Titan Missile Museum
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Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 (571-7) Military Reservation
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An ICBM loaded into the silo of the Titan Missile Museum showing a hole cut into the side of the nosecone showing that the weapon is inert
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| Location | 1580 West Duval Mine Road Sahuarita, Arizona |
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| Coordinates | 31°54′10.9″N 110°59′54.29″W / 31.903028°N 110.9984139°WCoordinates: 31°54′10.9″N 110°59′54.29″W / 31.903028°N 110.9984139°W |
| Built | 1963 |
| Architect | Ralph M Parson Co. |
| NRHP Reference # | 92001234 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 3, 1992 |
| Designated NHL | April 19, 1994 |
The Titan Missile Museum, also known as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 or as Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, is a former ICBM missile site located at 1580 West Duval Mine Road, Sahuarita, Arizona in the United States. It is located about 40 km (25 mi) south of Tucson on I-19. It is now a museum run by the nonprofit Arizona Aerospace Foundation and includes an inert Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile in the silo, as well as the original launch facilities.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
The underground facilities consist of a three-level Launch Control Center, the eight level silo containing the missile and its related equipment, and the connecting structures of cableways (access tunnels), blast locks, and the access portal and equipment elevator. The complex was built of steel reinforced concrete with walls as much as 8-foot-thick (2.4 m) in some areas, and a number of 3-ton blast doors sealed the various areas from the surface and each other.
The top level of the silo permits viewing the silo missile doors. Level 3 houses a large diesel generator. Level 7 provides access to the lowest part of the launch duct. Visitors on the "Beyond the Blast Doors" tour are allowed to stand directly underneath the missile. Level 8, at 140 ft (43 m) underground, houses the propellant pumps.
The 103-foot (31 m) Titan II missile inside the silo has neither warhead nor has it ever been fueled, allowing it to be safely displayed to visitors. In accordance with a US/USSR agreement, the silo doors are permanently blocked from opening more than half way. The dummy reentry vehicle mounted on the missile has a prominent hole cut in it to prove it is inert. All of the support facilities at the site remain intact, complete with all of their original equipment.
The silo became operational in 1963 and was deactivated in 1982 as part of President Reagan's policy (announced in 1981) of decommissioning the Titan II missiles as part of a weapon systems modernization program. All operational Titan II silos throughout the country were demolished, including 18 sites around McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas, 17 sites near Little Rock AFB, Arkansas (one additional site previously damaged beyond repair in a mishap/non-nuclear explosion) and 17 other sites by Davis-Monthan AFB and Tucson with the exception of this one. It is now a National Historic Landmark.
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