Album: Nike Site Summit Cold War Missile Defense

Alaska Region Cultural Resources

The last line of defense against nuclear armed Soviet bombers during the Cold War. It was part of a defense network that included the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, the Aircraft Control and Warning Stations (AC&W), and U.S Air Force fighter-interceptors. The Nike-Hercules missile was the U.S. military’s first nuclear capable anti-aircraft missile, and designed to destroy approaching formations of nuclear armed Soviet bombers.