page_title: Nike Hercules
section_title: Operators
hierarchical_section_title: Nike Hercules / Operators
caption_attribution_description: English: Map with former NIM-14 operators in red
context_page_description: The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range air defense. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclear warhead, but could also be fitted with a conventional warhead for export use. Its warhead also allowed it to be used in a secondary surface-to-surface role, and the system also demonstrated its ability to hit other short-range missiles in flight.
  Hercules was originally developed as a simple upgrade to the earlier MIM-3 Nike Ajax, allowing it to carry a nuclear warhead in order to defeat entire formations of high-altitude supersonic targets. It evolved into a much larger missile with two solid fuel stages that provided three times the range of the Ajax. Deployment began in 1958, initially at new bases, but it eventually took over many Ajax bases as well. At its peak, it was deployed at over 130 bases in the US alone.
  Hercules was officially referred to as "transportable", but moving a battery was a significant operation and required considerable construction at the firing sites.
caption: Map with former MIM-14 operators in red
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