NIKE System

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NIKE Missile System Development
The U.S. Army Nike Missile System was developed in the 1950s to replace radar-guided anti-aircraft gun batteries deployed around critical manufacturing and population centers. The concept was to use long-range radar to acquire incoming enemy aircraft, to track the incoming target and to fire a missile at the target. The system required separate tracking radars for the enemy target and the intercepting missile. Commands were sent to the missile inflight through the missile tracking radar.

The system developed by the U.S. Army was the Nike AJAX missile with a range of about 26 miles and a ceiling of about 55,000 feet, suitable for point defense of specific areas. The short range meant that multiple batteries were required for coverage of large metropolitan areas like Chicago. The tracking radar concept for both target and missile meant that only one target could be engaged by a battery at a time and that the system could be overwhelmed by a mass attack and/or decoys. By 1958 some 200 batteries had been deployed to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. Douglas Aircraft built 13,714 Ajax missiles for deployment in the U.S. and overseas.

The NIKE sites in the United States were organized into NIKE Defense Areas that usually consisted of an AADCP command post, a long-range radar site, and a number of launch site/control site pairs. Many times the command post and the long-range radar site were co-located and the long-range radar site could be a U.S. Army or U.S. Air Force facility. Although the command posts were originally manual operations they later evolved into more automated operations with the addition of a Missile Master (FSG-1) system, BIRDIE (GSG-5) system or the Missile Mentor (TSQ-51) system.

NIKE AJAX
The NIKE AJAX missile system was deployed between 1954 and 1963. During this same period, the U.S. Air Force built a manual network of long-range radar sites providing radar coverage over most of the United States and much of Canada. This network of early warning radars was designed to direct Air Force interceptors to intercept incoming enemy planes before they crossed into the U.S. and provided radar coverage in excess of 200 miles off the east and west coast. This system was known as the Permanent Radar System and beginning in 1958 it was merged into the automated system known as the SAGE System. The Air Force SAGE System served as the primary defense system while the NIKE Ajax sites were in place to take out any enemy aircraft that were not intercepted by the Air Force. The high cost of both systems caused the joint use of some facilities and many Army control sites were collocated with Air Force long-range radar sites. Later the SAGE direction centers and the backup BUIC System could directly control the BOMARC system and send track data and assignments to Nike Missile Master AADCPs. At the SAGE Direction Centers, the Army air defense artillery director (ADAD) consoles and a field grade Army ADA battle staff officer coordinates AADCPs.

NIKE Hercules
In 1958 the U.S. Army began to deploy the second generation NIKE Hercules missile with improved range (90+ miles) and 100,000-foot ceiling. With improved radars and solid-state computer systems, the capability was greatly improved and fewer missile batteries were required. The Hercules payload was increased so that both conventional and nuclear warheads could be carried. The Air Force had also developed and was preparing to deploy its own surface to air BOMARC missile with an even longer range and larger payload. A rivalry developed between the services and in the end both systems were deployed but neither in the numbers initially projected. As the NIKE Hercules was deployed the old AJAX sites were either closed or modified for the Hercules missiles. The last stateside Nike AJAX site was deactivated in 1963.

Deactivation
The BOMARC System was deactivated in 1972 and the NIKE Hercules System in 1974. The SAGE system was also in decline and many of the Air Force radar sites and some of the SAGE Direction centers were closed. In 1974 the Air Force also closed down the backup/replacement SAGE system known as BUIC System. The military had come to the realization that the manned bomber threat had been eclipsed by the threat of the ICBM with multiple targetable warheads. The military and civilian (FAA) radar systems were consolidated into the Joint Surveillance System (JSS) and by 1979 the air defense of the nation rested with tactical forces.

Warning systems for the detection of land and sea-based enemy ICBM launches were put in place but these were largely detection systems, not anti-ballistic missile systems. Detente was reached when all sides understood that the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction was firmly in place.

See Also:
 * Nike Sites
 * SAGE System
 * Defense Installations Portal

Sources & Links:


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