Ed-Thelen.org is a long-standing reference website dedicated to the history, technology, and operational context of the U.S. Army Nike Hercules air defense missile system and related Nike missile programs.
The site contains historical research, technical information, photographs, documents, and personal recollections intended to support study, education, and historical preservation.
Since its creation, the website has served historians, veterans, researchers, students, and the general public seeking reliable information about Cold War era air defense systems.
About the Founder
This website was created and developed by Ed Thelen, who devoted many years to researching and documenting the Nike missile program.
Ed Thelen passed away after establishing this site as one of the most comprehensive publicly accessible resources on the Nike Hercules missile system.
Stewardship and Continuity
Following the passing of the site's founder in 2024, responsibility for Ed-Thelen.org has been assumed by a new steward, Greg Brown, Nike Veteran and (retired) 20 year NPS SF-88 Docent Volunteer
Click here to read our Stewardship and Content Preservation policy for Ed-Thelen.org
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Gotta have a little fun !
Comments on today's world
- Why I like retirement
- to help ex-President Obama as he ponders terror,
- FBI,
- Harry Truman
- Civil Asset Forfeiture,
- A little Bit of Reality,
- Commentary,
- the NFL,
- 9/11
- Reagan's Soviet Jokes,
- We Forgot !,
- Senate Testimony
"Carbon Footprint" -
- 2021 Steel production,
China produces 52.8% of the world's crude steel.
12.0 times the U.S. steel production, which is less than either India or Japan.
"Green" California buys most of the steel for its bridges and structures from China!
- Thomas Sowell,
- Cancel Culture Comes to France,
Maybe we are getting the quality of government we pay for?? - as of June 2026
- Senior software engineers in San Jose, CA
get an average of $197.975 (indeed.com)
(and can live at home)
- Senators and House Representatives get $193,400 per year.
(and need to live in near Washington DC and in their home district!)
- My "liberal" friends point out that they also get free haircuts and other "benefits" -
- Senior Major League Baseball umpires can earn 150,000 - 450,000 per year.
- The president of the U.S. gets $400,000 plus free haircuts ;--)
- and either protection or abuse from "the media", depending -
- Nancy Farber, CEO of our local hospital, got $1,29 Million in 2026
- I drive extra miles to avoid that screwed up place
- Rafael Devers, a SF Giants baseball player, got $27,000,000/year.
- Enough to pay the salaries of 127 members of Congress
- In 2026, Roger Goodell (NFL) was slated to make $64 million
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!! Disinformation from Copernicus !!
Consensus of philosophers agree with Aristotle.
Disagreeing with Aristotle, Copernicus claims:
a) The earth turns around once a day.
b) The earth goes around the sun once a year.
c) The earth is not the center of the universe.
To halt spread of the above disinformation:
a) Copernicus book is on the Forbidden List.
b) Giordano Bruno didn't recant - burned alive.
c) Galileo recanted - permanent house arrest.
Stamp Out Disinformation and Copernicus
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Is the DGB
Disinformation Governance Board
replacing the
Roman Inquisition ??
Sounds like Vladimir Putin's
previous employer - the KGB.
The same KGB of Stalin fame.
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What Nike is all about
Created in 2021, an excellent 13 minute Youtube by Scott Manley
Oddly, I can find nothing to quibble about! Very unusual -
Sott also mentions the WWII German AA rocket, the Wasserfall,
hand guided, never fielded/used.
Nike Hercules Missile Q5 High Altitude Intercept
- 1.5 minutes
This three minute video
is a (successful :-) test of an early Nike Ajax destroying a radio controlled WW-II B-17.
Later tests verified that the Nike Ajax was also a killer of higher flying sub and supersonic jets
such as used by the Soviet Union.
The next generation was the Nike Hercules which was faster, longer range, and could carry
nuclear warheads to destroy multiple targets.
The "plotting room" equipment shown in this video must have been an engineering prototype -
Things were much more crowded when installed in the two vans -
among other things, the plotting boards here are horizontal,
in the BC van, they are vertical.
The analog computer operational amplifiers are different,
big tubes here, in the vans they were "miniature" tubes,
and on and on - the zero set switches
(the round spinning things in the analog computer)
were a little different style -
I think you could say that this equipment was
"re-packaged" for field use.
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This site has become a cooperative effort as more than 350 people have
contributed text, stories, ideas, information, and corrections.
| The Nike surface to air missile system was named after the winged goddess
of victory in Greek mythology. Two versions of this system defended the U.S.
and other places from hostile aircraft.
The 1st version, the Nike Ajax, was deployed
in the U.S. from 1954 to the early 1960s. It had an effective range of 25 miles.
The 2nd version, the Nike Hercules,
was developed which was faster, had a range of over 75 miles, and had nuclear capability.
The Hercules was deployed starting in 1958.
In 1963, there were 134 Nike Hercules and 77 Nike Ajax batteries defending the U. S.
- as per "Rings of Supersonic Steel".
Both versions above are made light and transportable by wheeled vehicles, transportable in cargo planes
for "easy" mobility. With practice and preparation, a site could be moved in a long, hard day.
As many parts as practical are made of aluminum or magnesium, the standard power frequency is
400 Hertz (cycles per second) saving iron and weight in transformers and motors as in aircraft.
The Nike Hercules sites in the continental United States mostly closed around 1974, with the exception of Alaska and Florida, which were closed around 1979.
Our NATO Allies continued to utilize the Nike Hercules Air Defense system until early 2000's.(with an improved digital computer and all internal electronics upgraded to solid state electronics)
Our NATO allies de-commissioned the Nike Hercules in Taiwan 2002, Italy 2008, Greece and Turkey 2010.
The Patriot Missile System MM-104 Replaced the Nike Hercules system in 1981.
The Patriot system had better mobile "Shoot and Scoot" capabilities, and was more of a battlefield weapon
In 2008 The US Army placed in service the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) Mobile Anti-Ballistic Missile System, with a 120 mile range and carries no warhead, uses impact to destroy.
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Two "action" pictures and four movies
Hercules Day Launch,
(from NAMFI, 32 K bytes)
![[Herc day NAMFI launch]](nike_kreta1-t.gif)
From Rolf Dieter Goerigk
On-Line Movies
Nike Ajax Intercept - 1 minute, Internet Archive
Nike Hercules Intercept - 1.5 min, Internet Archive
Hercules Launches - 6 min, YouTube
| Nike Hercules night launch
The missile (with booster) was launched 0.4 seconds ago, is accelerating at
25 times the force of earth's gravity, has risen 60 feet,
and it is now going 210 miles per hour.
Four seconds from now, the missile will be:
- going 1,700 miles per hour straight up,
- separated from the booster,
(the black flaming thing with the white fins),
- turning (diving) towards the intercept point with the target,
- starting the sustainer rocket engine to reach 2,700 miles per hour.
If the target is 90 miles approaching at mach 1.5, the missile will
meet the target 60 miles away in 90 seconds.
The Nike Hercules shown here defended major U.S. target areas against
aircraft attack from 1958 to 1974. It had an effective range of over 75 miles
and a speed of mach 3.6. South Korea has over 200 of these missiles, with
associated radars and guidance systems, currently in service.
Its predecessor, the smaller Nike Ajax, was in service from 1954
through about 1965. It had a range of 25 miles and a speed of mach 2.5.
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Click here for expanded graphics scanned by Pete Wurzbach
C/4/562 Alvarado, Texas
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![[Herc night launch]](nike_017.jpg)
![[Nike Slo motion]](pics7/Nike Slo mo.jpeg)
![[Lanci Nike]](pics7/Lanci Nike.jpeg)
![[Herc day NAMFI launch]](nike_kreta1.jpg)
From Nike Veteran Matthew Cuerdon, Stationed in Korea DSD 2/44 in 1974.
