Atlas F Site 550-9 Missile Silo, Beverly Kansas

A quiet fenced hill northwest of Beverly, Kansas, hides one of the most ambitious engineering bets of the early missile age: a vertical Atlas F silo deep enough to swallow an eighteen-story building, built in haste for nuclear alert duty, then abandoned by the Air Force after only a few years of service. Atlas F Site 550-9 was one of the twelve SM-65F Atlas launch complexes built around Schilling Air Force Base at Salina, Kansas, for the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron. Its military life was short, but the surviving structure tells the larger story of the first generation of hardened, silo-based American ICBMs: expensive, complex, dangerous to build, demanding to operate, and quickly overtaken by newer solid-fueled missiles.

Atlas F Site 550-9 was the Beverly, Kansas, launch complex of the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron. The site code was 550-9. The missile system was the SM-65F Atlas, commonly called Atlas F. The parent base was Schilling Air Force Base, Salina, Kansas. The operating organization was the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron, under the 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing. Because Atlas F was not a Minuteman-style dispersed Launch Facility controlled from a remote Launch Control Center, the parent LCC field is best treated as not applicable. The Atlas F launch complex included its own underground launch-control and support spaces associated with the silo.

The site is near Beverly in Lincoln County, Kansas. The EPA's related environmental-site record for SCHILLING (EX) AIR FORCE ATLAS FAC S-9 lists Beverly, Lincoln County, Kansas.

The complex is inactive and decommissioned. Site 550-9 had an activation date of 1961-04-01 and a deactivation date of 1965-06-25. The former complex is now private property and has been marketed publicly as the Rolling Hills Missile Silo, owned by BTB Ranch LLC, with a renovated launch-control-center area, surviving silo space, fenced/gated access, and no casual public access.

Location, Landscape, and Site Description

Atlas F Site 550-9 sits in the open agricultural country of central Kansas, near Beverly, Lincoln County. The landscape is the kind of wide, rolling plains that made the Schilling missile field both practical and strategically useful: enough open ground for heavy construction, enough distance from urban centers to disperse the missiles, and close enough to Schilling Air Force Base at Salina to be supported by the squadron, maintenance, security, supply, and command structure.

The site's Air Force identity was tied to Schilling AFB, but the launch complex was not on the base. It was part of a ring of twelve Atlas F sites spread around Salina. That dispersal was central to the Atlas F basing concept. A single attack on Schilling could not destroy every missile if the launchers were scattered across the countryside. The physical separation also required a heavy support system: roads, communications, power, cryogenic oxidizer handling, maintenance access, and security coverage had to extend across the missile field, not merely within the base fence.

Atlas F was the "silo-lift" version of the Atlas ICBM family. At Site 550-9, the missile was stored vertically in an underground silo rather than horizontally in an aboveground or semi-hardened shelter. Public sources describe Atlas F silos as roughly 52 feet in diameter and about 174 to 182 feet deep, depending on the source and measurement. The Military Standard describes the standard Atlas F silo as 174 feet deep and 52 feet in diameter, with a reinforced-concrete wall and a steel missile crib suspended from the silo wall by large springs. The current Rolling Hills Missile Silo specifications describe the surviving silo space as 52 feet wide and 182 feet deep. The difference likely reflects source conventions, measuring points, or the distinction between standard design dimensions and the full depth of surviving usable space.

The current Rolling Hills listing describes 9 acres of land, a fenced and gated 1,500-by-100-foot deeded driveway, barbed-wire fencing at the driveway, an 8-foot fence with barbed wire around the main property, electric power available, rural district metered water available at the driveway, two sewer systems, a humidity-control system, two concrete pads at the surface, 2,500 square feet in the former launch control center, and a 52-foot-wide by 182-foot-deep silo space. Those details are consistent with an intact or substantially surviving Atlas F complex whose military equipment was removed but whose major underground structure remains.

Strategic and Cold War Context

Site 550-9 existed because the United States needed survivable, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles during a period when both the technology and the strategy were changing at extraordinary speed. Atlas was the United States Air Force's first operational ICBM. It gave Strategic Air Command a weapon that could reach intercontinental targets without relying on bomber penetration alone, but the first Atlas basing schemes were vulnerable. Aboveground or lightly protected launchers could be destroyed before launch. The Atlas F program was an attempt to harden the weapon, protect it underground, and reduce response time while preserving the Atlas's long-range nuclear strike capability.

The Atlas F solution was impressive but complicated. The missile remained a liquid-fueled, pressure-stabilized rocket. It used RP-1 kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer. RP-1 could be kept on board during alert, but liquid oxygen was cryogenic and had to be loaded during the launch sequence. Atlas also depended on internal pressure to maintain structural integrity; the missile's thin stainless-steel "balloon tank" design saved weight but demanded constant attention. In practical terms, the missile was a weapon system as much as it was a rocket. The silo, elevator, cryogenic equipment, power systems, control center, security procedures, communications circuits, maintenance crews, and launch crews were all part of the weapon.

The Schilling field placed twelve Atlas F missiles in hardened launch complexes around central Kansas. Kansas was attractive because it was inland, away from coastal submarine-launched missile threats as understood at the time, and because Schilling AFB already provided a Strategic Air Command support base.

Construction and Activation

The Atlas construction program was shaped by urgency. In early 1958 the Air Force turned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build launch facilities for the new Atlas missile. The Corps' Ballistic Missile Construction Office oversaw the national effort, while engineer districts managed construction in the field. This was concurrent development in the harshest sense: missiles, launch equipment, basing concepts, and construction requirements were evolving while concrete was already being poured.

Atlas F sites were the most difficult Atlas launch facilities to build. They required deep excavation, heavy reinforced concrete, a vertical silo, massive doors, an elevator system, a suspended missile crib, a protected control area, tunnels, utility systems, and specialized support equipment for a liquid-fueled ICBM. Atlas F silo sites were "hard" sites with reinforced-concrete silos, 45-ton doors, and protection from overpressures up to 100 psi. It also notes that construction across the Atlas program was hazardous and demanding, with delays from flooding, cave-ins, labor unrest, steel shortages, and other problems.

Construction started in 1960 and turnover to the Air Force in 1962.

The 550th Strategic Missile Squadron was the Atlas F squadron at Schilling. The SAC Missile Chronology records the first Series F Atlas squadron activity in this period, and public site histories list the 550th SMS as the Schilling Atlas F unit.

Missile System and Technical Role

Atlas F Site 550-9 was designed for one SM-65F Atlas ICBM. The Atlas F was a first-generation, liquid-fueled, silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile. It was not launched from inside the silo. Instead, the missile was stored vertically underground in a hardened silo. During the firing sequence, liquid oxygen was loaded, the silo doors opened, the elevator raised the missile to the surface, and the missile launched from the elevated position.

The 550th SMS's own public history describes the Atlas F as being housed in a "silo launcher" style complex, with the missile kept vertical, two 75-ton overhead doors opened for launch, and the missile lifted out of the silo. It also states that RP-1 fuel was kept on board the missile during alert, while liquid oxygen was loaded before the missile was lifted to the launch position. Internal pressure was maintained by gaseous nitrogen. This is important for interpreting alert language. A phrase such as "operational launch-ready alert posture" for an Atlas F site did not mean the missile sat continuously raised above the silo or continuously loaded with liquid oxygen. In the Atlas F context, it meant that the missile, crew, equipment, communications, security, propellant support, and countdown procedures were prepared so that the weapon could be brought through the final sequence if an authenticated launch order came.

The Atlas F used an inertial guidance system. The Atlas E/F reentry vehicle was the Mark 4, and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum describes the Mark 4 as used on USAF Titan I and Atlas E/F ICBMs and as carrying a W-38 nuclear warhead with a yield of about 3.75 megatons.

The assigned missile for Site 550-9 was Atlas Missile 9F, General Dynamics missile serial number 60-5532, General Dynamics manufacturing number 9F, Air Force tail number 532. The missile acceptance date was 1961-06-30, and the missile delivery date was 1961-07-24. It was assigned to the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron, Site 9, with destination Schilling Air Force Base and mission "Operational ICBM." It was not launched, it was later salvaged as scrap.

Operational History

The 550th Strategic Missile Squadron operated the Schilling Atlas F missile field from the early 1960s until the Atlas phaseout in 1965. The 550th SMS was based at Schilling AFB from 1962 through 1965, with twelve sites built in a ring around Salina. The squadron's sites were active around the clock during the squadron's operational life.

Operational life at an Atlas F site was defined by readiness and maintenance. The complex had to protect a delicate but powerful missile underground while keeping it close enough to launch readiness to meet SAC requirements. Crews, maintenance personnel, propellant specialists, security forces, communications technicians, and support personnel all contributed to keeping the site ready. The Atlas F design reduced some vulnerabilities compared with earlier Atlas variants, but it remained a liquid-fueled system. The missile's pressure-stabilized structure, RP-1 fuel, cryogenic liquid oxygen, elevator, doors, guidance equipment, and control systems made it labor-intensive. A launch complex such as 550-9 was therefore not simply a hole in the ground; it was a staffed, inspected, powered, secured, and constantly maintained Cold War machine.

The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the most important operational episode for the Schilling Atlas F field. During the crisis all operational 550th sites were at a high level of alert and ready to launch if necessary. The SAC Missile Chronology also records the October 1962 requirement for the first Series F Atlas squadrons, including the 550th, to place their missiles on alert during the crisis period. That alert posture did not mean an Atlas F missile was continuously raised or continuously filled with liquid oxygen. It meant that the site's missile, crew, support equipment, communications, and propellant-support procedures were prioritized for rapid transition into the final launch sequence under wartime conditions.

The brief service life of Site 550-9 reflected the speed of ICBM technology. By the time Atlas F became operational, solid-fueled Minuteman missiles were already changing the standard for readiness, safety, simplicity, and survivability. Minuteman did not require the same liquid-oxygen loading sequence, and it could remain on alert in a far more practical day-to-day posture. Atlas F was a major step forward from the exposed Atlas D and semi-hardened Atlas E, but it was still an interim weapon. Site 550-9 belonged to that narrow window when the United States had made Atlas survivable enough for dispersed silo alert, but not yet simple enough to remain a long-term front-line ICBM.

Deactivation and Disposal

The 550th Strategic Missile Squadron and Schilling Atlas F mission wound down by June 1965; and the Atlas ICBM force as a whole was removed from front-line service in 1965 as newer systems, especially Minuteman, took over.

The assigned missile's later career is known. Atlas 9F, General Dynamics serial 60-5532 and Air Force tail number 532, was not launched, it was salvaged as scrap. Many Atlas missiles had second lives as boosters or test vehicles, but the missile assigned to Site 550-9 did not.

Post-deactivation disposal appears to have followed the general Atlas pattern of equipment removal and property transfer rather than preservation as an Air Force historic site. The Military Standard's Atlas construction history notes that after the Atlas force was retired, launch sites were stripped of salvageable materials and abandoned or reused. The current Rolling Hills site preserves the large underground structure, but the operational missile equipment, missile, nuclear reentry system, and military control equipment are no longer present.

The EPA Superfund database lists SCHILLING (EX) AIR FORCE ATLAS FAC S-9, EPA ID KSSFN0703172, at Beverly, Kansas, with NPL status "Not on the NPL" and Non-NPL status "NFRAP-Site does not qualify for the NPL based on existing information." The EPA record places it in Lincoln County. An older GAO/DERP-FUDS table lists SCHILLING AFB-FAC S-9, project/property number B07KS0267, in Lincoln County, with 10 acres shown in the table. A 2015 USACE Kansas FUDS inventory reviewed lists several Schilling Atlas sites but did not show B07KS0267, Beverly, or S-9 as a separate current entry.

Current Status and Site Use

The former Atlas F Site 550-9 is no longer an active military installation. It is a decommissioned, privately owned, reused missile complex near Beverly, Lincoln County, Kansas. It is not open for casual public access. It should be treated as private property; no one should enter without owner or authorized listing permission.

The current property is publicly marketed as the Rolling Hills Missile Silo. The Rolling Hills website states that the site is recently renovated, ready for sale, and owned by BTB Ranch LLC. Its specifications list 9 acres, fenced and gated access, electric power availability, rural district metered water at the driveway, two sewer systems, 2,500 square feet in the launch control center, and a 52-foot-wide by 182-foot-deep silo. KCTV5 reported in 2025 that the former Atlas F silo property in Lincoln County, Kansas, was listed for sale at $1.3 million and described approximately 8.5 acres, an underground control-room/living-quarter area, original doors, and an 18-story silo. The Wichita Eagle previously reported the Rolling Hills Missile Silo in Lincoln County northwest of Beverly on the market in 2023, offered by BTB Ranch.

Chronology

• 1958 - The Air Force turned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build launch facilities for the Atlas ICBM program.
• 1960 - Construction began or was underway at Atlas F Site 550-9.
• 1961-06-30 - The assigned missile, Atlas 9F / General Dynamics serial 60-5532 / Air Force tail number 532, was accepted.
• 1961-07-24 - Atlas 9F was delivered for assignment to the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron at Schilling Air Force Base.
• 1962-10 - During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron's operational Atlas F sites were placed at a high level of alert as part of SAC's emergency posture.
• 1965-06-25 - T50th Strategic Missile Squadron deactivated.
• 2001 - An older GAO/DERP-FUDS table listed SCHILLING AFB-FAC S-9 / B07KS0267 in Lincoln County.
• 2015 - A USACE Kansas FUDS inventory reviewed did not show B07KS0267, Beverly, or S-9 as a separate current Kansas FUDS entry, though it listed several other Schilling Atlas sites.
• 2023 - The Wichita Eagle reported that the Rolling Hills Missile Silo in Lincoln County northwest of Beverly was being offered for sale by BTB Ranch.
• 2025-09-01 - KCTV5 reported the former Atlas F silo property in Lincoln County, Kansas, listed for sale at $1.3 million.

Read about the Atlas at Schilling AFB

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