NIKE HERCULES

The MIM-14B Nike Hercules missile has been the most powerful aerial defense missile ever deployed by the United States. It was based on the Nike Ajax missile, from which had many components, as well as the launch vehicle and the radar guidance system. This was required to save on costs and to accelerate their deployment in those turbulent years. The first Nike Hercules were operational in 1958 and were deployed around the major American cities. In 1960, 365 batteries were deployed in the United States and in 1963 there were 134 batteries in Europe. The American batteries were on fixed mounts, but for the European ones a semi-mobile system was designed, although due to their enormous size, they were usually placed and left fixed. The Nike Hercules were retired in the early 1970s in the United States and around 1988 in Europe, with the arrival of the Patriot missile.

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