List of Nike missile sites


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Nike Missile family, From left, MIM-3 Nike-Ajax, MIM-14 Nike-Hercules, LIM-49 Nike-Zeus.

The following is a list of Nike missile sites operated by the United States Army. This article lists sites in the United States, most responsible to Army Air Defense Command; however, the Army also deployed Nike missiles to Europe as part of the NATO alliance, with sites being operated by both American and European military forces. U.S. Army Nike sites were also operational in South Korea, Japan and were sold to Taiwan.[1]

Leftover traces of the approximately 265[2] Nike missile bases can still be seen around cities across the United States. As the sites were decommissioned they were first offered to federal agencies. Many were already on Army National Guard bases who continued to use the property. Others were offered to state and local governments while others were sold to school districts. The left-overs were offered to private individuals. Many Nike sites are now municipal yards, communications and FAA facilities, probation camps, and even renovated for use as Airsoft gaming and Military Simulation training complexes. Several were completely obliterated and turned into parks. Some are now private residences. Only a few are intact and preserve the history of the Nike project.

Belgium

General Belgian Nike info: The Nike missile system was operational in the Belgian airforce from 1959 until 1990. It was onganized in a Missile Group (the overall staffing); a Support Wing (tech and log support) and 2 (9th and 13th) Missile Wings each with 4 subordinate units. All Belgian Nike sites were in the 2 ATAF part of then West-Germany. Their defending area was the industrial Ruhr area.

  • Blankenheim in the federal state of Nordrhein Westfalen (NRW). Unit: 13th Missile Wing, 52nd (B) Squadron 1961–1989. Operating 36x Nike Herc. (10x Nuclear tipped) US custodians: 43rd (B) USAAD. Former IFC at 50°26'45"N 06°40'27"E. Former LA at 50°26'29"N 6°41'52"E. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Düren in NRW. Units: Hq 13th Missile Wing; Missile Support Wing; Group Operations Center and 50th (A) Squadron 1959–1990. Former combined IFC/LA location at 50°41'20"N 06°30'13"E when operating 12 x Nike Ajax missiles. This became the IFC when 50th Sq started Nike Herc ops. 36x Nike Herc. (10x Nuclear tipped) US Custodians: 43rd (C) USAAD. LA then moved to 50°42'44"N 6°32'3"E. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Erle [de] in NRW.[3][4] Unit: 13th Missile Wing, 57th (D) Squadron 1974–1984. Note: Site taken over from Netherlands air force in 1974 becoming ops in 1975 as 13th Missile Wing/57 Sq operating 36x Nike Herc conventional role. Unit later reassigned 9th Missile Wing/57th Sq as it was the most Northern Belgian site. Former IFC demolished. Former LA at 51°44'21"N 6°53'53"E. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Euskirchen in NRW. Unit: 13th Missile Wing, 51st (C) Squadron 1959–1986. Operating 36 x Nike Herc (10x nuclear tipped) US custodians: 43rd (A) USAAD. Former IFC at 50°37'20"N 06°44'37"E. Former LA at 50°37'36" N 6°45'38" E. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Grefrath in NRW. Units: Belgian Group Missiles 1959–1990; staffing and liaison element between the Nike Wings and the Belgian air force staff. Family lodging was at nearby Kempen; Hq 9th Missile Wing; Group Operations Center; 56th Squadron 51°2'2"N 6°20'2" E.
  • Hinsbeck in NRW. 9th Missile Wing, 57th (C) Squadron 1962–1989. Operating 36x Nike Herc (10x Nuclear tipped) US custodians: B team 507th USAAD. Former IFC demolished. Former LA at 51°21'56"N 6°17'25"E. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Hombroich in NRW. 9th Missile Wing, 55th (B) Squadron 1962–1985. Operating 36x Nike Herc (10x Nuclear tipped) US custodians: C team 507th USAAD. Former IFC at 51°8'27.30"N 6°37'26.49"E. Former LA at 51°9'6"N 6°38'35"E is now a modern art museum. Mil. family housing 53rd and 55th Squadrons was at nearby Grevenbroich. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Kaster in NRW. 9th Missile Wing, 56th (D) Squadron 1959–1978. Reassigned 13th Missile Wing / 56th Sq 1979–1985. Operating 36x Nike Herc missiles (10x Nuclear tipped) US custodians: 43rd (A) USAAD. Former IFC at 51°01'25"N 06°58'36"E. Former LA at 51°1'24"N 6°29'49"E. Unit disbanded and site closed.
  • Xanten in NRW. 9th Missile Wing, 54th (A) Squadron 1971–1989. Operating 36x Nike Herc (10x Nuclear tipped) US custodians: A team 507th USAAD. Former basecamp at 51°38'50"N 06°26'31"E rebuilt into automotive area. Former IFC at 51°38'30"N 06°22'34"E. Former LA at 51°38'48"N 6°24'33"E. Unit disbanded and site closed.

Denmark

ESK 531
ESK 531
ESK 532
ESK 532
ESK 533
ESK 533
ESK 534
ESK 534
Launch control
Launch control
HQ
HQ
NIKE sites around the danish capital of Copenhagen
Missile site, Radar site and Air stations Missile launch control center Staf/HQ, training and maintenance

Germany

- In Pforzheim (Hagenschieß/Wurmberg), in Baden-Württemberg there is a missile launch site operated by the US-Army until April 1985.

It was part of the Nike-Belt, a defense system which was created to defend Europe against the then newly invented jets. The site fired Nike missiles at potentially incoming jets as part of the Project Nike.

Greece

Italy

Japan

On Okinawa, the 30th ADA Brigade was on Okinawa. On Reversion Day, May 15, 1972, all Nike Hercules missile sites were handed over to the JASDF. Battery 8,8th Battalion,3rd Air Defense Brigade was located on the Chinen peninsula in southern part of the island. The U.S. reverted the islands to Japan on May 15, 1972, setting back a Ryūkyū independence movement that had emerged.

Netherlands

Norway

Spain

Turkey

Taiwan

United States

This list is sorted by state. The "Missile type" code indicates the numbers and types of missiles and other installation details. For example, "2AK/18L-H" means the site contained two Nike Ajax magazines (A), located above ground (K), with eight launchers (8L) being converted to Nike Hercules (H). Many listings will have "FDS" following either the control site or launch site heading, which means that the site has gone through the "Formerly-Used Defense Site" program and has been transferred from DoD control to another party. With the exception of Alaska, in which sites were given a specific name, Nike missile sites were designated by a coding system of the Defense Area Name abbreviation; a two digit number representing the degree from north converted to a number between 01 and 99 (North being 01; East being 25; South being 50; West being 75), and a letter, L = launch site, C = IFC (Integrated Fire Control) site. The Formerly Used Defense Sites (FDS) program processed many former sites and then transferred them out of Defense Department control.[7]

Alaska

The Alaska Nike sites were under the control of United States Army Alaska (USARAK), rather than Army Air Defense Command.

California

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois and Northwest Indiana

Kansas

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland/District of Columbia/Northern Virginia

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

New Jersey

Links: Sandy Hook Tours :: Site NY-56 :: Gateway National Park :: NJ 14 Missile Bases :: NY-56 History :: Trip Advisor :: Highlands Air Force Station

New Mexico

New York

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Texas

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Milwaukee Defense Area

See also

  • Project Nike topics
  • U.S. Army Nike sites

References

  1. ^ "Travis Defense Area". militarymuseum.org. Retrieved 2017-10-22.
  2. ^ "Summary of Nike Missile Batteries" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  3. ^ "VCE Oudgedienden Erle". publius.biz (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Die Erler Nike/Hercules Flarak-Batterie". kleerbaum.de (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Cieli fiammeggianti, dalla Guerra fredda a Base Tuono", by Alberto Mario Carnevale, Eugenio Ferracin, Maurizio Struffi, 2021, second edition
  6. ^ Nuclear Battlefields - Global Links in the Arms Race, by William M. Arkin and Richard W. Fieldhouse, 1985
  7. ^ John C. Lonnquest, David F. Winkler (November 1996). To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program (USA-CERL Special Report, 97/01). US Army. p. 452. ISBN 9996175715.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  8. ^ "Nikesummit.org : Friends of Nike Site Summit". Nikesitesummit.org. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  9. ^ "Nike Missile Locations California".
  10. ^ "Travis Defense Area". California Military Museum. Retrieved 2017-10-22.
  11. ^ "Mount Gleason". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  12. ^ "Barley Flats". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  13. ^ "Magic Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  14. ^ "Lang". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  15. ^ "Nike Missile Site – Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)". Nps.gov. 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  16. ^ Rings of Supersonic Steel
  17. ^ Leary, Joseph (2004). A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests. Hartford, CT: Friends of Connecticut State Parks Inc. pp. 84–85. ISBN 0-9746629-0-9. Archived from the original on 2010-08-24. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  18. ^ "65Th Artillery History".
  19. ^ "Nike Missile Site C-41 – Promontory Point – Jackson Park, Chicago IL – Michael Epperson". M-epperson.home.comcast.net. Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  20. ^ "ARADCOM Nike Ajax Missile Site C-41". ed-thelen.org.
  21. ^ "Blast Camp Paintball – Welcome to Blastcamp Paintball & Airsoft". Blastcamp.com. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  22. ^ a b "NETRonline: Historic Aerials". historicaerials.com. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  23. ^ a b "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  24. ^ Vernon Hills decides to drop Nike name from sports park. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  25. ^ "BA-09 Former NIKE Missile Launch Site". Wikimapia.org. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  26. ^ Civil Air Patrol, Maryland Wing. "Nike Missile Site Restoration Project". Maryland Wing website. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  27. ^ "Nike Sites with Earlier or Later Use by the Air Force". Airforcebase.net. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  28. ^ "Virginia Department of Historic Resources: Marker Online Database Search". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  29. ^ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Virginia: Western Fairfax County". Airfields-freeman.com. 1949-07-10. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  30. ^ "At missile site, 'on our toes' day and night". Gazette.net. 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  31. ^ "Enclosure - High Value Asset List" (PDF). Public Buildings Reform Board. United States Government. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  32. ^ U.S. General Services Administration. "GSA Auctions – Former NIKE Site D-58".
  33. ^ Workman, Karen. "Fire at old Commerce Twp. missile site called suspicious". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  34. ^ a b "Lumberton's Cold War Legacy: Nike Missile Battery PH-23/25. By Donald E. Bender". alpha.fdu.edu. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  35. ^ "Hamburg Nike Base". Dmna.state.ny.us. 2006-02-19. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  36. ^ Optimization study aims to expedite Nike CD-78, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, public affairs. Published Oct. 29, 2015.
  37. ^ "Sports Complex Coming to Former Military Base" Archived 2012-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, Gloucester Township Patch, 25 Jan 2011.
  38. ^ Slaby, MJ. "Cold War to cold brews: Pittsburgh's nuclear history is becoming a brewery's new home". The Incline. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  39. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-09-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. ^ "Nike Missile Norfolk Defense Area Virginia".
  41. ^ Zambos, Ted. "History of the Four Grand". The Four Grand. Archived from the original on 2007-01-15. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  42. ^ a b "Former Four Lakes Communications Station". U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Center. May 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  43. ^ a b c d "Nike Missile: To Defend and Deter" (website). NikeSite.org. Retrieved 2012-04-01. Webpages: 2) "Site M-74 Waukesha, Wisconsin;". 3) "Nike Overview / History;". … 17) "Milwaukee Defense Area locations;".
  44. ^ [1]
  45. ^ "Army Repeats Need For Maitland Field" (Google News Archive). The Milwaukee Sentinel. October 18, 1955. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  46. ^ a b c d "Air Defense Command in Area Reorganized" (Google News Archive). The Milwaukee Journal. August 24, 1961. Retrieved 2012-04-18. Milwaukee air defense…consists of…three Nike Hercules missile batteries and two national guard Nike Ajax missile batteries. The Nike Hercules batteries are at Maitland airstrip…Brown Deer rd., River Hills, and on Davidson rd. near Waukesha county trunk Y … Ajax batteries are at Martin rd. east [sic] of Little Muskego lake and at 4828 W. Silver Spring dr. … air defense command [post] 4828 W. Silver Spring dr.
  47. ^ "US Nike Missile Sites" (KML spreadsheet). Ed Thelen's Nike Missile Web Site. Ed-Thelen.org. Retrieved 2012-04-01. External link in |work= (help)
  48. ^ a b "M-74 Nike Missile Site". www.ericapp.weebly.com. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  49. ^ Morgan, Mark L; Berhow, Mark A (2002). Rings of Supersonic Steel (Google Books) (second ed.). Hole in the Head Press. ISBN 0-615-12012-1. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  50. ^ [2] Archived April 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  51. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080412011735/http://www.jsonline.com/story/?id=408024. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  52. ^ "The Nike Missile Bases of the Milwaukee Area Pool". Flickr. Retrieved 2013-10-24.

Further reading

  • John C. Lonnquest, David F. Winkler (November 1996). To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program (USA-CERL Special Report, 97/01). US Army. ISBN 9996175715.