Project Nike

Nike missile family and other missiles on display at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. From left, Nike Hercules, MIM-23 Hawk (front), MGM-29 Sergeant (back), LIM-49 Spartan, MGM-31 Pershing, MGM-18 Lacrosse, MIM-3 Nike Ajax, ENTAC (foreground)

Project Nike was a U.S. Army project proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. By 1953 the project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax. Many technologies and rocket systems used for developing the Nike Ajax were re-used in other projects, many given the "Nike" name (after Nike, the goddess of victory from Greek mythology). The missile's first-stage solid rocket booster became the basis for many types of rockets, including the Nike Hercules and Nike Smoke.

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