In the tense atmosphere of the Cold War, the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union intensified, and both sides spared no effort to develop new types of weapons in order to seek absolute military superiority. However, in the midst of this fierce race, a harrowing accident occurred, sounding a safety alarm for the United States military.
On a clear afternoon on September 18, 1980, the atmosphere was tense at a missile launch site in Arkansas, United States. An intercontinental missile carrying a nuclear warhead is about to undergo a launch exercise, and all participants are on standby in anticipation of the success of this exercise. However, at this critical moment, an unexpected oversight caused a catastrophe.
According to the post-mortem investigation, the cause of the accident turned out to be a small socket wrench. During the final inspection phase before the launch of the missile, two maintenance crews noticed something unusual about the oxidizer tank. In order to solve the problem as soon as possible, they carried tools down the well for repairs.
But an oversight, they brought the wrong model, although it can be used reluctantly, but it will not be easy to operate. In the process, an accident, the socket wrench slipped out of his hand and fell into the bottom of the missile silo. At the moment of the huge impact, the wrench unfortunately broke through the first stage of the fuel tank.
The situation became even more critical as the fuel leaked dramatically and the temperature inside the well continued to rise. The oxidizer tank is constantly expanding at high temperatures, and if a leak occurs, the two will explode if the two are mixed. In the face of this sudden change, the command and control room of the US military fell into chaos. They are well aware that this ICBM, which carries a nuclear warhead, once exploded, would be powerful enough to destroy an entire state.
In order to save the situation, the US military quickly launched emergency remedial measures. However, things turned out far more than expected. Due to the drop in pressure inside the missile, the underlying structure is crumbling and collapsing at any time. Over time, the risk of missile explosions is increasing. As a matter of urgency, the US military decided to open the silo cover and discharge the gas in the well to reduce the pressure.
At this critical moment, the accident happened again. Because the manhole cover is electric, it must be energized to open. If the power is on, the silo will explode immediately. Faced with this difficult problem, the US military had to take other measures. They tried to reduce the gas concentration in the well by turning on the exhaust fan. However, it was this decision that triggered an even greater disaster.
When the exhaust fan is activated, the arc is generated, igniting the high concentration of fuel gas in the missile silo. With a deafening loud bang, the entire silo exploded. The huge impact force flew the silo cover bomb 60 meters away, and the nuclear warhead flew 100 meters away, and the surrounding area of the base instantly fell into a sea of fire, and hundreds of staff and experts present were covered by fire.
The disaster has left hundreds of people dead and wounded, plunging countless families into grief. Most fortunately, the nuclear warhead did not explode. However, the shock wave and debris generated by the explosion caused serious pollution to the surrounding environment. Nearby water sources were affected, and the surrounding cities were also feeling the tremors.
In the clean-up and reconstruction work after the incident, the US military invested a lot of manpower and material resources. Not only do they have to rebuild the base, but they also have to compensate and clean up the pollution problem. According to preliminary estimates, the cost of clean-up and reconstruction is as high as $20 million. The accident dealt a heavy blow to the United States military and made them deeply reflect on safety issues in the development and testing of weapons.
This ICBM accident reminds us once again that the safety of weapons development and testing cannot be ignored. In the pursuit of military superiority, security must always be the first priority. Only by strengthening safety management, improving the quality of personnel, and improving emergency response plans can we ensure that similar tragedies do not happen again.