551st Strategic Missle Squadron

The 551st Strategic Missile Squadron was a United States Air Force unit activated during the height of the Cold War. Initially established in 1942 as a bombardment squadron, it was later redesignated as a missile squadron and assigned to the 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing at Schilling Air Force Base, Kansas. From 1963 to 1965, the squadron operated the SM-65 Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile, serving as a critical component of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. The unit was inactivated in 1965 following the phase-out of the Atlas missile system.