This site is dedicated to the men of B Battery, 1st AAA Msl Bn, and B Battery, 3rd Msl Bn, 1st Artillery Regiment.
As the Nike Ajax system underwent testing during the early 1950s, the Army became concerned that the missile was incapable of stopping a massed Soviet air attack. To enhance the missile's capabilities, the Army explored the feasibility of equipping Ajax with a nuclear warhead, but when that proved impractical, in July 1953 the service authorized development of a second generation surface-to-air missile, the Nike Hercules. As with Nike Ajax, Western Electric was the primary contractor with Bell Telephone Laboratories providing the guidance systems and Douglas Aircraft serving as the major subcontractor for the airframe.
In 1958, 5 years after the Army received approval to design and build the system. Nike Hercules stood ready to deploy from converted Nike Ajax batteries located in the New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago defense areas. However, as Nike Hercules batteries became operational, the bitter feud between the Army and Air Force over control of the nation's air defense missile force flared anew. The Air Force opposed Nike Hercules, claiming that the Army missile duplicated the capabilities of the soon-to-be-deployed BOMARC. Eventually, both of the competing missiles systems were deployed, but the Nike Hercules would be fielded in far greater numbers over the next 6 years.
Specifications
| Length | 41 feet |
| Diameter | 31.5 inches |
| Wingspan | 6 feet, 2 inches |
| Weight | 10.710 pounds |
| Booster fuel | Solid propellant |
| Missile fuel | Solid propellant |
| Range | Over 75 miles |
| Speed | Mach 3.65 2,707 mph |
| Altitude | Up to 150,000 feet |
| Guidance | Command by electronic computer and radar |
| Warhead | High-Explosive fragmentation or nuclear |
| Contractors |