NIKE X WORKABLE, BUT IMPERFECT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090109-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2006
• Sequence Number: 109
• Publication Date: January 14, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

JAN 14 W7
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090109-6
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I l._k { ( f `WI 2E i' < //'~/ 1.15.
orkable, but Imperfect
BY ALAERT SEHLSTEDT, JR. The earlier an ICBM is inter-
(Washington Bureau of The 'Sun] II!'rpled in its flight the better,
he-cause there is less likelihood, that
Washington, Jan. 13-The Unit- the incoming missile will take
ed States has spent $2,400,000.000 evasive action to?confuse the de-
lto develop a system of radars, fenders. ,
computers and rockets to defend Spartan possesses the added ad-
itself against a missile attack. vantage of being an area defen-
The development of such a sys- sive weapon. That is, the wea-
tem, after ten years of effort, is pon's range is to long that a num-
now at a stage where it works. ber of spartans can be used to
These are two facts In a com-j defend an entire region, such as
plcx area of national discussion the Middle Atlantic states, rather
about whether the United States than only a city.
(should deploy a defensive system Extreme Speed Necessary
against a potential enemy's inter-
Sprint is a missile designed to
'continental ballistic missile. ;n after the enemy warhead after
But those two facts cannot it has entered the atmosphere and
stand alone. is in the final phase'of its flight.
It is true that this country could As that situation would suggest,
.place many anti-missile missiles the anti-missile missile must' be
around its cities and destroy extremely fast in getting off" the
many intercontinental ballistic ground and up to the intercept
missiles launched by another point. Sprint is fast.
country. Going after an ICBM on the
But not all would be destroyed. last lap of its journey does not
No one has 'yet devised the per-, sound advisable, but the situation
feet anti-missile system, nor does, does offer some advantages. One
that prospect seem likely. is the fact that decoys or phony
Unfortunately, anything less! warheads are more recognizable
than perfection in the technology; in the atmosphere and, therefore,
of nuclear missile defense can the real warhead is easier to iden-
mean an empty space where a tify
city once stood. ICBM technology has long .inc
So there is a big difference be reached the stage where atlettlpts
tween a workable defensive sys-
tem--one that genuinely multi- to confuse the defender are part
of the game. A single warhead.,, as
'plies the problems, of an enemy; seen on a radar screen, may . ud-
, t
TCBM'
nd denly multiply into a dozen ttpr-
h hi
l
a
o
s
s a
aunc
which may therefore dissuade
him altogether-and a defensive
,system that would make every
,American confident he is protect-
ed front disintegration by an im-
pregnable shield.
The very good but imperfect.
United States anti-missile system
is' called Nike X, and it can be
divided into three principal parts;
the defensive rockets which would
be launched against attacking
ICBM's, the radar egdiipmcnt that
would find the incoming warheads
and plot their trajectory, and the
computers which would make the
rapid, calculations to intercept the
warheads.
"Spartan And Sprint"
All three work together with the
coordination of a well - drilled
backfield.
The defensive rockets are two.
One is called Spartan tit used to
he called Zeus) and the other is
Sprint. ' '
Spartan is a long-range weapon
(how long,. the 'Defense Depart-
ment will not sav) which can be
fired at allptprAv@ddBer RQI
lit is still beyond the atmosphere.
ejects decoys. might go like this:
But decoys are by definition uW-, The incoming warheads would
ferent, and the, way they react be spotted by radar. The MAR,
during reentry into the atmrls- while continuing to search for
would be a clue to its intended
target.) and following the course', -
of the anti missile missiles that)
go out to meet the attacker. , 1
Until a few years ago, radar'
systems were mechanical to the'
extent that their reflecting surfa-t
ces had to be moved from onej
position to another in followin
the flight of an object like a war-
head.
To' "look" in many directionsd
the radar had to be turned in',
'many directions.
Now Have MAR
A new kind of radar has been,
added to the-missile defense sys-
tem. It is called multi-function ar-
ray radar, or MAR.
MAR is composed of many ele-
ments that can look in many
directions without anything mov-
ing mechanically. It might be
compared to an array of, large
floodlights that could be turned on
and off with a flick of a switch to
illuminate a wide area or parts of
a wide area simultaneously.
The MAR system was designed;
to work so fast that it would seem
tb be able to look in every dlrec-,~ Traveling at speeds of 18,000
Lion at once. miles ' an hour, other ICBM's
Used in 'conjunction with MAR 'would get by the Spartan defense
are other radars' including long and, beginning the. final phase of
range, very high frequency units their long arc across the earth,
which would operate in conjunc-iwould enter the atmosphere.
tion with the Spartan missile. , 5,000,000 Sums A Second
Example Supposed ? All the while, computers would
A typical engagement between he working at a rate of perhaps
As a terminal defensive wed(-warheads from the decoys by
pon, Sprint would be placed rela-(means of certain electronic tech-
tively close to cities. It has alniques.
shorter range than Spartan. As the warheads approached, a
The two anti-missile missiles'long-range Spartan or a group of
would doubtless be used to com-'Spartans would be-launched to de.
plement each other in an actual tonate their nuclear explosives In
attack. the midst of the attacking mis-
Supporting the missiles Is ra-;sites.
dar, which has the task of detect- Some of the ICBM's would be
ing the ICBM as soon as possible, destroyed and the. flights of 0th-
observing. 'its trajectory drrhich era dL ruptted, hgpefullp, ,
ase 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090109-6 ' . '
3,000,000 additions and suhtrac-
tions, or 3,000;000, multiplications
and divisions, per second.
With further data about the
course of the attack, the Sprint
missiles would he launched for
the final kill of the ICBM's that
escaped the Spartans.
Since the journey of an ICBM Is
only about a half hour from its
launching point to target, the bats!
Ile would he over in a matter ofd
minutes. Indeed, the flight time
of the Sprint Is measured In sec.
onds. .
' Whets The list computer ealcuid.
Lion was'mMe and the final anti.
missile 10ssile launched, the out.
come would rest with the petfea,j
the of the Owes'-all system
 JAN Z
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Approved For Release 200670
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CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090109-6';;
U.S.- Be Raved 1 {
0
ac
Ord Missiles
By United Press International
A special message urging
agreement on ways to halt
.further deployment of antimis-,
sile defense systems was under="
st-65 to be" on its way from
j President Johnson' to Soviet
'leaders today.
Officials yesterday listed this
as one of the principal items
touched upon in a confidential
communication which the new
American ambassador to Rus-
sia, Llewellyn E. Thompson, is
to deliver.
Thompson met with Soviet
Foreign Minister Andrei A.
,Gromyko today to present his
credentials and to arrange for a
formal meeting with Soviet
President Nikolai Podgorny, to!
whom the special message,
presumably is addressed.
Official sources said the basic,
theme of Johnson's message
'concerns the desire of the`
'United States to make every'
effort to improve relations with
the Soviet Union and to arrive at
various' disarmament agree-
ments.
Johnson said in his State of
the Union address Tuesday that
Russia "has begun to place near
Moscow a limited antimissile'
defense." He made it clear the,
United States will not start
development of Nike-X antibal-.
listic missiles until it has made
an effort to persuade the Rus-
sians to abandon their plans and
avoid a costly new arms spiral.
The message also is believed .
to urge the desirability of rapid
progress on other disarmament
measures-b o t h conventional
and nuclear - including an
agreement to try to prevent the
I spread of nuclear weapons to,
countries which do not have
them at present.
It also was believed that,
Johnson's communication re-,
emphasized the desire of the'
United States to find some
method of beginning Vietnamese,
peace talks.
It also said that the President
cited his intention to press for,
Senate ratification of a consular
treaty with Russia and passage
of an East-West trade act as
evidence of his desire to easel
tension and improve relations.
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090109-6.