Nike Missile Site W-25 (Control Area): Difference between revisions
Nike Missile Site W-25 (Control Area) (view source)
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==History==
During the Cold War, Nike Missile sites were created throughout the U.S. as an air defense system to protect the country against potential nuclear attacks. This extensive defense system, consisting of roughly 265 missile sites, was maintained by the Air Force, Army, and Navy. The Washington-Baltimore Defense Area consisted of 19 sites located in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Northern Virginia.
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Had there been a nuclear attack, W-25's IFC Area would have tracked the target vehicle and the Nikes fired at it using its three radars <ref name = militarystandard>"Nike Missile Base W-25, Maryland", TheMilitaryStandard, http://www.themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/w25.php. Accessed 20 July 2022.</ref>. The Acquisition Radar would detect the approach of an incoming bomber plane, then the Tracking Radar would feed the target vehicle's location and details about its movements into the computer, and then the Missile Tracking Radar would follow the Nike <ref name = militarystandard>"Nike Missile Base W-25, Maryland", TheMilitaryStandard, http://www.themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/w25.php. Accessed 20 July 2022.</ref>. The computer would then guide the missile towards the target and calculate the nearest intercept point <ref name = militarystandard>"Nike Missile Base W-25, Maryland", TheMilitaryStandard, http://www.themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/w25.php. Accessed 20 July 2022.</ref>
[[File:The Baltimore Sun Sun Feb 12 1956 .jpg
==From Ajax to Hercules Missile==
[[File:The Baltimore Sun Wed Jun 4 1958 Crop.jpg|200px|thumb|right]]
In December of 1953, Fort Meade became the first site to deploy the surface-to-air missile known as the Nike Ajax. Soon after the integration of Ajax missiles, the design was deemed inadequate and ineffective in the face of technological advancements. A new missile, the Nike Hercules, was developed in 1958 to replace the Ajax. W-25 was the first Baltimore-Washington site to receive the Nike Hercules Missile.
'''Reported in The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday, June 4, 1958:'''
"Range Estimated at 75 Miles: Hercules has a range estimated at 75 miles. Ajax’s range has been reported to be about 25 miles. The unit operating the new Nikes at Davidsonville will be B Battery of the 36th Missile Battalion of the Army Air Defense Command, according to a 2d Army spokesman at Fort Meade. Batteries which will operate the Hercules have completed extensive training (up to 44 weeks) at the Army Air Defense School, Fort Bliss, Texas, the spokesman said. He said he could not say whether the Hercules missiles will actually be equipped with atomic warheads when installed at Davidsonville.
Nuclear Aid to Defense: The capability of the Hercules in this respect will, however, be an important factor in the air defense of large American cities. The nuclear explosive will enable the Hercules to destroy enemy planes over a wider area than was possible with the Ajax. Maj. Gen. Robert J. Wood, commander of the Fort Bliss Guided Missile Center, said in a Baltimore Speech in April that the Hercules can annihilate “any aerodynamically supported weapon carrier now in use” or “anything of that nature which may be developed in the foreseeable future.” The Army does not claim that the Hercules can stop intercontinental ballistic missiles. That job will await development of the Zeus, third generation of the Nike family."
==Defense Area Naming System==
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|| OA || Oahu, HI
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|| OF || Offutt AFB,
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|| PH || Philadelphia, PA
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