We would like to thank our loyal fellow members of the Nike Historical Society for your continued support over the years.
We will be closing the Society, including the store, as of March 31, 2024.
We have acquired a large repository of Nike technical information.
The web site will continue to be available.
It has been our pleasure to keep the legacy of the Nike missile's contribution of the successful conclusion to the Cold War.
the Board of Directors
Nike Historical Society
SPRINT
1963 - High acceleration missile proposed for close-in defense
against ICBM.
NOV 1963 - First firing of 4 slant launched vehicles for materials
test-(MTV).
1964 - Modification of ZEUS ground control equipment and
construction of launch cells for SPRINT.
MAR 1965 - First firing of 2 slant launched vehicles for propulsion
test (PTV).
NOV 1965 - First firing of SPRINT.
MAY 1966 - First test of dual plane pitchover.
AUG 1967 - First demonstration of control system with 2nd stage
maneuvers.
OCT 1967 - First demonstrations of flight to primary and secondary
design points.
NOV 1967 - First demonstration of maximum maneuver.
FEB 1968 - First firing with tactical cell closure.
JUL 1968 - First demonstration of control response and endurance with
maximum lateral acceleration.
FEB 1969 - First firing of 3 rounds instrumented for staging data.
1969 - Firings scheduled to complete the staging experiments,
1970 flight tests of MOD III autopilot and MGS, demonstrate
extended range, and flight tests of warhead sections.
JUL 1969 - First firing MOD III extended range.
NOV 1969 - First firing warhead kit.
MAY 1970 - First firing MOD IV configuration.
AUG 1970 - Last firing.
(Complete program will total 42 SPRINT firings and 6
materials and propulsion test vehicles.)