The Nike Sites Today At right - present day B-63 Aerial View - Click for operational view The ruins of a Nike antiaircraft missile battery can be found off of Charles River Rd. and Pine St. in Needham just over the Natick town line. (Called Dover Rd. on the South Natick side.) The Nation's Nike sites operated for several years until they were decommissioned as required by the SALT I treaty with the former Soviet Union. Site B-63 in particular was closed after the deployment of longer-ranged Nike Hercules missiles began in the area. B 63 itself replaced the last of the big guns, the Stratosphere gun which had a range of up to 60,000 ft. and a muzzle velocity of 3000 feet per second; and its smaller predecessor, the Skysweeper AA gun. The more powerful Nike Hercules missiles which replaced the Nike Ajax at Needham had enough range to allow a reduction in the number of sites without losing effectiveness. The Nike Battalion HQ was on Speen St. in Natick. Like many other NIKE sites, B-63 is about to dissappear due to local development.

Needham Nike News - Neighbors say dirt decision rushed Don't want fill dumped on former Nike site By Christina Pazzanese, Boston Globe, October 3, 2004 Angry residents are raising new questions about the Needham School Committee's decision last month to allow contractors to dump 60,000 cubic yards of dirt excavated during the high school renovation on the former Nike missile site. Neighbors along Pine and Charles River streets say the decision was rushed and made without thorough testing of the site for contamination. A study conducted by GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., a firm hired by the Permanent Public Building Committee over the summer, concluded the site was "suitable" for accepting dirt and "could allow for redevelopment," provided the town cleaned up lead contamination found near a police firing range. Neighbors maintain the firm's study was too narrow in scope to declare the site safe for public use as playing fields or a school. "We believe it's contaminated," said Carol Donnelly, who helped organize a meeting of 40 neighbors last week to talk about the issue. . . . Kozak said the town would save more money by disposing of much of the dirt at the town landfill, selling it to other communities, or giving it away to residents. She said dumping at the Nike site is calculated not to save the town money, but to ensure it is used for athletic fields. Kozak said dumping the dirt now would prevent more comprehensive testing in the future, should the town decide to build a school there. for the entire article, see The Boston Globe.

As Nike technology progressed the even bigger and faster Nike X (also called Spartan) briefly became operational at an ICBM field in North Dakota before being retired to storage. Nike X had a range of 465 miles and could reach an altitude of 340 miles flying at Mach 10. The last missile in the series was the Sprint which was fired from a gas powered gun before its booster rocket ignited. This last ditch in-the-atmosphere interceptor went so fast that its skin temperature was hotter than that of its rocket exhaust. Space-based ("Star Wars") and land-based antiballistic missile systems are still in development today, and could be called descendents of the Spartan/Sprint programs. Contrary to rumor, the Nike site was not part of an antiballistic missile system, since by the time an incoming ICBM could be detected and targeted the missile operators would probably already be rendered inoperative. Prior to the introduction of Nike Ajax in Needham, Boston was ringed by a series of 90mm AA sites, probably radar directed with something like a M33D, and operational in 1952.

You can locate the site by GPS at 42.16149 N, 71.16365 W for the front gate of site. The site driveway (about 1/2 mile long) is off of Pine St, The barracks and guard shack have been obliterated, as has the entire launch area. The only remains are those of the missile assembly building, which is now a pile of rubble and the semicircular earthworks.(1) Pictured at right, B-63 Needham's Missile Assembly Building rubble The rubble is covered with dozens of red paint ball hits, reminders of a very different kind of warfare happening at the site today. (1999 author photo) GPS at this photo - 42 16.31 N 71 16.42 W. B-63L once had 3 underground magazines (1-Type B, 2- Type C) and 12 above ground Nike Ajax launchers. The battery was opened in June of 1955 and shut down in March of 1963 and the last unit was the B/1/241st. The site in 1999 has only one remaining revetment, which is used as a shooting range.

Above left - Ajax and Hawk missiles, Air Defense Museum Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX (author photo)

The northern extreme of the site is at 42 16.47 N and 71 16.35 W. These coordinates vary somewhat from those given for the front gate which were taken by another Nike scribe, Ed Thelen. The coordinates given here are from this author's GPS and are electronically checked against USGS 7.5 minute topographical maps. Some evidence of ground subsidence behind the 20 car parking lot may indicate a former underground structure. Most of the site is level cleared field with signs of 2 to 3 ft. high embankments. Much of the site is fill used to level out this glacial kettlehole area. The barbed wire fence is in place for about 80 percent of the grounds. The lot is marked out in reserved spaces using Roman numerals, perhaps in keeping with the mythological references of the missiles' names. Some spaces are marked 'PM'. A graffito greet hikers saying,'Welcome to the Nike Site.' In compliance with the SALT I treaty the Nike Missile site was decommissioned. The site does however make for a dandy conversation piece and modern archeology digs. The area also has plenty of great trail biking opportunities. (For more info about area bike trails you can contact local Bike enthusiasts George and Gretchen Eckert.) This page includes a few pictures and descriptions of the area and how it looks today. A social service agency named Charles River Associates was allowed to buy the IFC area which is now a housing development for retarded people called Militia Heights. About 1 mile NE is the former IFC gate at 42.16750 N 71.15251W. Fencing identical to that at the launch area still survives. The Launcher Area is a wasteland though the town occasionally considers putting a school there and the fire department frequently puts out fires there on hot summer days. (In fact when the author visited the site it showed extensive brush fire damage to vegetation.) Natick was the site of a battalion headquarters for the National Guard Nike battalion. As a BN HQS there should have been a radar set up too. (3) Additional Nike batteries were located in Burlington, Reading, Danvers, Beverly, Nahant, Winthrop, Quincy (1 launch battery and one HQ), Cohasset, Blue Hills, Lincoln, and Bedford. Two other sites in Massachusetts, Rehoboth and Swansea, were meant to protect Providence, Rhode Island. The large number of sites in Massachusetts (See Mass. Nike Map) alone gives one an idea of the scale of 1950's Cold War defense efforts. A word of warning, watch out for the very modern and fully operational Needham Police Dept. shooting range, which is nestled in one of the old missile revetments. The launcher area site is part of the Ridge Hill Reservation and recreation area. Please try to stay on public property. Many Nike sites contain hazardous conditions such as rusted out ladders and supports, glass and other sharp hazards and so on. Do respect the privacy of nearby residents and landowners. (For example no shooting off nuclear-tipped missiles please, and no dropping spent booster rockets on neighbors either.)

History of the Nike(2) Pictured at right are the Nike Ajax, Hercules, and Zeus. The first U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery guided-missile system, Nike Ajax, became operational in late 1954. The first generation of the Nike provided a weapon system whose range, altitude capabilities, and warhead lethality were far superior to conventional antiaircraft artillery. Most important, the flight of the Nike Ajax missile, unlike the tube-fired antiaircraft projectile, could be controlled along its trajectory. The Nike Hercules, the second generation of the Nike, was the result of modifications made to the original system and attained operational readiness in 1958. The Hercules was developed to provide the air defense system with an improved weapon to accomplish the task of denying penetration of our defenses. With this defensive weapon, targets could be detected, fired upon, and destroyed with either high explosive or nuclear warheads, at ranges greater than 75 miles. The capability of carrying a nuclear warhead to the kill point further increased the lethality of the Nike system and, for the first time, provided a deadly weapon for use against formations of aircraft.

Nike Zeus was the original missile designed as a defense against intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM's) attack. To accelerate the missile to supersonic speeds quickly, the booster generated more than 450,000 pounds of thrust. The Nike Zeus was supposed to be the successor of Nike Hercules. The army spent 12 billion dollars to build the first site, in South Dakota, to protect an ICBM site. After it was operational for 3 days President Jimmy Carter signed the Salt I treaty with the Soviet Union. This killed the Hercules and the Nike Zeus for use with the United States. The base in Dakota was closed, and dismantled after 3 days of operation. The last Nike Hercules site in the U.S.A. was closed down in 1974. The Fire Command Area and the Launcher Area HAD to be separated by a minimum of 1,000 yards due to the rapid acceleration of the missiles from the launcher ... any closer and the missile tracking radar could not follow the rapidly rising missile, would lose its "lock" on the missile which would then be unguided (and dangerous) and would self-destruct within 2-3 seconds (internal timer). Thus, as here in Needham, there were always 2 separate facilities, sometimes quite close, other times, as much as a few miles apart. At site NY-79/80, the two sites are about 4 miles apart and in different townships.

Warheads The Nike Hercules had a variety of warheads with both nuclear and conventional explosives. The T-45 conventional high explosive warhead weighed 1106 pounds and contained 600 pounds of HBX-6 military explosive. The Nike missile warhead section (M-22, M-23 or M-97) was an integral part of the Nike missile. Nike Hercules used the W-31 warhead weighing 1123 lb. Yield was switchable between 2 or 40 kiloton, depending on specific warhead design. Only Nike Hercules had a nuclear capability. Some Nikes in Europe could also be fired in surface to surface mode. Presumeably this was not desirable for the Needham battery.

Nike Boosters The basic boost rocket for the Nike Ajax was a single steel tube 16 inches in diameter and about 13 feet 2 inches long. It was filled with "double base" rocket propellant (closely related to smokeless gun power). The propellant was shaped into the desired cross section and had an electrical igniter. The top end was plugged, and had a cone shaped adapter that the main Nike missile rested in (it partly surrounded the Ajax sustainer motor.) The bottom end had a rocket nozzle and fins. The Nike Ajax used one of booster motor, with fins, as a booster rocket. The Nike Hercules used four of these units, arranged in a square, with fins, as a booster. The goal here is to provide a very high (25 g) brief (3.4 second) boost to get the missile into action as quickly as practical. Site designers liked to place these batteries in less populated areas since the large booster motors would fall to Earth within a mile or three of the launch site. Of course, Coop City in New York City had its own Nike site, and Coop City gets pretty crowded. The finished propellant is a single mass called a grain or stick. The cross section (end view) permits a large burning surface with a relatively constant area during burning, giving rather constant gas production and high rather constant force, with a specific impulse of about 250 seconds, not to be confused with burning time. This material produces a lovely pink flame and NO SMOKE.

A typical recipe for double base rocket propellant listed is at right. It's taken from an Air University Press book. WARNING - The ingredients are more dangerous than the mix. And making this recipe at home will get you a Darwin Award.

Nitrocellulose (propellant) - too rigid but reasonably stable Nitroglycerin (propellant) - too sensitive, (explosive) and too liquid to be used by itself DEP (structural) Potassium salt (flash depressor) - promotes smooth burning at low temperatures Opacifier - prevents heat transfer by radiation to sections of the propellant that have not started to burn Stabilizer - absorbs the products of slow decomposition (which tend to accelerate decomposition)

The Nike Ajax was liquid fueled in its second stage with a combination of JP-4 (kerosene), undiluted dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) as the oxidizing agent. All of this is very volatile, fume producing and dangerous to store, handle and use. Only a suicidal amatuer rocketeer would consider using these propellants. A visit to the Beverly, MA Nike webpage showing the gear worn during fueling should make this clear. The sustainer engine of the Nike Hercules was a solid propellant arranged in a star pattern. Nikes were launched (almost) straight up, so they could go in any direction easily with out having to rotate the heavy launcher. (Almost) straight up so that the booster would not land too near the launching site. Links Nike Technical Specifications (the source of all of the tech. info on this page) Beverly, MA Nike Site Has great operation photos Nike Site operational photos and information about all Massachusetts and Rhode Island Nike/AAA sites. Much of the nontechnical information about the Nike program on this page comes from Nikemissile.org. All the weapons mentioned here can be seen at the US Army Air Defense Artillery Museum at Ft. Bliss near El Paso, TX. Post script - For those wondering why a site in Needham is included in a netsite about Natick's history, please note that Needham was once part of Natick. Thanks to the many Nike veterans' organizations whose websites contain much of the technical information which was used in making this page. To see another type of abandoned missile base try taking the Abandoned Titan missile base virtual reality tour. (Sorry, real tours are much too dangerous and probably not lawful.) Original Photo Source: US Army and John McGrath - jjmcgr@aol.com [Main Menu] [Nike Site 1950's photos]