Bell Labs Proposes Project Nike to War Department as a Response to Request for New Air Defense System

The concept of the Nike Missile System was first introduced in 1945. Bell Telephone Laboratories which produced the 'Anti-Aircraft Guided Missile Report' mapped out a command guidance system which would allow a missile to be guided to its target through ground based radar and computers. Nike Missiles were intended to thwart attacks by enemy bombers. They were also the "last ditch" line of air defense for selected geographic areas such as San Francisco and New York.

There are three types of Nike Missile; the Ajax, the Hercules, and the Zeus. The original Nike Missile, was called the Nike Ajax. It first became operational at Ft. George G. Meade, Maryland. While some Ajaxes were installed in launch sites around the United States, they were also given to European and Asian U.S. allies. It was a "two-staged, liquid-fueled missile 6.4m (21 feet) long." They were guided by radar and could intercept aircraft flying within a range of 21 miles and at more than double the speed of sound. They were armed with highly explosive warheads "designed to bring the target down even with a near miss."

http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/nike_missil...