446th Missile Squadron The 446th Missile Squadron ( 446 MS ) is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the 321st Missile Group , stationed at Great Falls AFB , North Dakota The 446 MS was equipped with the LGM - 30G Minuteman III Intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) , with a mission of nuclear deterrence . With the end of the Cold War , the 446th was inactivated on 30 September 1998 . History . World War II . Activated in mid - 1942 as a B - 25 Mitchell medium bomber squadron , it was trained by the Third Air Force in the southeastern United States . It deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations ( MTO ) , and was assigned to the Twelfth Air Force in Algeria in early 1943 . In North Africa , the squadron was engaged primarily in support and interdictory operations , bombing marshalling yards , rail lines , highways , bridges , viaducts , troop concentrations , gun emplacements , shipping , harbors and other objectives . The squadron also engaged in psychological warfare missions , dropping propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines . It took part in the Allied operations against Axis forces in North Africa during March – May 1943 , the reduction of Pantelleria and Lampedusain islands during June . It was also involved in the invasion of Sicily in July , the landing at Salerno on the Italian mainland in September , the Allied advance toward Rome during January – June 1944 , the invasion of Southern France in August 1944 and the Allied operations in northern Italy from September 1944 to April 1945 . It was inactivated in Italy after the German capitulation in September 1945 . It was re - activated as part of the Air Force Reserve in 1947 and equipped with A - 26 / B - 26 Invader medium bombers , the unit was then inactivated in 1949 due to budget cuts . Strategic Air Command . The squadron was reactivated in 1953 as a Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) B - 47 Stratojet squadron . It trained in aerial refueling and strategic bombardment operations with the B - 47 . The squadron began transferring its B - 47s to other SAC wings and became non - operational as part of that aircraft ' s phaseout in 1961 . Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Squadron . On 1 November 1963 the 446th Strategic Missile Squadron was organized as a SAC LGM - 30F Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing . Activated on 1 Jul 1965 , it was made operational on 7 December 1966 , with a complement of 50 missiles . It participated in “ Project Long Life II , ” a unique reliability test in which modified Minuteman missiles were fueled to travel a few hundred yards . The first launch from a silo occurred on 19 October 1966 and was declared unsuccessful . Nine days later , a second attempt also failed . A third attempt under “ Project Giant Boost ” occurred in August 1968 and again proved unsuccessful . From December 1971 to March 1973 , the squadron converted to the LGM - 30G Minuteman III . These missiles represented a significant technological advancement , having multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles ( MIRVs ) . Coordinating the missile changeover required complex planning and execution . With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of Strategic Air Command in the early 1990s , it was reassigned to Air Combat Command ( ACC ) in 1992 and then came under Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ) in 1993 . In March 1995 , the Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) Commission selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation . The squadron was ordered to securely transfer its alert responsibilities to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base , Montana . It maintained nuclear alert until inactivated in 1998 , nearly 40 years after it first went on alert . 446th Missile Squadron Launch Facilities