AIR FORCE BALLISTIC MISSILE
DIVISION
HEADQUARTERS
AIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
COMMAND
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Air Force Unit Post Office
Los
Angeles 45, California
27 FEB 1959
In reply address both communication and envelope is:
WDTV Director, Re-entry Vehicles Development
MEMORANDUM FOR GENERAL SCHRIEVER
SUBJECT: Light Re-entry Vehicle for Minuteman
1. At your request WDTV recently prepared a letter to the Chief of Staff, USAF, requesting that the Phase II Study Group for Minuteman warheads be reconvened. This group would consider the development of a light warhead for Minuteman on an accelerated time scale. This letter was forwarded for your signature on 20 February 1959- The parameters proposed were a maximum yield within 400 lbs and an operational availability date of July 1962.
2. At present there is only one re-entry vehicle under development for Minuteman: a 790 lb vehicle to carry a 600 lb warhead. The light re-entry vehicle was deleted as a development effort on 5 December 1958, and is now carried only as a low-priority study.
3. If it is your desire to re-activate the light re-entry vehicle development, it is requested that the Deputy Commander, Ballistic Missiles be so advised. Negotiations leading to a definitized contract with AVCO are scheduled to convene on 16 March 1959. The contract so negotiated, and the FY60 budget estimates presented to the Budget Review Committee, should accurately reflect the work desired. A large portion of this work will be affected if two re-entry vehicles are to be developed.
/S/
CHARLES H. TERHUNE, JR.
Colonel, USAF
Deputy
Commander
Ballistic Missiles