Ellsworth Air Force Base in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
EC-135 Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS)
An Airborne "Finger on the Button"
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
1. EC-135 Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) Marker
Crammed with electronics, one of three ALCS from Ellsworth sat ready for takeoff at all times between 1970 and 1991. If an attack on the United States disrupted ground-based launch control sites, this plane's crew—from 30,000 feet in the air—could send nuclear missiles rocketing around the globe. But it was never really a button; crews turned keys to launch the missiles.
PUMPING FUEL AT 300 MPH
Before it was converted for missile launch, this plane served Ellsworth's B-52 bombers as a flying gas station. Tankers from the 28th Air Refueling Squadron met bombers in midair, connected through the tail boom, and filled the bombers' tanks.
[Photos]
LEFT: A Boom Operator lies face down in a KC-135's tail and maneuvers its telescoping boom.
RIGHT: The B-52 and KC-135 were designed together, as Cold War partners.
Specialists on board could communicate up and down the chain of command, from the President to individual combat crews.
Even among state-of-the-art electronics, Airmen always have paperwork, whether checklists or reports.
DATA CARD
Top Speed mph · 610
Crew · 15+
Range · Intercontinental
Payload
this page online
Erected by South Dakota Air and Space Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Patriots & Patriotism • War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 1970.
Location. 44° 7.976′ N, 103° 4.401′ W. Marker is in Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, in Pennington County. Marker and aircraft are on static display at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2890 Davis Drive, Ellsworth AFB SD 57706, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West River, in the Badlands, and in Greater Rapid City. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 4th Airborne Command Control Squadron (a few steps from this
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
2. EC-135 Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) and Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Rockwell B-1B "Lancer" (was within shouting distance of this marker).
Regarding EC-135 Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS). Although an official field museum of the US Air Force Heritage Program and is adjacent to Ellsworth AFB main gate, the museum does not require access onto the base.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
3. EC-135 Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS)
Highlighting refueling boom
Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 6, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 6, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
