Utah Test and Training Range personnel from Hill AFB, Utah, arranged the explosion of the last two Titan IV launch vehicle solid rocket motor units last week, reports the Hilltop Times. One SRMU compares in size to two sport utility vehicles and the resulting explosion could be heard for miles, while the fireball was bright red and like “looking directly into the sun,” says CMSgt. William Gurney, command chief for the Odgen Air Logistics Center at Hill. The Air Force launched its last Titan IVB in October 2005 at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
The Air Force plans to finalize an acquisition strategy for its new Looking Glass nuclear command, control, and communications program by September—part of a prelude to a significant increase in the service’s NC3 spending in the coming years.