Project Nike was a U.S. Army project proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. By 1953 the project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax. Many technologies and rocket systems used for developing the Nike Ajax were re-used in other projects, many given the "Nike" name (after Nike, the goddess of victory from Greek mythology). The missile's first-stage solid rocket booster became the basis for many types of rockets, including the Nike Hercules and Nike Smoke.
History
Project Nike began in 1944 when the War Department demanded a new air defense system to fight jet aircraft that flew too high and fast for anti-aircraft guns. Two proposals were accepted: Bell Laboratories' Project Nike and General Electric's Project Thumper, a much longer-ranged, collision-course system that eventually delivered the BOMARC missile. Bell Labs' proposal would have to deal with bombers flying at 500 mph (800 km/h) or more, at altitudes of up to 60,000 ft (20,000 m). At these speeds, even a supersonic rocket is no longer fast enough to be simply aimed at the target. The missile must "lead" the target to hit before it runs out of fuel. By this point, the U.S. had considerable experience with lead-calculating analog computers, starting with the British Kerrison Predictor and a series of increasingly capable U.S. designs. But the missile and target cannot be tracked by a single radar, increasing the complexity of the system. For Nike, three radars were used. The acquisition radar (such as the AN/GSS-1 Electronic Search Central with the AN/TPS-1D radar) searched for a target to be handed over to the Target Tracking Radar (TTR). The Missile Tracking Radar (MTR) tracked the missile by way of a transponder, as the missile's radar signature alone was not sufficient. The MTR also commanded the missile by way of pulse-position modulation: the pulses were received, decoded and then amplified back for the MTR to track. Once the tracking radars were locked, the system was able to work automatically following launch, barring any unexpected occurrences. The computer compared the two radars' directions, along with information on the speeds and distances, to calculate the intercept point and steer the missile. The entire system was provided by the Bell System's electronics firm, Western Electric.
The Douglas-built missile was a two-stage missile using a solid fuel booster stage and a liquid fueled (IRFNA/UDMH) second stage. The missile could reach a speed of 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h) and an altitude of 70,000 ft (21 km) and had a range of 25 miles (40 km). The missile contained an unusual three-part payload, with explosive fragmentation charges at three points down the length of the missile to help ensure a lethal hit. The missile's limited range was seen by critics as a serious flaw, because it often meant that the missile had to be sited very close to the area it was protecting.Consolidated Western Steel produced the launcher loaders. Fruehauf Trailer Corporation produced the trailers. Per the Key West Agreement, all longer-range systems were assigned to the Air Force during 1948. They merged their own long-range research with Project Thumper, while the Army continued to develop Nike. In 1950, the Army formed the Army Anti-Aircraft Command to operate batteries of anti-aircraft guns and missiles, which was renamed the Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM).
Nike Ajax
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