Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!ginosko!ctrsol!sdsu!usc!polyslo!decwrl!amdcad!military
From: well!nagle@lll-crg.llnl.gov (John Nagle)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Nuclear Anti-aircraft Weapons
Message-ID: <26726@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Date: 12 Aug 89 07:36:29 GMT
References: <26691@amdcad.AMD.COM>
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Approved: military@amdcad.amd.com



From: well!nagle@lll-crg.llnl.gov (John Nagle)

     Nike-Hercules was "nuclear capable".  Since the Nike installations ringed 
U.S. cities, the damage from blasts probably would have been considerable.
To what extent warheads were actually installed was classified at the time, 
but is probably available information today.  The system was dismantled around 
1970, and the authority of air-defense commanders to authorize nuclear 
release was revoked.

     Nuclear-armed antiaircraft missiles looked much more attractive in
an era when air attack was expected at high altitude, rather than low.


					John Nagle