Atlas F Site 579-11 Missile Silo, Roswell / Highway 285 North New Mexico

Atlas F Site 579-11 was one of the northern Roswell Atlas F complexes, a buried missile site along the U.S. Highway 285 North side of the Walker missile ring. On the surface it was another fenced scar in the Chaves County desert. Underground it was a purpose-built nuclear launch machine: a 178-foot-deep silo, a buried launch control center, a tunnel between them, a missile assigned by serial number, and an alert mission that lasted only a few years before the Atlas force disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived.

Atlas F Site 579-11 was an SM-65F Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile launch complex assigned to Walker Air Force Base near Roswell, New Mexico. It belonged to the 579th Strategic Missile Squadron under the 6th Bombardment Wing, later the 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing. The site code was 579-11. Its missile system was the SM-65F Atlas, the final operational Atlas ICBM variant and the model deployed in hardened vertical silo-lift launch complexes.

Because Site 579-11 was an Atlas F complex, it did not have a separate Minuteman-style remote parent Launch Control Center. Atlas F launch complexes contained their own launch control center on site, connected to the missile silo by an underground tunnel.

On 1962-11-30, the the 579th Strategic Missile Squadron documentation reports the turnover to Strategic Air Command and operational status. The same unit-history compilation also states that the squadron became fully operational during the Cuban Missile Crisis period, so the evidence is not perfectly worded; the 1962-11-30 date is retained as the most explicit turnover/operational date. The site is no longer active as a military installation. It is a decommissioned former Atlas F launch complex, former federal property, and a private/no-public-access former missile site with FUDS/DERP environmental-restoration records.

Location, Landscape, and Site Description

Site 579-11 stood on the north side of the Walker Atlas missile field. The location placed the complex in the open country north of Roswell rather than on the former air base itself. This was a deliberately dispersed missile field: Walker Air Force Base provided the headquarters, support, transportation, maintenance, communications, and security framework, while the twelve launch complexes were spread around the city and surrounding rural landscape.

The physical setting was typical of the Chaves County side of the Walker missile ring: dry open ground, sparse vegetation, long sight lines, ranch and rural road patterns, and a former military-engineering footprint visible against the surrounding terrain. The site was not designed to attract attention. It was designed to disappear into the landscape while remaining ready for Strategic Air Command duty. Satellite imagery show the former central complex footprint, the large circular silo-related feature, disturbed pads, access-road traces, and the broader rectangular pattern of the original fenced compound.

The standard Walker Atlas F launch complex was far more than a buried missile tube. A 1962 Walker Atlas F tour bulletin described each launching facility as consisting of a launching silo, a launch control center, and an underground tunnel connecting the two. The silo had an inside radius of 26 feet, 1 inch, or an inside diameter of roughly 52 feet, 2 inches, and extended about 178 feet deep. The launch control center had a 40-foot inside diameter. The silo walls were 2 feet, 6 inches thick in the upper section and flared lower down to a total wall thickness of 9 feet. The launch control center also used heavy concrete walls and a thick floor and roof. Inside the silo, the steel crib that carried the missile and equipment was suspended from shock mounts; inside the launch control center, suspended floors held equipment and crew spaces.

Above ground, Site 579-11 would have included the surface elements typical of an Atlas F complex: an access road, security fencing, surface entries, ventilation and utility openings, antenna or communications features, parking and hardstand areas, power and support equipment, and the heavy silo-door area above the launcher. The most important parts of the installation were underground. The design reflected the Atlas F problem: the missile needed to be sheltered, hardened, monitored, fueled, raised, and launched from a site that could survive at least some effects of nearby attack and continue operating long enough to execute its mission.

Strategic and Cold War Context

Site 579-11 existed because the early Cold War forced the United States to build an intercontinental nuclear deterrent before missile technology had fully matured. Atlas was the Air Force's first operational ICBM family. It was a first-generation system, and that mattered. Atlas used a thin, pressure-stabilized stainless-steel airframe that needed internal pressure to hold its shape. It burned RP-1 kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. Compared with later solid-fueled Minuteman missiles, Atlas demanded far more hands-on propellant, pressurization, mechanical, and inspection work.

The Atlas F was the most advanced operational Atlas variant. The National Park Service describes Atlas F as an 82-foot missile held in a blast-proof silo-lift configuration and capable of launch in approximately ten minutes. Seventy-two Atlas F missiles were deployed in the field, including twelve at Walker Air Force Base. The Walker sites were therefore part of a national deployment pattern, not a local defense system for Roswell. Their mission was strategic deterrence.

The purpose of dispersal was survivability. A single bomber base or compact missile base could be vulnerable to concentrated attack. By spreading twelve hardened launch complexes around the Roswell area, the Air Force made the 579th Strategic Missile Squadron harder to destroy in one blow. Each complex was a self-contained launch site, but each also depended on the squadron and Walker AFB support system for crews, maintenance, security, logistics, communications, training, inspections, and command relationships.

The phrase "operational launch-ready alert posture" needs careful explanation for Atlas F. It did not mean the missile was continuously raised above ground. It also did not mean the missile was continuously loaded with liquid oxygen. Under normal alert conditions, the Atlas F stood vertically underground on its elevator launcher. RP-1 fuel was kept aboard the missile. The missile and site systems were maintained in a ready state, with pressurization, electrical, propellant, environmental, communications, and safety systems monitored and maintained. Liquid oxygen would be loaded as part of the launch sequence. The overhead silo doors would open, the launcher would raise the missile, and, if there was a short hold after the missile was up and locked, the crew could top off liquid oxygen before the final launch command. During a crisis, high alert meant crews, communications, facility systems, propellant systems, security, and missile hardware were brought to the highest practical readiness within the limits of the Atlas F design. It did not mean a continuously exposed or continuously LOX-loaded missile waiting above the silo.

Construction and Activation

The Walker Atlas F missile field was built quickly, under the pressure of national missile deployment. A 1962 Army Corps of Engineers tour bulletin stated that the decision to build Atlas launching facilities in the Roswell area was reached in early January 1960. The Albuquerque District was asked to perform soil investigations to determine whether the local geology could support the proposed installations. Spencer J. Buchanan Company and Gordon Herkenhoff & Associates conducted those investigations, and the results were favorable.

Design began in early March 1960. The project was advertised for bids on 1960-05-16, bids were opened on 1960-06-15, and the construction contract was awarded on 1960-06-16. The $22,125,828 contract went to a joint venture of Macco Corporation, Raymond International, Inc., The Kaiser Company, and Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company. Notice to proceed followed on 1960-06-20, and work began on 1960-06-23. The Corps' Roswell Area Office, activated on 1960-05-15, supervised the missile-construction effort as the Air Force's construction agent.

Site 579-11 was built as Corps of Engineers Construction Site Number 8. The 1962 tour bulletin did not provide a separate construction narrative for Site 11, but its description of the standard Walker Atlas F work explains what construction required. Each complex involved mass excavation, deep shaft excavation, concrete placement, erection of the massive steel crib, installation of propellant-loading systems, shock-mounted equipment, ventilation, electrical systems, diesel generators, cryogenic and high-pressure equipment, blast doors, and the buried launch control center. The bulletin stated that approximately 48,000 cubic yards of material were excavated by open-cut methods and about 24,000 cubic yards by silo shafting for one Atlas F site. About 6,000 cubic yards of concrete were placed per site. The crib steel alone weighed about 600 tons, and with fueling vessels, motor generators, propellant-loading skids, and other equipment, the suspended assembly weight reached roughly 1,800,000 pounds.

The propellant-loading system was especially demanding. The tour bulletin emphasized cleanliness requirements for oxygen and propellant systems, with temperature extremes, high pressures, and strict limits on foreign particles and hydrocarbons because contamination could cause violent explosions or prevent the facility from functioning. This detail is important for Site 579-11 because it helps explain why Atlas F operations required extensive maintenance, inspection, and specialist training. The launch complex was not just a hole in the ground; it was a carefully engineered, hazardous, cryogenic, high-pressure weapons system.

Missile System and Technical Role

Site 579-11's assigned missile was Atlas 102F. The missile was General Dynamics Missile Serial Number 62-12138, General Dynamics Manufacturing Number 102F, and Air Force Missile Tail Number 138. The missile was accepted on 1962-08-14 and delivered on 1962-08-16. Its destination was Walker Air Force Base, and its ICBM squadron site assignment was Site 11.

The SM-65F Atlas was a liquid-fueled, first-generation ICBM. The Walker/579th source summaries describe the missile as using RP-1 and liquid oxygen, with RP-1 kept aboard during alert and liquid oxygen loaded before the missile was raised to the launch position. Internal pressure was maintained by gaseous nitrogen. The Atlas F silo-lift arrangement stored the missile vertically underground, then raised it above the silo for launch after the doors opened and the launch sequence progressed.

Public-source warhead and reentry-vehicle information identifies the Atlas E/F as carrying the Mark 4 reentry vehicle with a W-38 nuclear warhead. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum describes the Mark 4 as an unflown reentry vehicle type used on U.S. Air Force Titan I and Atlas E/F ICBMs deployed in the early 1960s, and states that it carried a W-38 warhead with a yield of about 3.75 megatons. The 579th unit-history compilation summarize the Atlas F as having a range of about 6,000 miles.

The crew relationship differed from later Minuteman launch facilities. A Minuteman launch facility was normally unmanned and remotely monitored from a separate Launch Control Center. An Atlas F launch complex like Site 579-11 had its own on-site launch control center. Crews, maintenance personnel, and security forces operated within a squadron structure that kept the site ready, maintained the missile, watched the dangerous propellant and pressurization systems, and protected the complex.

Operational History

The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron was activated as a missile unit in 1961 and organized at Walker Air Force Base on 1961-09-01. Its weapon system was the SM-65F Atlas from 1962 to 1965. The squadron was assigned to the 6th Bombardment Wing, later the 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing. The 579th's missile era was brief, but it came at the most intense moment of the early ICBM race.

Site 579-11 entered that operational world as one of twelve Walker Atlas F complexes. The squadron's public history records turnover to Strategic Air Command and operational status on 1962-11-30, while the same history narrative states that the squadron became fully operational during the Cuban Crisis of October-November 1962. The broader meaning is clear: Site 579-11 belonged to a missile squadron that reached operational readiness during the late-1962 crisis period, as Atlas F was being fielded around Roswell.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, all operational 579th sites were reported at a high level of alert and ready to launch if necessary. For Site 579-11, that readiness would have meant manning, communications checks, facility readiness, propulsion and propellant-system preparation, security posture, and maintenance readiness within the limits of the Atlas F system. It would not have meant that the missile was continuously raised above the silo or continuously loaded with liquid oxygen.

Routine active service at Site 579-11 would have been a demanding cycle of alert duty, preventive maintenance, equipment checks, training, security patrols, inspections, and corrective work. Atlas F required attention to pressurization, propellant systems, electrical power, environmental control, communications, mechanical launch equipment, hydraulic and door systems, diesel generators, and safety procedures. The site's buried launch control center and deep silo were designed to protect the missile and crew systems, but those same features made the complex a heavy maintenance burden.

The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron also had an unusually troubled operational record because three of its twelve launch complexes were destroyed by explosions: Site 579-1 on 1963-06-01, Site 579-5 on 1964-02-13, and Site 579-2 on 1964-03-09. Those events were sister-site events, not events at Site 579-11. They illustrate why the Atlas F's liquid-oxygen and RP-1 operating environment demanded strict procedures and constant attention.

Deactivation and Disposal

Site 579-11 left active missile service during the rapid retirement of Atlas and other early liquid-fueled ICBMs. The Atlas F system had only recently reached operational status when the strategic balance shifted toward solid-fueled systems such as Minuteman and Polaris. On 1964-11-18, Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara announced that the remaining first-generation ICBMs, including Atlas and Titan I, would be phased out by the end of June 1965 because of the increased reliability of newer solid-fueled missiles.

The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron's phaseout happened quickly. The squadron history records the first ICBM off alert on 1965-01-05, the last ICBM off alert on 1965-02-04, and the last ICBM shipped on 1965-02-09. The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron was inactivated on 1965-03-25.

The likely process followed the broader Atlas F pattern: the missile was removed from alert, missile and weapons-system equipment were shipped or salvaged, military control ended, and the former launch complex entered federal disposal and later private or non-federal ownership.

The 2015 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FUDS inventory lists WAFB FAC SITE #11 / K06NM0489 in Chaves County, Roswell, with Site 01 CON/HTRW and Site 02 HTRW categories. A 2024 DENIX Defense Environmental Restoration Program Table 7 entry lists WAFB FAC SITE #11 / NM69799F628400 with two Installation Restoration Program sites, no Military Munitions Response Program sites, a projected IRP Final Remedy in Place/Final Response Complete fiscal year of 2026, costs incurred through FY 2023, and remaining cost-to-complete. The latest reviewed DENIX table therefore suggests that, unlike several other Walker Atlas sites already covered, Site 11 was still being tracked in DERP cost-to-completion reporting in the FY 2024 table.

Current Status and Site Use

Site 579-11 is no longer an active military installation. It is a decommissioned former Atlas F launch complex north of Roswell.

Satellite images show a recognizable former Atlas F complex footprint, including a large circular silo-related feature, disturbed hardstand or pad areas, access traces, and the broader rectangular pattern of the original compound. The presence of visible remains does not mean the site is safe or open. Former Atlas F complexes can contain deep shafts, confined spaces, flooded underground areas, deteriorated concrete and metal, asbestos or other hazardous materials, unstable openings, and environmental-remediation features. Any visit would require explicit landowner permission and appropriate safety controls.

Chronology

• 1960-01 The decision to build Atlas launching facilities in the Walker/Roswell area was reached, and the Albuquerque District was asked to perform soil investigations.
• 1960-03 Design work for the Walker Atlas launching facilities began after favorable soil investigations.
• 1960-05-16 The Walker Atlas F construction project was advertised for bids.
• 1960-06-15 Bids for the Walker Atlas F construction project were opened.
• 1960-06-16 A $22,125,828 construction contract was awarded to the joint venture of Macco Corporation, Raymond International, Inc., The Kaiser Company, and Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company.
• 1960-06-20 Notice to proceed was issued for the Walker Atlas F construction project.
• 1960-06-23 Work began on the Walker Atlas F launching facilities.
• 1961-09-01 The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron was organized at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico.
• 1962-08-14 Missile 102F, General Dynamics serial number 62-12138 and Air Force tail number 138, was accepted.
• 1962-08-16 Missile 102F / tail number 138 was delivered.
• 1962-10 During the Cuban Missile Crisis, operational 579th Strategic Missile Squadron sites were held at a high level of alert; for Atlas F, this did not mean a continuously raised or continuously liquid-oxygen-loaded missile.
• 1962-11-30 The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron history records turnover to Strategic Air Command and operational status on this date.
• 1963-06-01 Walker Atlas F Site 579-1 was lost in an explosion; this was a sister-site event, not a Site 579-11 event.
• 1964-02-13 Walker Atlas F Site 579-5 was lost in an explosion; this was a sister-site event, not a Site 579-11 event.
• 1964-03-09 Walker Atlas F Site 579-2 was lost in an explosion; this was a sister-site event, not a Site 579-11 event.
• 1964-11-18 The Defense Department announced accelerated phaseout of liquid-fueled missiles, including the remaining Atlas force, because of the increased reliability of solid-fueled systems.
• 1965-01-05 The first 579th Strategic Missile Squadron ICBM was taken off alert.
• 1965-02-04 The last 579th Strategic Missile Squadron ICBM was taken off alert.
• 1965-02-09 The last 579th Strategic Missile Squadron ICBM was shipped.
• 1965-03-25 The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron was inactivated.
• 1972-10-02 Missile 102F, formerly assigned to Site 579-11, launched successfully from Vandenberg AFB Gantry A-1 on a RADCAT / Burner 2A mission under the Air Force Space Experiment Support Program.
• 2015-09-30 The USACE FUDS inventory listed WAFB FAC SITE #11 / K06NM0489 in Chaves County, New Mexico, with Site 01 CON/HTRW and Site 02 HTRW.
• 2024 DENIX Defense Environmental Restoration Program Table 7 listed WAFB FAC SITE #11 / NM69799F628400 with two IRP sites and a projected IRP final-response-complete fiscal year of 2026.

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