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Nike Site Overview

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Link to Introduction to the Improved Nike Herculese Missile System - 1.0 megabytes - in Adobe .pdf format


From FM 44-1-2 ADA Reference Handbook, 15 June 1984, see page 21 "Rings of Supersonic Steel"

Beginning of Air Defense of the United States
The following section was highly condensed from the 40 page article Vigilant and Invincible by Col. Stephen P. Moeller, "ADA" magazine, dated May-June 1995. The parts selected were relative to the beginnings of the Nike program, the article is much more complete. Magazine correspondence address is ADA magazine, USAADASCH; ATTN: ATSA-ADA, Bldg. 2E, Fort Bliss, TX 79916-3802. Telephone (915)568-4133.
"... The Korean War provided the impetus that got the air defense program rolling on many levels and in many areas. ... When the Chinese entered the war, direct confrontation between superpowers ensued. America now girded itself for a possible attack on its homeland. ... ARAACOM was formed within a week. ... Even before ARAACOM was born in 1950, batteries of 120mm guns had deployed to protect the plutonium production plant at Hanford, Wash. ... The ARAACOM staff moved into the basement of the Antlers Hotel, where they remained for several years before moving to Ent. ... ARAACOM's mission was to train and deploy antiaircraft forces in defense of critical areas of the country. The listing of critical areas would be massaged and changed over the years, but the initial list included industrial centers, the national capital region, SAC bases, Atomic Energy Commission sites, and other key areas such as the narrows and locks at Sault Sainte Marie, naval bases at Norfolk and Philadelphia, and the electric power production facilities at Niagara Falls.

"There were many more assets to be defended than there were forces to defend them . ...

"... ARAACOM soldiers operated a mixture of old and new gun systems. The old part was the century-old rifled cannon technology that hurled projectiles at the enemy, and the new was a radar-controlled, computerized, integrated fire control system that pointed the guns. ...

"... In early 1951, the director of guided missiles informed the secretary of defense that immediate acceleration of production processes for the Nike-I Project was considered necessary to get the missile system out of research and development and into the tactical weapon state at the earliest practicable date. ...

"... To train soldiers to operate and maintain this new generation of antiaircraft technology, the Army established a guided missile department at the Antiaircraft School, Fort Bliss, Texas, just south of where the Nike testing was taking place in New Mexico. ...

"... Selection of sites and land acquisition were major problems. Maximum use was being made public lands, even though using such sites often violated tactical considerations and resulted in less than optimum defense. By far the greatest number of battery sites had to be located on privately-owned land and, in most instances, high real estate costs and adverse reaction by owners made the acquisition problems acute. ... "

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Nike was part of a coordinated anti-aircraft defense

NORAD--the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Air Defense Command -- had responsibility for air defense of the United States and Canada. For further information on NORAD see "US Army Air Defense Digest, 1966". Major components of the NORAD included:
  1. Early warning ground based and aircraft based radar systems
    This included the Distant Early Warning and Mid-Canada radar lines, "barrier forces" comprising picket ships, Air Force and Navy radar aircraft patrols, and "Texas tower" radar stations.
  2. Area or regional headquarters for coordinating defense activities. SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), an Air Force sector-level command and control system.
  3. Fighter aircraft and Bomarc missiles were to down most enemy aircraft, and to disrupt the attack. The Bomarc missile was ramjet powered guided missile with a range of 400 miles at Mach 2.5, operated by the Canadian and American air forces. It had a nuclear warhead.
  4. Local area surveillance radar - aid vectoring the fighters, assign targets
  5. Nike surface to air missile systems - down all remaining aircraft still attacking

The Air Force was responsible for "Area Defense", and the Army (ARADCOM) was responsible for "Point Defense". The Air Force, with its mission of "Area Defense", was responsible for providing "Area Defense" information to the Army Nike systems. A discussion of the Air Force role is provided here.

A system of some 22 SAGE computer systems was deployed in the late 1950s to help combine inputs from radar, observers, etc. and help organize defensive operations. A SAGE Movie - if you have the Internet bandwidth

Personal Experience in early Nike program by Ed Thelen
In the early deployment of the Nike sites (1955-1956), there seemed to be little inter-site, inter-area, or inter-service coordination. I am told that as time went on, reliable land lines and radios linked the sites with area controls, and that combined Army & Air Force exercises were performed, and that the Air Force tried out its jamming equipment against the Nike sites. There were several system developed later that provided quite automatic target assignments from headquarters (rather than calling target assignments by grid co-ordinates over the phone). There was a training system developed later (called "T-1") that could simulate jamming, incoming targets, and could give the operators valuable experience and a good workout.

I saw none of that in the first two years in Chicago. Half of the time we could not contact the Air Force area control near Elko Wisconsin (and when we could, the bored voice on the Air Force end really did not care).

My first year, if you wanted to talk with an adjacent battery, you called the orderly room and got a connection through the commercial telephone system. (There was a radio supplied (with out manuals) for inter-battery communications, but none of the Nike sites could get them to work.) We often got our alert status by a phone call via the commercial phone system.

We never saw any form of jamming. The only things we knew about jamming were items from the newspapers and radar books from the public library. If course we electronic types could imagine jamming equipment and techniques that could be employed against us - and it turned out we guessed about 60 percent of the techniques I have heard about years later! Interesting? - it made me nervous!

From Chris McWilliams
Saw your remarks to ... about plotting tracks. That's what we did in USAF AC&W (radar) Squadrons. Tracks were plotted writing backwards on a large edge-lighted Plexiglas screen while standing on "bleachers" (scaffolding behind board to allow us to reach top of board).

Plotter was part of our job, which included scope dope, height finder, teller (pass info to adjacent sites and HQ), security (man guard shack), radio alert (listen to many receivers for aircraft calling site), usually rotated through with about an hour on each. During missions or alerts, the best people on each activity would usually stay on that job until conclusion of the mission.

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Location - Where do you find Nike installations (sites)?

Each Nike site was a major investment in equipment (in the 10's of millions of 1960 dollars) and people (about 130 per site was authorized in the TO&E - Table of Organization and Equipment - ). As the demands of the Vietnam War increased, fewer troops were assigned to each Nike battery - 80 people and very long hours were common.

Since they are one of the nation's anti-aircraft systems (fighter type aircraft being another major, and expensive weapon) they are found in places deemed important to defend, such as major cities (and major Air Force offensive and defensive installations).

Nike sites were placed around (surrounded) large targets, like large cities because:

A very touchy point about where to put a site was the missile booster drop zone. A Nike missile was started on its way by a rocket booster. This booster would land about 1 mile from the launching site and would kill anything with in about 3 feet of where it landed. Outside of that zone, you would get a big surprise, but probably be physically unharmed. This caused much worry with people who were otherwise happy to drive drunk (or with the drunks) on the public roadways where 50,000 per year were being killed. (MADD "Mothers Against Drunk Driving" ) is a rather recent development.) So a large un-inhabited drop zone was a political requirement for each Nike site. (Even though people were assured that Nikes would not be fired from the city sites for practice.)

From NIKE AJAX - HISTORICAL MONOGRAPH - why underground magazines?
As originally designed, the equipment of the NIKE battery was located above ground in two separate areas: the battery control area and the launching area. Based on Ordnance safety regulations governing the surface storage of explosives, it was determined that a NIKE site would require about 119 acres. Such a large amount of real estate would be both costly and scarce, particularly if the site should be located in some metropolitan section such se Brooklyn, New York.

The only feasible solution to the real estate reduction problem came from the OCO Safety Office, which suggested that an underground launcher installation be used. This would reduce the real estate requirement for individual installations to about 40 acres; since the battery would become a magazine. But there were yet two questions to be answered: Would it be feasible to modify the present launching equipment; and if so, would the Army Antiaircraft Command (ARAACOM) be willing to accept such a fixed installation in lieu of the mobile system originally specified.

Since radar is "line-of-sight", placing radar as high as practical is "good thing". The radar part of a Nike site tends to be at a local high spot. (Hill!, What did you think I meant?). The launching area needs to be with in a few miles, with line of sight between the missile tracking radar and erect missiles.

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Land Procurement?

"Pete"of St. Louis wrote
We were out for a drive this morning with my father in law, going up past Pere Marquette state park along the Mississippi. As we were heading upriver, going along past farmland overlooked by the river bluffs, he chimes up and says that years ago, he helped pick out the site for the Nike missiles 'up on that hill'.

He was in the CIC back in the mid-late 50s. Since he was the guy in the office with a TS clearance and knew the area, he drove a bunch of Army guys around looking for a good site north of St. Louis.

Interesting -

As far as most of us Army people were concerned, the sites and concrete were there, we just moved in.

Being a bit of a farmer, I was always curious about the reactions and interactions between the farmer (mostly) and the usually city slicker procurement people.

I had heard one story similar to this -


Farmer - "What are you doing on my land?"
Procurement - "I can't tell you. Top Secret"
Farmer - Thinking of stories of land confiscation for atomic project 10 years earlier, says
"Please just leave."
Procurement - "Not until we are done."
Farmer - "With what?"
Procurement - "Can't tell."
Farmer- "When?"
Procurement - "Can't tell"

Later ultimate city slickers arrive wanting the top of a hill, with rights to put a road, and power, and water, and general trespass to the top of that hill.

The farmer thinking of gates left open, lost cows, messed up fields, would much rather not.

The city slickers talk about defending America, freedom and property rights

- then say "If you don't agree to our terms, we will take it away from you."
(The city slickers are on a tight budget and not about to spend $0.10 more than necessary.)

The farmer weights his options, talks with an attorney, and agrees to chop up his farm for the city slickers.

They do not part as friends -

The farmer wonders if he has been dealing with Stalin.
Feels sympathy for the starved out Ukrainian peasants.

------------------------------------------

Anything like that?

"Pete"of St. Louis wrote back

No problem using the anecdote, but the farmer story may not apply in this case since I think they built SL-90 within the bounds of Pere Marquette state park. Your website indicates that the park now uses the site for maintenance/storage.
Ah - yes - and the Nike sites along the Chicago water front (I was at C-41) were Chicago park property. And out here in the San Francisco area, the high outlying points all seem to be parks also. And even Angel Island in the bay. Interesting - maybe there were fewer farmers involved than I worried about. And selling off flat land in Texas, Minnesota, ... might not be such a big deal?

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People

The Nike battery commander was usually a captain. He controlled the battery both administratively and tactically.

His "staff" included:

(Many/most of the above had "Battery Control Officer" training and were authorized to operate the "FIRE" switch to launch missiles.)

And about 120 "other ranks" (as the British so politely put it).
including:

  • cooks
  • orderly room clerk
  • and "the rest of us" who had Nike oriented duties, and were often used as general labor such as grass cutting, snow shoveling, barracks cleaning, K.P., low level truck fixing, driving to dump/supply/IFC/etc., inspections, and the thousand activities of organized life.
And of course there was the annual 30 day vaction time, sick call, weekend and 3 day passes, and other types of absences.

(I am advised that later in the Nike program, sites got extremely short handed and had about 80 people.)

A statement of Nike site manning is actually surprisingly complex. For a much longer discussion see Nike Manning Requirements

(The current PATRIOT missile system has much smaller physically, requires much less maintenance, and requires many fewer people to fire the battery.)

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Nike Ajax Site Layout

The Nike Ajax was the first model, with the powerful Hercules model planned.
The Nike Ajax Acquisition Radar (later called "LOPAR") had a range of about 50 miles.
The Nike Ajax Missile had a range of about 25 miles, the Hercules about 100 miles.
The IFC area needed about 7 acres, the Launcher area about 25 acres, and a combination of Launcher and Administration areas about 40 acres. The Launcher area was designed to handle the later Hercules missiles with a minimum on change. Actually it was easier to service the Hercules, with fewer hazardous fuels. Launcher areas with the nuclear capable Hercules were surrounded by double fences and had guard dogs on patrol. IFC areas of Hercules sites had an added long range acquisition radar, either HIPAR or an "ABAR".

Only one elevator is shown in the above diagram.
Daniel Gompper sent this annotated image of the old HA-25 launcher area.

Many launcher areas had 3 "magazines", each with 1 elevator, and 4 launchers. This would permit 12 missiles to be ready to fire at the start of an "engagement". Most Nike sites in the "lower 48 states" defending cities had elevator magazines.

Where people were not so close and/or land was less expensive, such as near SAC (Stratigic Air Command) bases, or Alaska, launcher areas typically did not have underground magazines with elevators. The missiles were stored in low buildings.

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Why separate radar and launcher areas?

Keith Schramm asked "Why separate radar and launcher areas?".

Yes - why indeed? Two areas instead is a definite nuisance. Two areas to:

- obtain
- guard
- administer
with
- communication problems/vulnerabilities between the areas
- added roads
- added transportation problems
- ...

The fundamental problem is that the missile takes off so fast that a radar that has to move through an angle to track the missile has trouble if the missile is too close. The Ajax (and later Hercules) missile accelerates off of the launcher at about 25 times the acceleration of gravity or about 25 times 32 feet per second per second = 800 feet per second per second.

The interesting fact is that the Nike accelerates so fast that the missile tracking radar (MTR) can't keep up with it if the two are too close.

Basically, the missile is here one second, and gone the next - really -

So backing the radar (or human) away from the missile gives the radar (or human eyeball) a chance to track the missile.

An example of the problem is:

  1. Assume the missile tracking radar is 50 yards (150 feet) from the launching missile (a relatively safe distance).
  2. The missile rises 150 feet (through a 45 degree angle) in about 0.6 seconds - not much longer that it takes you to blink.
  3. This means that the missile tracking radar would have had to move from a stopped position through a 45 degree angle in that 0.6 seconds - a *real* challenge -
  4. So, the only practical thing to do is to move the missile and radar away from each other to relieve the strain of jerking the radar antenna so hard.
  5. The minimum specified distance of 3000 feet (1000 yards) strains the missile tracking radar servo and drive system enough as it is.

There is another placement limitation. The tracking antennas can only depress (point down) about 10 degrees from the horizontal. So the launcher area must be high enough for the missiles, when erect, to be seen directly by the missile tracking radar no more than 10 degrees down from the horizontal.

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Connection between the radar and launcher areas?


> Hello I am a ... student at the Beck Vocational center
> in Hecker Illinois ( a former Nike base). ...

Yes, the Nike site is usually called SL-40 :-))
... loc-i.html#SL-40

> Rumor has it that there is a tunnel from the control area
> (main school grounds ) to the launch area.
> Is this true or just a rumor?

Sorry to try to dispel the romantic idea of a tunnel. :-(

The IFC (radar area) indeed needed a reliable communication path with the launcher area.
...ifc.html#telephones

The supplied interarea cable (rubber, about 5/8 inch diameter) was generally placed in a trench dug by a usual trench digging machine by private contractors. I don't know the recommended depth of the trench, but the machines generally can go at least 3 feet deep to avoid the usual farm plowing and lawn and sidewalk maintenance operations. A workable backup method was a radio link with supplied two way radios.

There were exceptional problems such as major highways, the launcher section on a Detroit island between the U.S. and Canada. I don't know what methods were used in such instances.

There is no record that the Army Corps of Engineers ever went to the time, trouble and expense of building a tunnel between the two areas. Remember, the minimum distance between the missile tracking radar (MTR) and any launcher was specified to be 1000 yards (over half a mile).

I suspect that such a tunnel would have exceeded the cost of the entire Nike site. In spite of the large sums allocated for defense, most of the many projects such as Nike felt pinched for funds. There were/are constant battles between competing projects for the funds that are allocated by congress. Except possibly for "dark" projects such as the Manhatten Project (atomic bomb), I have never heard of "a blank check".

I have never even heard of a situation where a Nike site was placed in a situation where it could take advantage of a fortuitously placed tunnel.

Sorry, Ed Thelen

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Nike Ajax updated to Hercules

The following section is taken directly from pages 2-1 through pages 2-4 of a U.S. government report "Historical Overview of the Nike Missile System"

" The development of Nike Ajax missiles began with the designated defense areas around major cities on the United States east coast. These included Boston, Providence, Philadelphia-New York, and Baltimore-Washington. West coast cities were added soon after near Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Before deployment was complete, additional sites were added at major military bases and other cities in the southeast and Midwest including Miami, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Detroit. ...

" During its term of service in the field, the Nike Ajax system remained essentially unchanged. The second generation Nike system, originally called Nike B and later named Nike Hercules, was under development even while Nike Ajax was still being deployed. Thus, all the Ajax batteries were essentially the same in design and construction, and no effort was made to update the Nike Ajax batteries once they were deployed. In-field changes were limited to minor equipment modifications to improve operational efficiency. Beginning in late 1958, selected Ajax batteries were converted to the Hercules system. ...

" The Ajax/Hercules conversions which took place between 1958 and 1961 followed essentially the same pattern as the original Ajax deployment, beginning with major east coast metropolitan defense areas and spreading to the west and Midwest.

" Final phase out of Ajax batteries which were not converted to the Hercules system began in early 1962. This process took 2 years and was completed in early 1964, when the last CONUS Nike Ajax battery was deactivated. ...

" 2.2 HERCULES
Even before deployment of the Nike Ajax, it was realized that the weapon system had performance limitations which would prevent it from engaging formations of high speed, high altitude aircraft which would soon be in use. Most critical was the limited resolution of the Ajax target tracking radar, which tended to wander between planes in a formation, resulting in the missile passing between two aircraft and detonating without causing any damage to the attackers. In 1952, the Ordnance Corps began feasibility studies of an improved air defense system which would be capable of countering anticipated aerial threats and could be modified to keep pace with advances in attack systems.

" Preliminary design studies of the Nike Hercules system began in February 1953. Design guidelines for the Hercules missile called for maximum use of proven components from the Ajax program and stipulated the both missiles must be compatible with all sets of Nike ground and launching equipment. The primary role of the new system was to attack fast, high flying aircraft formations with a single atomic warhead. The system was to have an alternate conventional warhead for use against single aircraft or missiles.

" The tactical version of the Hercules system evolved from several overlapping R&D and industrial programs between 1955 and 1959. During this period, the liquid propellant second stage motor used in the Ajax program was found to be impractical for the Hercules. In 1956, design of a new, solid propellant second-stage was begun. Known as the XM-30, the new engine was flight tested in 1957, and by early 1958 liquid propellants were eliminated from the Hercules flight test program. Test firings and minor modifications of the system continued through 1960. The system as it existed at that time later became known as the Basic Hercules system to distinguish it from subsequent modifications.

" ... During its term of service in the field, the Nike Hercules system underwent numerous design modifications. As previously mentioned, the system as originally deployed became known as the Basic Hercules. Two major improvement programs were subsequently executed to keep the system up to date. The first resulted in deployment of the Improved Hercules system beginning in 1961. The second produced the Hercules Anti-tactical Ballistic Missile (ATBM) system, which was first introduced in 1963. Both programs provided improved target tracking ,guidance, and interception capabilities by modifying or replacing radar and electronics equipment. Neither produced any significant change in the missile or the battery configuration.

" Not all Hercules batteries were retrofitted with the new equipment as it became available, due to budget limitations. The guidelines used provided for retrofitting of certain batteries within a group, based on the number of batteries in a particular defense area. Hence, the field deployment within a single area in 1962 may have included Ajax, Basic Hercules, and Improved Hercules batteries. ...

" In 1962, the Army began transferring operation of certain Hercules batteries to National Guard Units. Shortly thereafter, deactivation began at numerous locations. By 1970, the Army had deactivated most CONUS Hercules sites. National Guard Units continued to maintain a few sites until the late 1970s. ...

" 2.3 ZEUS
Nike Zeus was the first missile developed in the United States that was designed to defend against intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). ... In 1962, Zeus intercepted a Nike Hercules target. ... Zeus was never approved for production or deployment as a tactical system. ... "

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Nike Hercules Site Layout

The Nike Hercules missile was a more powerful model. It was faster and had more than three times the range (more than 75 miles) protecting more than nine times the area with nuclear (as well as conventional) warheads.

The added Nike Hercules Acquisition Radar (HIPAR) had a range of over 150 miles.
The Nike Ajax Acquisition Radar (LOPAR) was retained for added flexibility.
The added Target Ranging Radar (TRR) increased resistance to jamming.

Fallout Shelters?
From Steve Bardowski
This is just an educated guess, but based on my experience, and travels, ALL sites that were open after 1968 had fallout shelters. I know from personal observation that all four firing batteries in Chicago in 1972 had them, and the one site I visited in Detroit [Union Lake] had one. Plus, the batteries at Munster and Wheeler, which went under the ax in 1971, had them. The battery at Fort Story VA, still open until the end was so equipped as well. My second guess is that with the assignment of nukes to all remaining sites, it became a good idea to protect the troops from their own fallout. The facilities weren't plush, but roomier than the nuke subs I've toured while working for the Navy. AND, to this day, Soviet AFV's have NBC protection from overpressure, which admittedly does rely on filters. ...

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1963 - Peak of Nike Deployment - and the end in 1974
The year was 1963. After years of budgetary problems and continual updates to meet increasingly sophisticated threats, the Nike Hercules missile defense reached its peak of deployment and probably efficiency. Recruiting documents site selection (102 K Bytes) and ARADCOM (133 K Bytes) glowed with pride and promise.

This is the map of the United States viewed from an air defense perspective.


Map credit - "Rings of Supersonic Steel"

A variety of forces caused reduction in Nike from this time forward:
By 1974, there had been a widespread closing of Nike sites. Most had been closed. The final "blow" came when the 1974 SALT_II treaty was signed by the U.S. The U.S. moved quickly to disable remaining operational Nike missile launchers by physically cutting the hydraulically operated missile erecting shafts. A few launchers were retained intact for training and display purposes.

You can still buy Nike equipment from government salvage yards by the pound for junk.

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Nike configurations 'world wide'
(This section was added March 2003.)

This web site was originally based upon my immediate knowledge of Nike Ajax in a U.S. metropolitan area (Chicago). That included a launcher area with underground magazines.

Over the years, information about other configurations and the Nike Hercules was presented by many people. This section of the web sites highlights this added information.

There were a number of variations, listed below in no particular order

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Nike was 'mobile'?
The Nike system could indeed be transported about on roads. The IFC equipment was equipped with wheels and could be moved (but it was non-trivial, like much work over days). I would guess a ton of cables connected the IFC equipment.

The Launcher area equipment was heavier - the launchers looked like HEAVY, but were equipped for wheels. The supporting equipment was also 'mobile'. I cannot guess how many tons of cables connected the launcher area equipment. Just the power cables to the launchers were "robust" like 60 amps at 208 volts with little tolerance for voltage drop. Some folks restoring SF-88 could not get the regular power cables and used other wiring for the 100 meters from generator to launchers. The launcher would start to move and then the hydraulic unit would shut down. What was the problem? Bad safety switches? Some blockage? ...? It was finally discovered that much heavier power cables eliminated that problem.

Nike Ajax used 'interesting' sustainer fuels, including "red fuming nitric acid". A collision with a support truck transporting those fuels would have been memorable.

There were reports of Army attempts to prove the mobility both in the U.S. and Germany. The troops are reported to have regarded each exercise as cruel and unusual punishment. The U.S. mobile Nike Hercules unit was stationed in Ft. Bliss - until the Cuban Missile Crisis. It indeed was quickly transported and installed in southern Florida.

Terry Kerns provided the following images -

from http://pvo.guns.ru/other/usa/nike-hercules/
and

"here is another one i found must be greek. from the site i was on they say they still have active sites there as well as patriot"

We were told that the Nike system was designed to be 'air transportable'. Well, there are big planes, with big doors, capable of carrying heavy loads, --- see A Lockheed Satellite goes to launch via the "Russian" Antonov AN 124

Mark Morgan commented on mobility.
Temp sites had their own portable IFCs, radars on trailers, the vans, etc. I know the Army tested a fully portable Nike Hercules, including one system that used a missile mounted on this weird eight-well articulated vehicle (I have the photo somewhere), but to the best of my knowledge ARADCOM never deployed NH at temp sites. Nike Ajax went in at several temp sites around the country primarily due to the rush to get the missile up and operating. MK

If you have comments or suggestions, Send e-mail to Ed Thelen

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Updated june, 2006