Vandenberg AFB Launch Complex 395
| Launch Complex 395 | |
|---|---|
 Launch of a Titan II from one of the silos |
|
| Coordinates | 34 ° 48 '24 " N , 120 ° 32' 39" W |
| Type | Missile silo |
| operator | United States Air Force |
| Launch pads | 6th |
| Missiles | titanium |
| First start | September 23, 1961 (Titan I SM-2) |
| Last start | June 28, 1976 (Titan II B-17) |
| Total starts | 77 11 of 395-A1, 4 of 395-A2, 4 of 395-A3 16 of 395-B 31 of 395-C 11 of 395-D |
| status | inactive |
As Vandenberg AFB Launch Complex 395 (LC-395) which is near the be Californian coastal town of Santa Maria located, disused operational launch complexes for titanium -I and Titan II ICBMs referred summarized. There are four individual launch systems which are scattered across Vandenberg AFB.
Complex 395-A with three silos for the Titan I is located in the northeast of the site, the launch complexes 395-B, -C and -D for the Titan II with one silo each are located along the coast to the west of the Air Force Base. Complex 395-A was also known as the Titan I Training Facility (TF-1).
The complex was a silo lift system, which means that the rocket was lifted out of the silo by means of a large lift and fired at the surface. The Titan II complexes were designed for the in-silo launch of the rocket. Plans for another complex for the Titan II (395-E) were dropped because no suitable location could be found. The silos are largely identical to the launch systems at the stationing locations of the Titan I and II.
Insofar as they were not used for test launches of the missiles, they were in a strategic alert state until 1965 (Titan I) and 1967 to 1969 (Titan II), i.e. they contain missiles with nuclear warheads ready for launch. In practice, it looked like this with the Titan II, with two silos in each alarm state. The missiles were installed in silos and placed on strategic alert for nine months. The warhead was then sent to Amarillo (Texas) for the removal of the nuclear components and modifications for the respective test , then reinstalled on the missile and the test flight carried out.
With the retirement of the Titan I, the complex 395-A was shut down in 1965, followed in 1969 by the systems 395-B and 395-D and in 1976 by the complex 395-C. In 1972, Martin Marietta suggested using retired Titan IIs for satellite launches and using the 395-C complex for this. The company estimated the conversion of the silo to be US $ 2 million. The US Air Force rejected this proposal. From 1986 onwards, Titan II rockets, modified to form satellite carriers, were launched from normal ramps.
Start list
| date | Time ( UTC ) | platform | Missile type | payload | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23, 1961 | 20:36 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-2 | |
| January 21, 1962 | 00:57 | 395-A3 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-4 | |
| February 23, 1962 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-18 | Failure | |
| May 4th 1962 | 21:43 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-34 | |
| October 6, 1962 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-35 | ||
| 5th December 1962 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-11 | ||
| January 29, 1963 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-8 | ||
| February 16, 1963 | 21:45 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II N-7 Mk 6 | Failure |
| March 30, 1963 | 08:45 | 395-A2 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-3 NTMP K-17 | |
| April 5, 1963 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I V-1 | ||
| April 13, 1963 | 395-A3 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-1 NTMP K-21 | ||
| April 27, 1963 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II N-8 Dinner Party | ||
| May 1, 1963 | 10:15 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I V-4 | Failure |
| May 13, 1963 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II N-19 Flying Frog | ||
| June 20, 1963 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II N-22 Thread Needle | ||
| July 16, 1963 | 395-A2 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-24 | ||
| 15th August 1963 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-7 | ||
| August 30, 1963 | 395-A3 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-56 | ||
| 17th September 1963 | 395-A2 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-83 | ||
| September 23, 1963 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II N-23 Tar Top | ||
| November 9, 1963 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II N-27 | ||
| November 14, 1963 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-68 | ||
| 17th December 1963 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II N-28 | ||
| January 23, 1964 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II N-26 | ||
| 17th February 1964 | 16:15 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-15 | |
| March 13, 1964 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II N-30 | ||
| July 30, 1964 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-28 Cobra Skin | ||
| August 11, 1964 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-9 Double Talley | ||
| August 13, 1964 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-7 Gentle Annie | ||
| 2nd October 1964 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-1 Black Widow | ||
| 4th November 1964 | 17:00 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-32 High Rider | |
| December 8, 1964 | 395-A1 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-85 | ||
| January 14, 1965 | 12:00 | 395-A3 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-33 | |
| March 5, 1965 | 395-A2 | Titan I. | Titan I SM-80 | ||
| March 25, 1965 | 02:15 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-60 Arctic Sun | |
| April 16, 1965 | 19:19 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-45 Bear Hug | |
| April 30, 1965 | 19:05 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-54 Card Deck | |
| May 21, 1965 | 23:53 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-51 Front Sight | |
| June 14, 1965 | 13:31 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-22 Gold Fish | |
| June 30, 1965 | 14:29 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-30 Busy Bee | |
| July 21, 1965 | 18:18 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-62 Long Ball | |
| August 16, 1965 | 8:04 p.m. | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-6 Magic Lamp | |
| August 26, 1965 | 00:04 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-19 New Role | |
| September 21, 1965 | 14:04 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-58 Bold Guy | |
| October 20, 1965 | 18:09 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-33 Power Box | |
| November 27, 1965 | 10:00 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-20 Red Wagon | |
| November 30, 1965 | 14:44 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-4 Cross Fire | |
| December 22, 1965 | 14:10 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-73 Sea Rover | |
| 3rd February 1966 | 11:11 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-87 Winter Ice | |
| 17th February 1966 | 09:45 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-61 Black Hawk | |
| March 25, 1966 | 09:42 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-16 Close Touch | |
| April 5th 1966 | 16:20 | 395-D | Titan II | Titan II B-50 gold ring | |
| April 20, 1966 | 08:44 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-55 Long Light | |
| May 24, 1966 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-91 Silver Bullet | ||
| July 22, 1966 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-95 Giant Train | ||
| September 16, 1966 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-40 Black River | ||
| November 24, 1966 | 10:00 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-68 Bubble Girl | |
| March 17, 1967 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-76 Gift Horse | ||
| April 12, 1967 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-81 Glamor Girl | ||
| June 23, 1967 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-70 Buggy Wheel | ||
| September 11, 1967 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-21 Glowing Bright FOT GB44 | ||
| February 28, 1968 | 15:00 | 395-B | Titan II | Titan II B-88 Glory Trip 04T FOT GT04T | |
| April 2nd, 1968 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-36 Glory Trip 10T | ||
| June 12, 1968 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-82 Glory Trip 08T | ||
| May 20, 1969 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-83 Glory Trip 39T FOT GT39T | ||
| August 21, 1968 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-53 Glory Trip 18T | ||
| 19th November 1968 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-3 Glory Trip 26T | ||
| June 20, 1971 | 22:45 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-12 M1-17 | |
| August 28, 1971 | 02:22 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-100 SSTTP M2-1 | |
| May 24, 1972 | 23:45 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-46 SSTTP M2-10. | |
| October 11, 1972 | 11:30 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-78 SSTTP M2-14 | |
| October 6, 1973 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-69 SSTTP M2-27 | ||
| March 1, 1974 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-85 SSTTP M2-31 | ||
| January 10, 1975 | 02:27 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-27 SOFT | |
| 7th August 1975 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-52 DG-2 | ||
| 4th December 1975 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-41 DG-4 | ||
| June 28, 1976 | 02:40 | 395-C | Titan II | Titan II B-17 ITF-1 |
Web links
- Vandenberg in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)