Surface-to-air missile
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A surface-to-air missile, also known as a ground-to-air missile or surface-to-air guided weapon, is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles.
A pair of S-300 missiles being launched in Ukraine
A Wasserfall missile lifts off during a test flight.
Nike Ajax was the first operational SAM system.
SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missiles, one of the most widely deployed SAM systems in the world.
MIM-3 Nike Ajax
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The Nike Ajax was an American guided surface-to-air missile developed by Bell Labs for the United States Army. The world's first operational guided surface-to-air missile, the Nike Ajax was designed t
Surface-to-air missile
…smaller designs to provide a layered defence. This evolution of design increasingly pushed gun-based systems into the shortest-range roles. The American Nike Ajax was the first operational SAM system, and the Soviet Union's S-75 Dvina was the most-produced SAM system. Widely used modern examples include the Patriot…
MIM-3 Nike on a launcher
The early model Nike had eight JATO bottles in a cluster, demanding large fins for stability.
Test launch of the production model Nike Ajax missile with the new booster