AFMC Command News

Final Minuteman rocket motors undergo testing at AEDC

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • Arnold Engineering Development Center Public Affairs
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  One of the final Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile motors to roll off the assembly line was tested in the Arnold Engineering Development Center J-6 Large Rocket Motor Test Facility.

Production quality assurance testing concluded Jan. 18, 2012, on the Stage 2 solid-propellant motor.

Ground testing under simulated altitude conditions in J-6 includes carefully controlled test environments with extensive instrumentation and photographic coverage to validate the operability and performance of a test article.

Denny Elston, project engineer for Aerospace Testing Alliance, AEDC's operating contractor, said, "It's the last of the production runs, so it's a significant test. The test was highly successful. The motor met all specification requirements, and that's not unusual. They usually do."

ATK Launch Systems, the manufacturer, produced a total of around 625 of the rocket motors up until two years ago when production dropped to a very low rate under what is called a "Warm Line" program.

"The program was intended to sustain and maintain the manufacturing and engineering infrastructure necessary to preserve the Minuteman solid rocket motor production capability," Elston said. "We [AEDC] were included such that we would test one motor of each Minuteman stage each year. That meant two motors last year and two motors this year."

The final Minuteman Stage 3 PQA Warm Line motor will be tested in J-6 in February.

Elston said AEDC has been involved in the Minuteman program "since day one."

"We've tested hundreds of Minuteman missiles over the years," he said. "There have been many production runs of these motors and many generations. This is the third generation that we're currently testing."

He said the expectation is that each motor will have a lifespan of up to 30 years.

The Minuteman ICBM is the land-based missile component of America's three-part nuclear defense.

"We have weapons on submarines, bombers -- as well as the Minuteman land-based missiles -- so it's a member of the triad of our nuclear defense force,'" Elston said.