The missile was designed to attack high altitude flying bombers, although it demonstrated excellent anti-missile capabilities, especially against MRBM and IRBM, slower than ICBM.A single battery could cover an area of 62,000 km2, with 145km of range and 50km altitude. Nevertheless, when using the radars of the previous Nike Ajax, their capabilities were not fully exploited.The tracking radars of this missile system were transported in 20 vehicles, although in the mid-1960s the compact HIPAR system was designed, which was only composed by three.It took around a week to calibrate the electronic control equipment after deploying the missiles, so they usually stayed in fixed positions.The missile could mount the W-31 nuclear warhead to be used against large strategic bombers. In 1962, a test was carried out with a detonation of this device at 24,000m altitude. Spain obtained 16 Nike Hercules launchers between 1960 and 1970 within the American Aid Program. They were deployed in the south near Rota and Morón military bases.Nike Hercules missile could be used to attack land targets with an operation that took 5 minutes. To play this role, it was necessary to prefix the coordinates in the computer and direct the missile towards them.The M-520 GOER system was manufactured over an articulated prime mover chassis and although the tests were satisfactory, the vehicle was not used operationally.
