I.
OPERATIONAL CONCEPT AND ASSUMPTIONS
The Department of Defense intends to ii unch two RedstoneMissiles from|
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1 operation HARDTACK,{
xtremeupper limit for Bikini Island) Selection 6
“wont for
TEAK (UHA) was made essentially without regard to thermal effect, since the
altitude alone was sufficient to provide the required protection of ground
installations.
In both cases, the aiming azimuth was selected so as to
provide a reasonable assurance of deep-water impact in the event .of a dud.
The missiles will be fired from a launching site on Bikini Island, after an
extensive check-out procedure by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency's Missile
Firing Laboratory. Check-out procedures on the launching pad will assure
that all components are fuctioning properly prior to launch. Concurrent
checks by personnel of Picatinny Arsenal and Sandia Corporation will assure
that the 5&A components and the warhead are safe and in ready condition.
During this entire period the warhead will remain "nuclear safe" until installation of the "key"! at a time still to be determined.
For experimental reasons the firings are scheduled during hours of darkness, as early in the evening as is operationally feasible. It is anticipated
that Bikini Atoll will have been evacuated approximately two hours prior to
the primary shot time, and that only those personnel will remain in the Bikini
‘Area whose presence is essential to accomplishment of the mission.
Those per-
sonnel who do remain in the area will be in protected locations either in the
firing bunker on HOW (Bikini) Island or in the Control Center on NAN (Enyn).
The total number of such personnel is currently estimated at fifty (50).
_ Preparation of the missiles and warheads will be a joint undertaking of
personnel of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, the Sandia Corporation, and
Picatinny Arsenal, all under direction of CTG 7.1. The Actual missile firing
will be conducted by and under direction of the ABMA Missile Firing laboratory, subject to operational control of CTG 7.1. To provide certain command
safety features, limited control of the inflight missile can be exercised
from the ground. This control will rest in a range safety officer appointed
by the. Commander, Joint Task force Seven, and will be the only command contact
with the missile after take off.
Although only two missiles are scheduled to be fired, three complete
assemblies including warheads will be transported to the proving ground.
Scheduling will be so arranged that there will at all times be a complete and
ready missile available on Parry Island to be transported to Bikini immediately in the event of damage, malfunction or failure of one of the primary
missiles.
Firing dates are tentatively scheduled as 23 April and 6 May, with
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ATOMIC ENERGY ACT 1954
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Boeico terreoe
some hope that these dates may be advanced a few days after the attainment of
intermediate ready dates is evaluated.