THE AADCPS

ARMY AIR DEFENSE COMMAND POSTS (AADCPS) WERE THE COMMAND CENTERS FOR NIKE DEFENSE AREAS. THEY CONTROLLED THE FIRE MISSIONS OF EACH BATTERY BY DESIGNATING SPECIFIC TARGETS. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY VOICE COMMUNICATIONS AND BY SUPERIMPOSED ELECTRONIC IMAGES ON THE RESPECTIVE BATTERY'S PPI SCOPE, LOCATED IN THE BATTERY CONTROL VAN. EACH NIKE BATTERY IN A DEFENSE AREA WAS ASSIGNED A PRIMARY TARGET LINE (PTL). THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE BATTERY, TO INCLUDE THE DIRECTION THE MISSILES WERE POINTED, WAS ORIENTED AROUND THE PTL. LOOK AT IT AS SECTIONS OF A PIE. THE AADCPS WOULD ASSIGN FIRE MISSIONS BASED ON THE PTLs AND ACCORDING TO THE PROJECTED FLIGHT PATH OF THE INCOMING AIRCRAFT. IN MOST ALL CASES AADCPS COORDINATED THEIR MISSIONS WITH INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THEM FROM AIR FORCE SAGE SITES AND THE AIR DEFENSE RADAR NETWORKS. THE NERVE CENTER OF AN AADCP WAS THE BLUE ROOM. HERE THE INCOMING ATTACKING AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT PATHS WERE PLOTTED ON TRANSPARENT MAPS AND THE FIRE MISSIONS WERE ASSIGNED.

Photos from NPS GGNRA Archives Ezio Nurisio Nike Collection

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