A recent visit to the Italian Air Force Museum in Vigna di Valle provided the opportunity to take some close up pictures of the MIM-14 Nike Hercules missile that was added to the huge collection of the Museum on Oct. 29, 2009. The Hercules was a solid fuel propelled two-stage SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile), that were employed by the 1^ Aerobrigata of the Aeronautica Militare from 1959 to 2006 (last one was launched in the Sardinian range of Capo San Lorenzo on Nov. 24, 2006). The missile was phased out since it could not fulfil its original role any longer:
1) it was designed to hit target flying at high altitutes while the modern war scenarios have moved to low level the attack profiles
2) the guidance system could track only one target at one time
3) even if it could be moved, the weapons system had not the “tactical mobility” required to survive in a battlefield in a modern war scenario.
Last but not least, today the greatest threat its posed by balistic and tactical missiles and not by strategic bombers.
During its career, the Nike Hercules equipped 12 Gruppi (Intercettori Teleguidati, Teleguided Interceptors) whose duty was to protect the North East of Italy (Lombardia, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions) from a Warsaw Pact attack, by means of 96 launching pads and some 600 – 700 missiles. The exact location of the units equipped with the MIM-14 can be found at the following website, where much more details about the history of the Hercules within the ItAF can be found: http://www.nikemissile.altervista.org/index.html. The Italian Nike Hercules could be equipped with nuclear warheads since the missile was aimed at destroying Soviet nuclear bombers and a conventional weapon could be not powerful enough to destroy the atomic bombs they carried. Even if the missile could be used in a nuclear surface-to-surface role, the ItAF did not acquire that capability.
Hi David,
Does the Italian museum have any of the operating equipment like radars and control equipment?
BTW I am not sure about your statement in the last sentence.
Hi Butch,
no, for the moment it looks like the Museum has only the missile.
Dealing with the last sentence, if you have different information, please let me know, it could be interesting.
David
What a fantastic blog for people who love aviation!!! Congratulations!!!
Please visit a portuguese blog which shows aerial pictures from Portugal taken during my flights:
Third Dimension – Aerial Photography from Portugal
Thanks
Hi Dave,
About the Nuclear aspects of the Nike and Italian situation, the missiles belonged to the Italians and the nuclear warhead was under control of the U.S. Army. There were U.S missile technicians and Army security personnel assigned to each site that had nuclear capabilities who worked with the Italian host nation until about 1987-88 when the warheads were removed and the U.S. personnel left.
Yup, I closed the American portion of 3/34th (Chioggia) and 1/34th (Ceggia) between 1987 and 1988. – Art
Arthur,
I was at one of the sister sites 2/34th (Conselve). I left ETS Feb. 87 and the American portion closed within months after.
Jeff
Anyone here know where I can find construction specs for the det?? I was on site Ceggia (HQ 34th) from 84 until it closed in 88. I have developed cancer and the doc thinks it could be related to the detachment. I need to find specs to qualify it.