Nike Hercules Missile Test Firing

[369NICK963]

when you say to a black man hey nigger he gets pissed. if you say to a white man hey white dude he'll be like ...ok? don't you think thats a little strange?

[AssemblerGuy]

If you look carefully, at 0:38 you can barely see a guy discard a spent match and legging it... ;-P

[zeke1312]

Also google DEW line for Canadian radar defense line.

[zeke1312]

The Nike Hercules when fitted with a nuclear device was designed to fly above a *fleet* of Russian bombers to kill multiple aircraft. Your post has several points that are in error regarding the technical specifications (intermixed) of each missile. The Washington DC missile sites were deployed to protect the city from enemy aircraft, not ICBMs (not deployed yet). The concept at the time was to expect soviet aircraft to fly from the Canadian (North Pole).

[zeke1312]

The Nike Ajax, first operational 1953 was the first style of Nike missile installed at W83 in 1954. The Nike Ajax had the range of 25 miles and carried only a high explosive warhead. The ceiling of the Ajax was 65k feet.

The Nike Hercules was first deployed in the US in 1958. The Hercules had a range of approx 90 miles and carried either a HE or nuclear warhead. The ceiling was 150k. The Ajax with its HE warhead was shoot to kill a single aircraft, at the time a Soviet Bear class bomber.

[matt605]

@zeke1312 Yes, I didn't distinguish between Ajax and Hercules warheads, but the Herndon site did become operational in Nov 54, just 27 months after UFOs were cited by airline pilots in July 52 in Herndon. People insist that nuclear tipped Hercules missiles were never based at W-83, but that site was decommissioned as part of the SALT nuclear disarmament talks between the US and USSR. Were other nukes put there bc of the 52 UFOs? To not respond would be negligent of the military.

[zeke1312]

@matt605 Actually there were several reports of seeing/tracking "UFOs" at Nike sites throughout the US. Since there were over 200 Nike sites in the US, I'm sure there were UFO reports. But Nike sites were not built because "UFOs" in the sense we are talking about. Instead they were designed to kill airplanes such as Soviet bombers. They were useless against ICBMs much less UFOs, unless of course the "UFO" was a jet aircraft. Since Nike Herc can be nuclear, it was assumed many sites had them. :)

[matt605]

@zeke1312 Sure, they were all supposed to be conventional, Ajax missiles that were in the DC area Nike sites, but what if they deployed some Matador nuclear cruise missiles sporatically to assure there was a response capability in case of UFO attack? UFOs today are just things we laugh at -- hoaxes or McDonalds bags that get caught in the wind. In the 50s though, UFOs were serious business.

[zeke1312]

@matt605 Matador 600 mph "beam rider" cancelled in 1962. Poor performance very susceptible to jamming. A poor solution. I think "UFOs" in the sense of "little green men" will fly faster than 600 mph. ;) Anyhow, I think I'll "retire" from this conversation.

[matt605]

@zeke1312 The UFO scares were abating by 1962 and the military is always adding new missiles. They could have built a "shoulder-fired," surface-to-air nuclear cruise missile to keep handy just in case the UFOs spotted in Herndon in July 1952 returned. Anyway, I can't figure how W-83 was included in SALT if there were only Ajax conventional missiles there, and a lagniappe for UFO protection would have been logical. For me it was long ago, but not so far away. Live long and prosper, zeke.

[zeke1312]

Another reference is the smecc.org web site, Glendale, AZ.

[zeke1312]

Any poster here should check the "ed-thelen" web site for the largest information on the Nike missile program. No need for me to go into specifics. It's more info than you'll ever need. Included on this web site are several documents including radar training manuals posted by me.

[zeke1312]

So I know for a fact radar used on Nike missile sites did not have the capability of "locking on" a metal pie plate. Ridiculous! Check the following technical web site which is a very well known source of Nike information.. I invite you to "brush up" on your "facts". The web site "ed-thelen" is a well known source of Nike missile information. Apparently in the 70s training proficiency dropped!

[jsloey]

@zeke1312 And your information comes from...? I'm sure your extensive experience with cold war munitions has some basis in reality but I'm guessing that you have no real experience with the Nike program or the capabilities of the system. I'd invite you to do some research and educate yourself then respond, preferably with citations or links. It shouldn't be too hard since most of the information is declasified and in the public domain.

[zeke1312]

@jsloey Actually I was stationed at a NIke Ajax site in Swedesboro, NJ 1960/1963. I was then stationed at a Nike Hercules missile site in Crete, Nebraska 1963/1966. Yes I do have some knowledge on the subject! The Nike systems both Ajax and Hercules were designed to kill aircraft such as Russian Bear bombers before ICBMs were operational. Nike missiles were *not* designed for the defense against ICBMs. For 2.5 years I was an IFC operator. Then was trained on the repair of the AN/FPS-75 ABAR.

[cathasmykeyboard]

"Stands on the launchpad in readiness..." Ima have to use that now. xD

[jsloey]

It was for incoming ICBMs. I was a fire control crewman and later a FC radar tech at the BA-30 and W-92 sites in the Baltimore/Washington area from 71-74. For the day and the technology used it was highly accurate. From DC we could lock on an object the size of a metal pie plate in NY. This video is a piece of history. The sound effects are pure Hollywood.

[zeke1312]

@jsloey Your explanation is pure horse hockey. Incoming ICBMs. Get real. For killing aircraft only. Size of a metal plate? Huh?

[matt605]

60,000 feet doesn't sound like its going after a bomber... and there's no aircraft that goes 1500 mph... maybe it's an anti-missile missile

[FylthyBeest]

@matt605 The higher speed ensured delivery to target. The higher operational ceiling ensured operational effectiveness. Any more doubts?

[matt605]

@FylthyBeest well the location of the Herndon Virginia Nike site is in the neighborhood of where commercial airline pilots spotted UFOs in July 1952

[zeke1312]

@matt605 What rock were you born under;) Get educated on the subject. Not here though. Too much BS!

[matt605]

@zeke1312 It's not that great an interest to me. However, it is curious to me that the Nike site in Herndon, Virginia was put into service shortly after commercial airline pilots spotted UFOs in the area in July 1952.

[zeke1312]

@matt605 There is no correlation to the Nike site install time and the "UFO" observation;)

[matt605]

@zeke1312 Yeah but everyone knows about the Herndon UFOs in July 1952, Then less just over 24 months later, the Herndon W-83 Nike Missile site became operational. And Nikes could shoot down stuff that flies at Mach 2, with a ceiling of 150,000 feet. No jet flies like that. And Nikes even had these "Hail Mary" warheads that would kill everything in the sky for a 20 mile radius, just in case. And why would the Soviets attack DC from the west anyway and not hit Mount Weather, etc. ?

[Unishiru]

is this movie fake ?

because he sad,2 the speed of sound

First you here a explosive sound the you see

a flash normal,its first flash then explosive.

[jlprtr]

@Unishiru I was a crewman for over 3 years, working with the missiles themselves. I assure you this not fake, although the explosion sound had to be a dubbing for dramatic effect, and it sounds like it is a Hollywood sound effect of the type used back then. You would not actually hear it from 60,000 ft. to ground with that convential warhead. The Mach 2 was the speed of the target. The Nike runs at Mach 3.5+.

[FylthyBeest]

@jlprtr God bless you. I am a retired USAF veteran with 25 years of service. I have tremendous respect for you and your comrades.

[landdwilson]

My husband served as a Fire Tech in El Paso, Texas, Wurzburg, Germany and Painesville, Ohio from 1965 until 1974.

The Cold War defense was just as important as the Viet Nam War, but doesn't get noticed. Those service men had to have a lot of knowhow and might have had only one shot had getting it right for our whole nation's safety. Thank God they didn't have to show their expertise.

May God Bless the USA!!

[thetrolone]

@landdwilson thank the ruskies u mean? or are those commie bastards god? the godless bastards!

[anisocoro]

there are some "black-legends",one of those noveling that during "racism" a B-29 manned with black soldiers charged of insubordination was used as "realistic-target...

[inagod]

@anisocoro I'm surprised of how many people still are preoccupied by blacks,I just saw a comment about the Orkin bug commercial using a black man,her comment was,whats next black and white bugs,made no sense.I just don't get it,I grew up in the 1960's and my parents never made a single comment about black people in a negative way.

[zeke1312]

@inagod Why is your comment posted on this subject? Take your race thing somewhere else;)

[SOLDTONORM]

They were solid rocket gliders. The intent was to shoot over the approaching threat and then be guided from the ground, without power, until an air burst pancaked the threat.

[TuAFFalcon]

Nice thanks.

[sgtdanz]

awsome stuff!!

[proaudiohd]

haha. i think there is one explosion sound effect for every piece of footage from 1950-1980

[Boy75402]

@proaudiohd

Lmao yep.

[supressorgrid]

@proaudiohd everything was designed with the same sound signature as to avoid the enemy from knowing what weapon was being used.

[aluisious]

@supressorgrid Either that or you can't record the sound of an explosion at 60k feet that will sound like anything :p

[Zen353535]

My dad was a Fire Control Tech for the Hercules and Ajax...

I used to listen to the stories all the time...

Dad passed away 3 yrs ago....

Thanks for sharing and bring back some fond memories...

[enigma800]

@Zen353535 God bless him, that's awesome.

[Chuckfw]

Battery A-4-65 was in Newhall California. We were actually on top of a mountain and were paid "isolation pay" while stationed there. Yep, we were in your "backyard" and dated all of your girlfriends too, LOL.

[bozolips24]

I spent a year on a Herc site in Germany. We had small tact nukes on them.

[Marinereenactor357]

Excellent video.

[FergusonTO35]

The Nike-Hercules program is one of those Cold War defense programmes which ate up alot of tax dollars but doesn't get much coverage today. Really cool, thanks for sharing.

[libertybell1776]

thank you for sharing this!!

[egg1040]

dam thats pretty dam sick! I cant believe there was a launch pad only about 20 min from my house

[zeke1312]

Ah, the bliss of ignorance.

[egg1040]

I guess at some point when they were active it was true. lol Looking into it further i realized LA-88 LA-96 and LA-98 are all located within the san fernando valley... really interesting

[zeke1312]

I was stationed on a Nike Herc site in New Jersey and Nebraska during the early 1960s and can attest to the "Cold War" syndrome which, at the time was very real. As most of us know, history has a way of distorting or even re-writing events, time. Hind sight is for the most part, "20-20".