Ed Thelen's Nike Missile Web Site ed@ed-thelen.org

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Table of Contents. This site presents a great deal of Nike Herculeshistorical,technical andoperationalinformationand provides extensive links to Nike relatedbooks, documents,museumsand to otherNike related web sites. This site also provides aphotographic tour of Nike site SF-88 (being restored),location and status of Nike sites,and aList of Nike People,some on-line documents,a bulletin board,a search, a Photo Exchange,an FAQ,and a variety of other features.
The above is archaic (1954-about 1974) - however the Russians are playing "games" again.

Table of Contents Introduction Colorful Pictures, Movies, Brochures Nike History Nike Site Technical information, Intercept Nike Operational information Nike Locations Nike People Books 11.4 times the U.S. steel production, which is less than either India or Japan.
"Green" California buys most of the steel for its bridges and structures from China!
Thomas Sowell, Cancel Culture Comes to France, Another election year Political CartoonsMaybe we are getting the quality of government we pay for?? - as of June 2021Senior software engineers in San Jose, CA get an average of $166,452 (indeed.com)Senators and House Representatives get $174,000 per year.
- My "liberal" friends point out that they also get free haircuts and other "benefits" -Senior Major League Baseball umpires can earn upwards of $350,000 per year.The president of the U.S. gets $400,000 plus free haircuts ;--)
- and either protection or abuse from "the media", depending -Nancy Farber, CEO of our local hospital, got $1,200,835 in 2019
- I drive extra miles to avoid that screwed up placeBuster Posey, a SF Giants baseball player, gets $22,177,777
- Enough to pay the salaries of 127 members of Congress
- In 2020, Roger Goodell (NFL) was slated to make $40 million

!! Disinformation from Copernicus !!Consensus of philosophers agree with Aristotle.
Disagreeing with Aristotle, Copernicus claims:
a) The earth turns around once a day.
b) The earth goes around the sun once a year.
c) The earth is not the center of the universe.
To halt spread of the above disinformation:
a) Copernicus book is on the Forbidden List.
b) Giordano Bruno didn't recant - burned alive.
c) Galileo recanted - permanent house arrest.
Stamp Out Disinformation and CopernicusThe statement
on the left
is sarcasm
about the
current efforts
to stamp out
unpopular
expressions

IntroductionWhat Nike is all about

Created in 2021, an excellent 13 minute Youtube by Scott Manley
Oddly, I can find nothing to quibble about! Very unusual -
Sott also mentions the WWII German AA rocket, the Wasserfall,hand guided, never fielded/used.

Nike Hercules Missile Q5 High Altitude Intercept - 1.5 minutes

This three minute videois a (successful :-) test of an early Nike Ajax destroying a radio controlled WW-II B-17.Later tests verified that the Nike Ajax was also a killer of higher flying sub and supersonic jetssuch as used by the Soviet Union.The next generation was the Nike Hercules which was faster, longer range, and could carrynuclear warheads to destroy multiple targets.
The "plotting room" equipment shown in this video must have been an engineering prototype -Things were much more crowded when installed in the two vans - among other things, the plotting boards here are horizontal, in the BC van, they are vertical.The analog computer operational amplifiers are different, big tubes here, in the vans they were "miniature" tubes, and on and on - the zero set switches (the round spinning things in the analog computer) were a little different style -
I think you could say that this equipment was "re-packaged" for field use.Mike Stucka, a staff writer for the Taunton Daily Gazette, was looking for images for a Nike storyand e-mailed"This story is interesting, and everyone is so darned helpful."
( That story has disappeared - I should have made a "local copy" ! )
I thought for a bit and replied:"These were good days for lots of now older folks - and we were quite proud of - the learning experience - some of us even got a little more "mature" ;-)) - doing something useful - better than flipping hamburgers or selling shoes ?
"Most look back and smile, and like to share the warm feeling :-))"

This site has become a cooperative effort as more than 350 people havecontributed text, stories, ideas, information, and corrections.

The Nike surface to air missile system was named after the winged goddessof victory in Greek mythology. Two versions of this system defended the U.S.and other places from hostile aircraft.

The 1st version, the Nike Ajax, was deployedin the U.S. from 1954 to the early 1960s. It had an effective range of 25 miles.

The 2nd version, the Nike Hercules,was developed which was faster, had a range of over 75 miles, and had nuclear capability.The Hercules was deployed starting in 1958.In 1963, there were 134 Nike Hercules and 77 Nike Ajax batteries defending the U. S. - as per "Rings of Supersonic Steel".

Both versions above are made light and transportable by wheeled vehicles, transportable in cargo planesfor "easy" mobility. With practice and preparation, a site could be moved in a long, hard day.As many parts as practical are made of aluminum or magnesium, the standard power frequency is400 Hertz (cycles per second) saving iron and weight in transformers and motors as in aircraft.

The Hercules is still in use(with an improved computer and a few other enhancements) by several countries today.

This web site does not present photos, histories, nor detailed status of most NIKE sites.I link to other web sites take up that interesting challenge.

Almost all Nike Hercules related information has been declassified- the only exceptions are some IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) information, some flightcharacteristics, and some nuclear warhead information.This site has a little information on the Nike Ajax, and no information onNike Zeus (external link).

I installed and maintained Nike Ajax fire control equipment (radars -))This is a plot of a Nike Hercules intercepting a target flying at 52,000 feet.
The vertical scale is altitude in feet. (max 100,000 feet)
The left trace is the Nike missile, the right is the target.
The horizonal scale is computed time to intercept, in seconds.
The middle is time zero, intercept.
Note: Against high flying targets such as this, the Hercules does not necessarily go above the target.
from TM9-1400-250-10/2 page 36, Manual

Cold War in South Florida, ... Study available free online - posted Mar 4, 2010
3 MBytesClick on image to download the .pdf
Good news. The Cold War Study of Nike Hercules in South Florida ($19.95 plus shipping) has been re-released in pdf format as a public domain document.

The tours of HM-69 has been overwhelming at Everglades National Park for the second year. Tours will be conducted through the end of March.

Charles D. CarterThe Cuban Missile Crisis by James Whitaker (Nike, South Florida)
The Cold War is an Electronic War (Soviets shot down 23 of our ELINT Planes) 36 minutes through 44 minutes

Michael Keller wrote (Feb 2009) -)) Nike not considered obsolete. ;-))

Nike Operational information Command and Control of Nike Batteries NORAD History via Greg Brown Training Nike Hercules deliveries, from Ken Bahr Life on a Nike Site
Nike Missions Surface-to-Air, Surface-to-Surface, Radar Bomb Scoring Nike Battery Alert Nuclear Nike Launch Authentication Procedures Target Practice Nike Site Support Documents from a Battery Commander - from Earl Close The National Guard *is* Ready
US Army units on NATO Countries Batteries -by Richard Scheffler Life before Transistors Nike "Kill Ratio"? or "How good was Nike"?? Closing a Nike Site by Edward Dowd

Support for Nike Field Batteries (and museums)

On-Line documents ( Atempting to sort - somehow ) - Longer range radars another site
- Documents w/out numbers
- Documents w numbersUn-Numbered Documents - recently added at top (here) Colonel Loop's Nike papers, added Oct 6, 2019 NIKE Hercules in service in the Royal Netherlands Airforce - Updated Dec 2018 Ajax Firing Report - Text , Event Recorder from ??? RAND Study RM-2560 NIKE Ajax reliability study from Cory Newman EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) Effects from Nuclear Space Bursts 1962 Test Bursts and Analysis, EPRI HEMP 2017 Executive Summary, EPRI HEMP 2017 Army National Guard in Air Defense 51-74 - from Danny Johnson - 18 MBytes Nike - U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous ..., also local copy via Ken Conger - Mar 2014 - 3.3 MB NikeAjaxOrd412L Systems Drawing, from Jim Tarbet YouTube Cold War Computing - The SAGE System Sandy Hook, NJ - from Peter DeMarco Antiaircraft Journal 1948-1954 - spotted by Mark Morgan via Ron Pickinpaugh added July 2010 Army Preventive Maintenance Magazine - Notes, Nike - from Michael Keller U.S. Army Air Defense Digest 1965 U.S. Army Nike Brochure (Improved Hercules, recruting) Emerging Shield .PDF from the Air Force History Office. - spotted by Peter Goetz P.Geol. Redstone Arsenal, 11 minute publicity video - spotted by Olav ten Broek Production of Hercules Missiles by Douglas Aircraft - thanks to Tony Moore "Ring of Fire" Could Nike missiles have protected U.S. cities from a Soviet attack? on www.radones.org "What We Have, We Shall Defend: An Interim History and Preservation Plan for Nike Site SF-88L, Fort Barry, California" by J.A. Martini and S.A. Haller, National Park Service GGNRA, San Francisco, CA, Feb 1998 External link to NPS, local copy - (870 kBytes) " An Antiaircraft Artilleryman 1939-1970, - my life in the antiaircraft for 30 years from private in 205th CA(AA) Seattle National Guard to retired Army colonel." by Wilfred O. Boettiger (now for sale at Xlibris) A SAGE Movie - thanks to Ben Abzug [ICBM] INTERCEPT TEST HITS BULL'S-EYE We couldn't do this with Nike Vigilant and Invincible (local back-up) Field Trip to North Bay - (to see a SAGE installation) by Gordon Bell (12 megabyte .pdf) Missile Master - brochure - Thanks to Robert C Barr Excess Report, NIKE Hercules Site D-FW-20, Terrel, Texas, - .pdf, 1.12 Megabytes, includes site drawings, thanks to Mark Berhow, Last Line of Defense from the National Park Service "US Army Air Defense Digest, 1966" a Management Overview of US Air Defenses
"US Army Air Defense Digest, 1972" a Management Overview of US Air Defenses
Nike AJAX Historical Monograph OCR, PDF, by M. Cagle
Nike HERCULES Historical Monograph OCR, PDF, by M. Cagle, via M. Berhow Introduction to SAGE, 14 page visitor's document
The Nike Preservation Group Newsletters
From SF-88, Nike News The Launching Pad 5th Missile Battalion Veterans
Offsite links to T1 .pdf manual GOGA List of Manuals which may be available at Golden Gate NP - from Charles CarterTM 9-1440-250-12/2 Aug 66 - Mobile Launching Set -
Extracts for an Army Correspondence Course Program of the US Army Air Defense School - for use with ADA Subcourse 8000 Nike Hercules Missile Crewman,, Part 1 (16B20) and ADA Subcourse 802 - Part 11 (16B40) - from Dennis Claudio, added August 27, 2021, 8.8 MBytes TM 9-1440-250-20-1 GUIDED MISSILE LAUNCHING SET, Organizational Maintenance, Nike-HerculesLauncher repair kit.pdf - 9 pages from Michael KellerTM9-1440-250-29P-6-2 Illustrated Supplement Rail, Launching-Handling Guided Missile, M3A1 1450-00-474-0717TM_9-1440-252-34 Hercules Monorail Laucher, Launching-Handling Rail, side truss, loading rack support, launcher transport modification kit, and launcher basic accessory kit TM_9-1970-2_Feb_58, part 1, part 2, Ammunition Antiaircraft Guided Missile M1 (Nike-Ajax), Identification, Description, Packing, Care, Handling, Preservation, and Destruction ( each about 4 megabytes ) from Scott Murdock via Ron PlanteTM9-1970-2-35P Field and Depot Maintenance Ammunition, Guided Missile, M1 (Nike-Ajax), Repair Parts and Special Tools List
- 2 MBytes, from Michael Keller via James Fee Langendoen TM9-5000-3 - NIKE I Computer NIKE I Systems, - 4.5 MB - from Greg Brown TM9-5000-9 - Acquisition Radar Circuitry - 13.5 MByte,TM9-5000-13 - Nike I Computer - SAM Problem Analysis, DC Amplifiers, Automatic Zero Setting, Servo Loop Elements, and Power Distribution - 6.3 MBytes TM9-5000-14 - Computer Prelaunch Section and Initial Turn Section Circuitry 2.7 MB TM9-5000-15 - Computer Steering Section Circuitry - 6.8 Megabytes TM9-5000-18 NIKE 1 Systems, TTR Transmitter and Receiver Circuitry - 8 MBytes TM9-5000-19 - Target Tracking Radar Range and Presentation Circuitry 3.7 MB TM9-5000-20 - TTR Antenna Positioning Circuitry - 10 MB TM9-5000-21 - Missile-Tracking Radar Circuitry - 10 MB TM9-5000-28 NIKE 1 Systems, Nike I Missile Guidance Unit
TM9-5000-29 - Missile Electrical Checkout Equipment - 9.3 MByte TM 9-6092-1-1 - Antiaircraft Fire Control System M33C and M33D Operation, June 1956 TOE 44-535T, 1959-TO-)) From the Coast Defense Study Group (CDSG) Journal, thanks to editor Mark Berhow. 5 MB .pdf, Dec 2013 Nike in Movies - Mark Ferguson wrote "LA site in Malibu, was used in the movie, "Escape from the Planet of the Apes". You can see a Deuce and a half rolling out of the admin main gate and the mess hall was used for the "Hospital" in the movie.
Also, there is an episode of Mannix, where they run around a HiPar dome, that was in the IFC area." "A "Cold War" decade as a Missileman in Air Defense" - by Eric P. Muth - updated Nov. 2006
Once busy "Red Canyon Range Camp now dozes" - by Jim Eckles
Ken's Even better than The Statue of Liberty :-)) Got tired blood? World Class Drum -) Thanking Veterans - newest near top Star Spangled Banner As You've Never Heard It via EPM Little Known VA Benefit (updated Jan 2018) - from James Biles - jtbiles @ earthlink . net Robin Williams as the American Flag the "NFL" :-(( via Thomas Pepper, Oct 1, 2017
I'm now watching what we Americans call "Soccer" :-)) Burial At Sea via Thomas Pepper An Airline Captain's Report via Thomas Pepper Taps with Andre Rieu's orchestra. Full length. Beautiful trumpet solo. Spotted by Jay Youngbluth Remember that silly tale spread by the Obama administration about the cause of the Benghazi Massacre
"Someone in Los Angeles offended Muslims."
reminded me of this "joke",
and a not so funny poem. Little Known VA Benefit - from James Biles - jtbiles @ earthlink . net Angel Flight It is the Veteran - J.P. Moore votes this best Veteran vs ("liberal") Politican Jane Fonda Memorial History Not Taught in School! Bill Mauldin, for Willie-)) Nike not considered obsolete. ;-))Return to Technical

Subject: Status updat of my FOIA to Redstone Arsenal for the history ofthe Nike Hercules weapons system by Mary T Cagle
From: James Newman < jamesnewman1976 @ yahoo . com >
Date: Mon, July 17, 2017

Dear Ed,
I just got my FOIA to Redstone Arsenal US Army Material Command denied. I am going to appeal within the 60 day time limit. This document was denied under Executive order 13526 section 3.3 Section 4 "For State of the art technology" the document will remain classified for 50 years from its creation date until 2023. Vacuum tube technology of the early to mid-1950s is not state of the art technology. This system went defunct in 1980 when the last Nikes were decommissioned in Florida and Alaska.

Cory Newman

General diagram of a Nike Hercules site.

Figure from FM 44-1-2 ADA Reference Handbook, 15 June 1984, as foundon page 20 of "Rings of Supersonic Steel".

If you have comments or suggestions, Send e-mailto Ed Thelen (ed@ed-thelen.org)
Some flattering pictures of Ed, a short bio.

This page updated April 11,2021
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