Air Force Bases
Nike Missile Jig Launch Battery Site Fairbanks Defense Area Alaska

Nike Jig Launcher

Date Activated: March 1959
Date Deactivated: May 1970

State: Alaska
Nearest Town: Eielson AFB
Defense Area: Fairbanks

Coordinates:
Latitude: 64°31'37.87"N
Longitude: 146°57'52.62"W
Decimal:
Latitude: 64.527186
Longitude: -146.964617
GPS:
Latitude: 64 31.6311666666667
Longitude: -146 57.877

Nike Missile Jig Launch Battery Site Fairbanks Defense Area Alaska

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The northern half of the Alaskan defenses, the Fairbanks area consisted of five sites around Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFB, and hosted US Army Alaska Air Defense Group. Fairbanks was particularly notable for being the first defense to live fire from one of its own sites; on December 16th 1959, B/2/562d launched a Hercules from Site Peter.

Ladd AFB served as an Alaskan Air Command fighter interceptor installation through January 1st 1961, when it was turned over to the Army. USARAL activated the site as Fort Wainwright. Eielson AFB served as a cold weather test facility and hosted rotational bombers and tankers under the 4157th STRATW. The Fairbanks sites closed down as part of the 1971 Defense cut backs, leaving Anchorage as the sole remaining Nike defense in Alaska.



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