October 23, 1967

October 23, 1967

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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

U. S. Penetration Capability Erodes

By Barry Miller17 min

Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Nike Gets New Anti-satellite Role

Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Missile-defense Debate Intensifies

By Cecil Brownlow11 min

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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

U. S. Penetration Capability Erodes

Los Angeles-Superiority of the retaliatory capability of U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles over the defenses of potential adversaries has slowly eroded during the past several years in the face of significant advances in missile-defense technology and the absence of corresponding progress on the offensive side.

By Barry Miller17 min

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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Nike Gets New Anti-satellite Role

Mounting evidence of Soviet development prompts Defense Dept. to insist upon a capability to intercept de-orbited vehicle
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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Missile-defense Debate Intensifies

Washington-Just how the U.S. can best defend itself and its allies in the face of advancing nuclear technology and strength on the part of the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communists is becoming a matter of urgent concern. Is the best defense against poised ballistic missiles the conference table, where the U.S. would “reason” with the Soviet Union, forestalling another round of arms escalation that already is in its beginnings? Is the best defense a strong offensive force, with little, or no thought of a financially expensive, technically challenging defensive structure? Or, should the U.S. have, and can it afford, from either the technological or financial standpoints, a strong offensive and defensive structure, one that could effectively counter any nuclear-missile blows from either the Soviet Union or China and still effectively destroy its adversary? If so, what is the best type of defense against a ballistic missile arcing toward its target at 18,000 mph.? These are questions being debated within the Johnson Administration, within Congress and within portions of the intellectual community with a vehemence whose intensity sometimes approaches that normally associated with the war in Vietnam.

By Cecil Brownlow11 min

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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Nike-x Advances Microcircuit Technology

Allentown, Pa.-Extremely high-speed signal processing and ultra-high reliability required for the Nike-X anti-ballistic-missile system were two of the principal factors behind the choice of its microcircuit technology. Improved designs, using devices with intrinsically sealed semiconductor junctions and beam leads, currently are going into pilot production at the Western Electric facility here.
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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Congressional Interest in Abm Heightens

Washington-Congressional interest in the question of the deployment of an antiballistic-missile system is increasing as a result of the Administration decision to proceed with construction of a “thin” Nike-X. The knowledge that sizable amounts of funding for this purpose will be included in future appropriation bills, plus the Administration’s continued emphasis on its efforts to reach an arms-limitation agreement with the Soviet Union are the prime reasons for the new interest.

By Donald C. Winston10 min

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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Nike-x Will Use Hyper-speed Computers

Washington-Prototype of the fastest, most complex real-time digital computer system known to have been built and capable of performing hundreds of millions of operations per minute, is now under test by Bell Telephone Laboratories for the Nike-X anti-ballistic-missile system.
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Air Transport

Consideration of Ils Replacement Urged

Successor seen likely to be in service until 1980s because of necessary lead times for agreements and implementation
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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Bell, Western Electric Play Key Nike Role

Washington-Role of Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric in the Nike-X program, and their relations with the Army, are in some ways unique among aerospace and defense contractors. Bell Telephone Laboratories (BTL) is technical adviser to the army on antiballistic-missile (ABM) matters, the Nike-X systems engineer, the contracting agency for all major development programs and, perhaps most important, an ever-present “sheep-dog” to keep subcontractors in line.
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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Arpa Stresses Advanced Abm Research

Washington-Defense Dept.’s Advanced Research Projects Agency will measure the radar signatures of U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles during their midcourse trajectories, using two new, specially-designed radars scheduled to become operational next year on Roi Namur in the Kwajalein atoll.
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Special Report: Ballistic Missile Defense

Family of Radars Available for Nike-x Use

Washington-Three different types of phased-array radar, each with expandable capability, will enable anti-ballistic-missile-system planners to tailor the Army NikeX system to almost any desired level of deployment and, later, to expand that level if required.

By Philip J. Klass7 min

October 161967 October 301967