In general I try not to reproduce too many news stories, but once I read "nuclear missile in a garage", I admit I couldn't resist. Recently, the bomb squad of the Bellevue Police Department responded to one of the strangest calls a specialist in that field can receive. It all started with an inquiry from the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, regarding a potential donation from a local resident. The small problem is that it's a missile designed to fire nuclear warheads...
For a bit of history: The so-called Operation Plumbbob took place between May 28 and October 7, 1957, at the Nevada Test Site. One of the most notable detonations was "John" (July 19, 1957), a proof of concept for the MB-1 missile from Douglas Aircraft Company, equipped with a W25 nuclear warhead of 1.7 kilotons. The missile is air-to-air and emerged as a response to the possibility of using nuclear weapons to neutralize enemy aircraft squadrons and their attacks.
That's right: During Plumbbob John, five Air Force officers and a cameraman volunteered to position themselves exactly below Ground Zero. The test was a success, the MB-1 entered service, later received the designation AIR-2 Genie, and remained active until its retirement from the Air Force in 1985, with about 3,000 units manufactured. With a fast forward of almost forty years, the Douglas AIR-2 Genie makes news again... but for the least expected reason.
The bomb squad and the nuclear missile
On the night of Wednesday, January 31, the Bellevue Police Department received a call from the Air Force Museum (Dayton, Ohio), regarding a resident who wanted to donate an artifact, which had belonged to his deceased neighbor (who had acquired the artifact at an auction). The next day, the patrol division and bomb squad contacted the resident who had spoken with the museum, and when they conducted an inspection... they discovered a Douglas AIR-2 Genie in poor condition.
Two pieces of good news: The missile had no nuclear warhead, and no fuel inside. Available information suggests the donor refused to be identified and expressed great irritation at the media exposure and the museum report, but cooperated with authorities at all times. I hope the missile can receive some kind of restoration and be exhibited at the museum.
Sources: BBC, Bellevue Police
