The Nike Missile Air
Defense System
The Nike-Ajax was the
first ground-based supersonic anti-aircraft missile system
to become operational in the United States. The Nike
missiles were deployed at sites in a circular pattern around
key American industrial and military locations. The first
Los Angeles area Nike-Ajax battery was emplaced in the
mountains above Malibu in 1954. By 1958, there were 16
Nike-Ajax launch sites guarding the greater Los Angeles
area, protecting an area of some 4,000 square miles. The Los
Angeles Defense area was manned by several battalions of US
Army Regulars and National Guardsman, under the command of
the 47th Air Defense Brigade from 1954 to 1969.
Nike missiles were launched from
a self-contained launch area. Each site was equipped with
two or three launching platforms each with an underground
storage magazines, an elevator and four missile erectors.
The missiles were stored |
Nike Hercules (left) and Nike Ajax at Site
LA 88,
Chatsworth 1960s. US Army Photograph |
underground on rails and were
brought to the surface by an elevator. Once on the surface,
they were pushed on rails to an erector and with the proper
electrical and hydraulic connections completed, raised to an
angle of about 85 degrees for firing.
The Nike missiles employed the "command guidance" system in
which the major control equipment was ground-based and not
part of the expendable missile. The missiles were guided
from a control area located at least 1000 yards from the
launch area. It contained the radar equipment for acquiring
and tracking the target and missile. Separate radars
simultaneously located and tracked both the target and the
Nike missile. Data from these radars was fed to the
electronic computer which sent "commands" to the missile in
flight to guide it to the target.
The newer, more powerful Nike-Hercules missiles replaced the
Nike-Ajax during the period 1958-1963. Nike-Hercules had the
capability of being armed with a nuclear warhead. The
Hercules was completely powered by solid fuels, eliminating
the troublesome and dangerous liquid fueling procedure of
the Nike-Ajax. Nike-Hercules also brought with it improved
acquisition radar systems and an improved command
coordinating system. The Nike Hercules were installed into
modified Nike-Ajax sites in the Los Angeles area. Only 9 of
the original 16 sites were converted to fire the
Nike-Hercules missiles.
The Nike Hercules was designed for defense against attack by
large formations of bombers. As the perceived threat changed
from bomber attack to missile attack, the usefulness of the
Nike Hercules diminished. On 4 February 1974, the Army
ordered all existing US Nike batteries were inactivated.
Specifications
|
Nike Ajax
|
Nike Hercules
|
| Designation |
MIM-3A |
MIM-14B |
| Weight gross |
2,259 pounds |
10,711 pounds |
| Length |
392 inches |
478 inches |
| Cost (1958) |
$19,300 |
$55,200 |
| Warheads |
3 High Explosive |
1 High Explosive or 1 Nuclear |
| Range |
30.7 miles |
96.3 miles |
| Altitude |
60,000 feet |
100,000 feet |
| Speed |
Mach 2.3 |
Mach 3.65 |
| Flight time |
1 minute |
2 minutes |
|
|
 |
|
The Guns of Fort MacArthur |
|
|
|
|
