How many Nike missile sites were there in the US?
300 Nike missile sites
During the tense years of the Cold War, from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated close to 300 Nike missile sites in the United States. These sites were designed to be the last line of defense against H-Bomb carrying Soviet bombers that had eluded the Air Force’s interceptor jet aircrafts.
What replaced the Nike Hercules missile?
surface-to-air missile The later Nike Hercules, also command-guided, had a range of 85 miles. After 1956 the Talos was supplemented by the Terrier, a radar-beam rider, and the Tartar, a semiactive radar homing missile. These were replaced in the late 1960s by the Standard semiactive radar homing system.
Where are the Nike missiles located in the world?
This article lists sites in the United States, most responsible to Army Air Defense Command; however, the Army also deployed Nike missiles to Europe as part of the NATO alliance, with sites being operated by both American and European military forces. U.S. Army Nike sites were also operational in South Korea, Japan and were sold to Taiwan.
Are there any Nike missile sites in Connecticut?
While it is well known that Connecticut was home to a number of Nike Missile sites back in the fifties and sixties (12 to be exact), very few people realized that by the early-sixties some of these sites housed missiles with nuclear warheads on them!
What do the numbers on a Nike missile mean?
The “Missile type” code indicates the numbers and types of missiles and other installation details. For example, “2AK/18L-H” means the site contained two Nike Ajax magazines (A), located above ground (K), with eight launchers (8L) being converted to Nike Hercules (H).
When did Nike missile defense of Thule end?
Each battery had 4 magazines and each magazine 2 missile elevators. 4th Battalion 55th Artillery ceased operations in May 1965, thus ending the Nike missile defense of Thule airbase. The sites are disused for many years now but the remains are still clearly visible.
