Minuteman II

LGM-30F

Mission Profile

The Minuteman II (LGM-30F) was the second generation of the United States' land-based intercontinental ballistic missile, deployed as a more capable and accurate successor to the Minuteman I with improved range, guidance, and a larger nuclear warhead. Standing 17.7 m tall with a 1.7 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 32,600 kg, it was powered by three solid-propellant stages generating 880 kN of first-stage thrust. First flight-tested in September 1964, the Minuteman II served as a cornerstone of America's ICBM deterrent throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with its decommissioned motors later repurposed as stages for the Minotaur family of space launch vehicles.