Minuteman II Weapon System Self-Test and Operational Status Display Techniques,

In the creative and developmental stages of an aerospace weapon system, the support and maintenance aspects must receive equal consideration with weapon design. In a missile force such as Minuteman, instant availability and maximum effectiveness depend on a well-planned and integrated maintenance concept. During Minutemans planning stage, consequently, maintainability criteria were documented simultaneously with design criteria. Minuteman is stored in Air Force inventory on years-long alert to defend the nation. Performance capabilities and reliability have exceeded requirements dating from the delivery of Minuteman I. Major technical advances in microelectronics have been incorporated into the Minuteman II design and production to achieve even greater dependability of the missile, increased system flexibility, lighter weight for extended range and ultimately still lower cost. Pacing microelectronics improvement inside the missile, the support equipment around the missile has undergone simultaneous improvement and miniaturization. Technical achievements of Minuteman I and II on the ground and airborne are the result of a bonding together of logistics engineering with system research, design, and test, toward a common goal of weapon producibility, reliability, economy, and of equal status maintainability. Author