The CLASSICS Collection

NIKE AJAX MIM-3A    SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE    (USA)

In 1953, Nike Ajax was the first guided SAM system in the world to enter operational service. The guidance hardware was derived directly from that used to aim radar-controlled anti-aircraft artillery guns towards the end of WWII. The system used two separate radars; one to track the target and another to track the missile. A computer intersected the two beams at a predicted future point and, when the missile was just below the nose of the target, a pulsed code was sent to explode the fragmentation warheads. Nike Ajax contained not one, but three warheads, weighing 12, 179, and 122 pounds, respectively. Burnout speed was Mach 2.3, well above that of any attack aircraft of the time. It had a range of 25 miles. Although ambitious for its day, it was quickly outdated, and was soon replaced by Nike Hercules.

This is the first kit The Launch Pad has offered using a three motor (24mm) cluster. It stands 55.5" tall (1/7.5 scale), and is recovered by two 18"x30" parachutes.  Despite its size, this rocket can still be fired from a three foot long, 3/16" diameter launch rod. Calm winds and a 12 volt launch system for clustered ignition are recommended.