Aeronautical Systems Incorporated (ASI) was recently awarded a contract to support the United States Air Force (USAF) Global Strike Command to manufacture a newly designed actuator cylinder, a critical component that is used within a ballistic actuator that blasts open the missile silo hatch during launch of the Minuteman III missile. The original cylinder was designed in the early 1970s, and this award affirms the confidence the USAF has in ASI’s long-standing manufacturing capability and history of successfully delivering complex, critical components. The sheer size of this component alone provides unique logistic and manufacturing challenges as its finished dimensions exceed 9 feet in length, 12 inches in diameter and each cylinder weighs over 1,500 pounds. This cylinder also must pass rigorous acceptance test procedures and be pressure tested to 7,000 PSI prior to final quality acceptance. ASI’s Founder and CEO, Felipe Rodriguez said “We are honored to continue supporting the Minuteman Program and doing our part to ensure peace through strength for the United States.”
The Minuteman III missile is the most advanced version of the Minuteman series of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) and is the only remaining land-based ICBM in service in the United States. It represents the critical land-leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent triad, along with Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers. ASI was founded in 1988 and specializes in engineering, manufacturing, repair and
overhaul, and logistic services supporting U.S. designed military aircraft and missile systems. ASI actively supports both the Minuteman and Patriot missile programs for the USAF, as well as major aircraft platforms such as the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, E-2, P-3, C-130, and UH-60 for the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, various Department of Defense branches, as well as U.S. foreign allies.
