8 0 Y E A R S O F E X C E L L E N C E H I L L A I R F O R C E B A S E I N T H E 1960S

April 12, 1962The first Minuteman ICBM rolled off the assembly line at AF Plant 77. The installation held a ceremony to celebrate the occasion, attended by the Secretary of the Air Force.

February 12, 1963A new Thor missile shelter at Hill AFB provided protection during the two-hour process of placing a Minuteman in or out of a C-133B aircraft.

June 16, 1964B-26 aircraft modified and strengthened by the depot into the B-26K Counter Invader began departing Hill AFB. These aircraft contributed significantly to operations in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s.

April 6, 1965The first two F-4C Phantom II aircraft arrived at Hill AFB for preliminary maintenance work. This began Project “Speedline,” where the depot repaired approximately 250 F-4 aircraft per year throughout the remainder of the 1960s and into the 1970s.

April 1966Support for the conflict in Southeast Asia began. During this month, 49 flights carrying 59,000 pounds of ammunition departed Hill AFB for the region.

April 25, 1966After assembly on the installation, Hill AFB began delivery of the Minuteman II.

August 9, 1966The depot began support for F-111A landing gear components.

July 20, 1962The first two operational Minuteman missiles left Hill AFB. One went to Malmstrom AFB, Montana, and the other went to Vandenberg AFB, California.

January 8, 1960USAF consolidated all depot airmunitions functions under the 2705th Airmunitions Wing at Hill AFB.

May 1960Hill AFB installed a new name marker at the south gate to emphasize its significant Minuteman ICBM support role.

January 17, 1960Air Force Plant 77 established on Hill AFB. The Boeing Company assembled Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) at this facility until November 1978.

September 17, 1966To provide additional support to operations in Southeast Asia, the depot dispatched a Maintenance Field Team from Hill AFB to Nellis AFB, Nevada, as part of Project “Wild Weasel.” The team modified F-4C Phantoms to accommodate Shrike missiles.

April 26, 1967The first excess Minuteman I arrived at Hill AFB Range (now the Utah Test and Training Range, or UTTR) to be stored for eventual use in special test programs.

June 26, 1967A C-141 completed the 500th South East Asia Airlift (SEAIR) mission, carrying critically needed airmunitions from Hill AFB to Southeast Asia in support of the Vietnam conflict.

July 1967Hill AFB began camouflage painting F-4Cs during depot maintenance due to the aircraft’s operational use in Southeast Asia.

September 12, 1968The depot completed maintenance on the last of 2,400 F-101 Voodoo aircraft to go through its lines, ending an 11-year support program.

April 8, 1969After operating on Hill AFB for more than 16 years, the 28th Logistics Support Squadron inactivated.

May 6, 1969The final Minuteman II, Force Modernization LGM-30, production missile shipped from Hill AFB.

June 1, 1961Marquardt Corporation began operations in Hill AFB’s newly-modified Building 1915, which technicians used to overhaul, inspect, and calibrate Bomarc ramjet fuel systems.