963. En quelques 28 mois, en avril 1964, le 455ème devient prêt au combat. The amber waves of grain over the North Dakota plains were implanted with a combat ready ICBM system born of the latest American technology.
La mission du SAC continuant de croître à Minot, sa propriété passe de l'ADC au SAC. Avec le changement de mission de Minot, le centre SAGE est désactivé en mai 1963, finit par émerger de nombreuses agences de la base, et est aujourd'hui connu comme le bâtiment Professional Results In Daily Endeavors.
Le 25(26 ?) août 1966, un ovni fait du rase-mottes au-dessus de la base et coupe les transmissions de la salle radio anti-atomique. Le président Johnson dit vouloir la vérité à tout prix. Il nommera la Commission Condon à la fin de l'année.
Le 5 mars 1967, le radar de l'ADC repère une cible non-identifiée descendant au-dessus des silos de missiles Minuteman de la 91ème Escadrille de Missiles Stratégiques. Les équipes de sécurité de la base convergent rapidement sur la zone et voient un appareil métallique en forme de disque entouré de lumières brillantes et clignantes, se déplaçant lentement. Le disque s'arrête et reste en survol à 500 pieds environ (150 m) du sol, as security police held their fire and watched in awe. Soudain l'objet commença à se déplacer à nouveau et circled directly over the launch control facility.
F-106 fighter-interceptors were standing by on the flight line, waiting impatiently for an order from NORAD to scramble. When the or order was not fortthcoming, base operations decided on their own to scramble the interceptors. At that moment the UFO climbed straight up and streaked away at incredible speed.
Ray Fowler:
Another civilian representative assigned to Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, told me that an Air Force major friend of his got a good close look at a completely unconventional craft maneuvering in the area between the air base and missile site. As he got out of his car and approached it, it took off at tremendous speed. Superiors ordered him not to talk about the incident.
On March 5, 1967, just 15 days prior to the Malmstrom AFB incident, the 91St Strategic Missile Wing at a sister base also had an unwelcome visitor. Aerospace Defense Command radar tracked an unknown target descending over the Minuteman missile installations at Minot AFB, North Dakota. Strike teams were alerted and sighted a metallic disc- shaped craft ringed with bright flashing lights moving slowly over the supersensitive area.
Three armed teams in fast trucks pursued the alien vehicle as it maneuvered and finally stopped and hovered 500 feet off the ground. The strike teams held their fire. They had orders to capture it undamaged if it should land. Then abruptly it began moving once again and circling directly over a launch control facility. Back at Minot, F-106 fighter planes were awaiting orders from the North American Air Defense Command to launch an attack. Base operations became impatient and had just decided to scramble the jets without confirmation. Suddenly the UFO climbed straight up and streaked away at incredible speed.
Le 6 juin 1968-Location: Minot, ND-Duration: 30mins- Minot 1968 missle arming
Au sud-ouest de Minot. Un MP appelle un des silos de missles. Le sergent en poste prend 2 hommes avec lui. He told me that they had come over pour voir un ovni au-dessus du silo. Les gardes au silo sont comme des statues. Les verrous sur les grilles sont ouvertes, et les portes grilles. Le sergent a un contact avec les officiers en bas dans le silo. Ils sont très en colère, il semble que le missile ait été armé et déverrouillé en mode lancement, et que les têtes ont été armées.
Le remaquillage organisationnel de la base de Minot change mi-1968, lorsque la 91ème Escadrille de Misilles Stratégiques remplace la 455th Strategic Missile Wing, et la 5ème Escadrille de Bombardement replace la 450ème Escadrille de Bombardement. Ces changements sont en ligne avec la politique de l'USAF de conserver actives les unités ayant les histoires les plus illustres.
Force modernization characterized Minot AFB during the 1970s. The Air Force selected the 91 SMW to become the first wing to convert to the Minuteman III ICBM. The Minuteman III tripled the striking power and enhanced the credibility of the SAC deterrent force. The 741st Strategic Missile Squadron became the first operational Minuteman III squadron en décembre 1970, and the entire wing converted en décembre 1971. The 5 BMW added the Short Range Attack Missile to its arsenal in September 1973, and later equipped its bombers with an improved offensive avionics system for more accurate bombing.
Cette base a été mise en alerte lors de l'instrusion d'ovnis sur la base de Loring en 1975. Des ovnis ont été aperçus sur cette base en novembre de la même année.
Suite à la crise des hôtages en Iran de 1980, le SAC charge la 57ème Division Aérienne, which had been on base since the mid 70's, to organize the Strategic Projection Force. The 57 AD became the first division in SAC to implement this concept. The 5 BMW's B-52H fleet became the spearhead of this force, able to provide conventional warfare anywhere in the world. In the late 1980's the 57 AD became the host unit, providing logistical, security, administrative and other support services to the 5 BMW, 91 SMW and tenant organizations.
In the mid 80's the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron converted from the F-106 to the F-15 Eagles. The F-15s only flew over Minot until the spring of 1988, when the 5 FIS was deactivated. After the unit inactivated, their mascots, two of the lynx kittens were donated to the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, where they're still living today.
In 1988, the Air Force selected Minot AFB for the Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence Award. This presidential award recognizes those military installations that combine mission excellence with a concern for people to produce working and living conditions truly above other installations. Closing out the 1980s Minot continued to answer America's strategic needs. Rivet MILE, the Minuteman Integrated Life Extension program, is a nine-year modification program for missile support systems and facilities. It will maintain the Minuteman III as an effective deterrent into the next century. The 5 BMW continued to modernize in October 1989, when they added the Air Launched Cruise Missile to their arsenal.
Entering the 1990s, Minot AFB demonstrated its war-fighting capabilities by deploying aircraft and personnel to the Middle East for the overwhelming victory over Iraq during Operation DESERT STORM. After the war, the base prepared for changes as the Air Force directed a major reorganization. In June 1991, the 57th Air Division was inactivated and the 5th Bomb Wing assumed host base responsibilities. As the "Cold War" came to an end, 5th Bomb Wing's aircraft came off alert status in September 1991, after 35 years of continuous alert. In June 1992, the newly formed Air Combat Command replaced SAC as host command. Both the 91st and 5th fell under the newly formed ACC. The following summer the 91st was reassigned to Air Force Space Command.
The 5 BW gained the Advanced Cruise Missiles for the B-52 in the spring of 1993. In January 1994, the base lost one of its oldest units, the 906th Air Refueling Squadron. The final KC-135 departed Minot three months later. The 91st Missile Wing completed its first major upgrade on the command, control, and communication systems of the Minuteman III ICBM’s launch and control centers in August 1996. They did it with the new Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting upgrade program. The 91 MW continues to modernize their Missile Alert Facilities through "Alert Imaging." A continuing event for the base is the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Since the treaty went into force in late 1994, the base received eight inspections, four on the 91 MW and four on the 5 BW, the latest in October 1997. On October 1, 1997, the 91st Missile Wing was redesignated the 91st Space Wing.
Minot AFB has undergone many changes throughout the years, but one thing remains constant -- Team Minot spirit continues to reign, re-emphasizing the truth that "Only the Best Come North."
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