44th Missile Wing The 44th Missile Wing ( 44 MW ) is an inactive United States Air Force unit . Its last assignment was with Twentieth Air Force , being assigned to Ellsworth AFB , South Dakota . It was inactivated on 4 July 1994 . For over 40 years the 44th was a front - line Strategic Air Command wing , initially as a B - 47 Stratojet medium bomber unit in the 1950s . With the phaseout of the B - 47 , the wing became a LGM - 30 Minuteman ICBM unit in the 1960s , being inactivated in 1994 as part of the drawdown of U . S . strategic forces after the end of the Cold War . During World War II , its predecessor unit , the 44th Bombardment Group was the first B - 24 Liberator heavy bombardment group of VIII Bomber Command stationed in England . Colonel Leon W . Johnson , while commander of the 44th Bombardment Group , was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Ploesti Raid on 1 August 1943 . History . Bombardment Wing . The 44th Bombardment Wing , Medium was established in late December 1950 as part of the postwar Hobson Plan . The 90th Bombardment Group , reactivated by Strategic Air Command in 1947 was assigned as its combat group . The new wing was organized at March AFB , California where it received B - 29 Superfortress es along with some TB - 29s . Depended on 22d Bombardment Wing for initial cadre and help in becoming organized . The wing was reassigned to Lake Charles AFB , Louisiana , on 1 August 1951 in August 1951 ; its mission was to train B - 29 and RB - 29 aircrews and mechanics for combat duty with SAC units engaged in Korean War combat duty with Far East Air Forces . From 10 October 1951 to 15 May 1952 , trained all elements of the 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing . Replaced the propeller - driven B - 29s with new B - 47E Stratojet swept - wing medium bombers in 1953 , capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union . Deployed at Sidi Slimane Air Base , French Morocco , 19 January – 22 February 1953 and 19 April – 17 June 1954 . In the late 1950s , the B - 47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence , and was being phased out of SAC ' s strategic arsenal as improved Soviet air defenses made the aircraft vulnerable . Began sending aircraft to other B - 47 wings as replacements in late 1959 , being phased down for inactivation . The 44th Bombardment Wing was inactivated on 15 June 1960 ; some aircraft and many personnel were reassigned to the 68th Bombardment Wing which remained at Lake Charles AFB flying B - 47s until 1963 . Missile Wing . The history of the 44th Missile Wing begins two years before its activation ; with the establishment of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron on 1 December 1960 . Assigned to the 28th Bombardment Wing at Ellsworth AFB , South Dakota , the 850th SMS operated the first - generation HGM - 25A Titan I ICBM at three dispersed sites near Wicksville , Hermosa , and Sturgis SD . However the Titan I ' s life span was short in western South Dakota . About the same time , work began on installations for the second - generation Minuteman missile . On 21 August 1961 , construction began on the LGM - 30B Minuteman I facilities . For more than a year this squadron prepared for the emplacement of the Minuteman which finally arrived in 1962 , shortly after the activation of the 44th Strategic Missile Wing ( SMW ) in January . At that time Headquarters SAC also named the 44 SMW as host wing at Ellsworth . With its activation , the 850th SMS was reassigned to the 44th SMW , making the 28th Bombardment Wing a fully B - 52 Stratofortress organization . During 1962 , three new strategic missile squadrons , the 66th , 67th , and 68th , were activated to support the new Minuteman I system . The 67th Strategic Missile Squadron joined the 44th in August , followed by the 68th Strategic Missile Squadron in September 1962 . A 44th Missile Maintenance Squadron was established at the same time . Each strategic missile squadron supported five flights of Minuteman missiles with 50 missiles per squadron . A total of 150 launch facilities were constructed to house the missiles . The first Minuteman missile was positioned near Wall , SD in April 1963 . All Minuteman I missiles were in place by the end of 1963 . On 19 November 1964 , Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announced the phase - out of remaining first - generation Titan I missiles by the end of June 1965 . Consequently , the Titan Is of the 850th SMS were removed from alert status on 4 January 1965 . The last missile was shipped out on 12 February . The Air Force subsequently inactivated the squadron on 25 March . Ellsworth was slated to host a unique series of operational tests . Approved by the Secretary of Defense in November 1964 , “ Project Long Life ” called for the short - range operational base launch of three modified Minuteman IB ICBMs to provide a realistic test for this system . Each missile would contain enough propellant for a 7 - second flight and have inert upper stages and reentry vehicles . On 1 March 1965 , “ Operation Long Life ” took place . This was the first of three scheduled launches of the Minuteman system . A missile with seven seconds of fuel was launched . With the test proving successful , the additional two launches were canceled . This was the only test launch in US ICBM history to be fired from an operational site . It successfully demonstrated the ability of a SAC missile crew to launch an ICBM . The 44 SMW played a key role in establishing the Airborne Launch Control System in the late 1960s . On 1 January 1970 , the 44 SMW assumed airborne launch responsibility for Minot Air Force Base , ND , and Malstrom AFB , MT . Four months later , the ALCS joined the Post Attack Command and Control System forming the 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron , which was assigned to the 28th Bombardment Wing at Ellsworth AFB , SD . On 30 June 1971 , the 44 SMW was named host unit at Ellsworth AFB when the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division was inactivated . The wing was reassigned under the 4th Air Division headquartered at F . E . Warren AFB , Wyoming . The wing was later assigned as part of the 57th Air Division headquartered at Minot AFB , North Dakota . In October 1971 , the transition from Minuteman I to LGM - 30F Minuteman II began . The transition , known as “ Force Modernization ” , was complete in March 1973 . With these new missiles in place , Ellsworth was selected to host “ Giant Pace Test 74 - 1 , ” the first Simulated Electronic Launch - Minuteman SELM ) exercise . During this test , 11 SELM - configured Minuteman II ICBMs underwent successful simulated launch on command from both underground launch - control centers and the Airborne Launch Control System . During February 1991 , the Secretary of Defense announced that the Air Force would begin retirement of older weapon systems in response to the end of the Cold War and a declining defense budget . The deactivation of the Minuteman II missile system was announced on 15 April 1991 . The schedule for Ellsworth included a one squadron per year draw - down beginning with the 67 SMS , followed by the 66 SMS , and finally the 68 SMS . On 1 September 1991 , under the " Objective Wing " concept adapted by the Air Force , the wing was renamed the 44th Missile Wing . The ICBM squadrons were reassigned to the newly established 44th Operations Group , along with the lineage , honors and history of the 44th Bombardment Group . On 28 September 1991 , in response to President Bush ’ s directive to stand down the Minuteman II , personnel of the 44 OG worked around the clock to dissipate launch codes and pin safety control switches at 15 launch control facilities . Removal of the first Minuteman II missile assigned to the 44 OG occurred at G - 02 , near Red Owl , South Dakota , on 3 December 1991 . On 6 April 1992 , the first launch control center shut down . On 1 June 1992 , the 44th Missile Wing was relieved of its emergency war order mission and its primary focus was deactivation of the Minuteman II weapon system . This day also marked the end of SAC and the beginning of Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . The 67th Missile Squadron ( MS ) was inactivated on 15 August 1992 , and the 66 MS was inactivated on 1 September 1993 . On 1 July 1993 the 44 Missile Wing changed hands from ACC to Air Force Space Command along with all other ICBM wings . Deactivation of the entire missile complex ended in April 1994 . With its mission complete , the 44th Missile Wing was formally inactivated on 4 July 1994 . Components . Group Squadrons LGM - 30F Minuteman III Missile Alert Facilities ( MAF ) ( each controlling 10 missiles ) are located as follows :