Description
TM 9-1440-250-15P/1/1 Change 1 M36E1 Nike Hercules Guided Missile Monorail Launcher Set Technical Manual – March 1969
Item Overview
This March 1969 U.S. Army Technical Manual Change 1 updates TM 9-1440-250-15P/1/1, originally issued on July 2, 1968. The publication covers maintenance repair parts and special tools for the M36E1 Guided Missile Monorail Launcher Set used with the Nike Hercules air defense system. Because this item is Change 1, it was issued for use with the original basic manual and does not represent the complete base publication.
Identification and Features
This technical manual change is identified by the following details:
- Technical Manual Number: TM 9-1440-250-15P/1/1
- Change Number: Change 1
- Change Date: March 1969
- Original Manual Date: July 2, 1968
- Equipment Designation: M36E1
- Equipment Type: Guided Missile Monorail Launcher Set
- Weapon System: Nike Hercules and Improved Nike Hercules air defense systems
- Publication Type: Maintenance repair parts and special tools reference
- Original Service: United States Army
- Historical Period: Cold War and Vietnam era
Manual Contents and Purpose
The basic 15P-series manual helped maintenance and supply personnel identify authorized replacement parts and special tools for the M36E1 launcher. Repair parts supported the replacement of components that became worn, broken, or otherwise unserviceable. Change 1 revised selected material in the July 1968 manual so personnel could keep its parts and supply information current without replacing the entire publication. This change document should be retained with the correct basic manual for a complete reference.
How the M36E1 Launcher Worked
The M36E1 used a heavy launcher base, hydraulic power system, and vertical erecting beam to support and raise the Nike Hercules missile. Hydraulic power cylinders moved the beam between its lowered loading position and its raised firing position. Uplock, downlock, and wedgelock assemblies secured the structure during operation. Outriggers, adjustable jacks, and mounting plates stabilized the launcher, while the power-distribution box connected the launcher with section-control equipment. The launching-handling rail carried the missile, engaged the launcher, and remained supported by the erecting beam during firing.
Launcher Set Application
The M36E1 was installed in Nike Hercules launching areas as part of a complete firing section. At permanent sites, launchers were arranged near underground missile magazines, elevators, loading racks, test stations, and support equipment. The missile was transferred onto its launching-handling rail and moved to the launcher before being raised into firing position. Modification equipment also allowed the monorail launcher to serve in mobile installations with jacks, outriggers, loading racks, electrical test equipment, and other field-support components.
Historical Background
Early Army records referred to the launcher as the experimental XM36, while documents from 1959 identify the standardized M36E1. The design was developed to handle the larger and heavier Nike Hercules missile as the Army converted earlier Nike Ajax sites. By the late 1960s, the launcher had received many improvements to its hydraulic system, electrical circuits, locking assemblies, blast protection, safety controls, and guidance-equipment support. The March 1969 Change 1 reflects the continuing updates needed to maintain this mature launcher system.
Nike Hercules Weapon System History
Nike Hercules was developed as the successor to Nike Ajax and entered active continental air defense service in 1958. It offered greater range, higher operating altitude, solid-propellant power, and the ability to carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Ground-based acquisition, target-tracking, and missile-tracking radars supplied information to a computer, which sent steering commands to the missile during flight. The system was designed to engage high-performance aircraft and also had a surface-to-surface capability. Improved Nike Hercules equipment later added stronger radar performance and better resistance to electronic jamming.
History of Use
The U.S. Army deployed Nike Hercules batteries around major cities, industrial regions, military bases, and other strategic locations. The system also served at overseas installations and with allied nations. M36E1 launcher crews used the equipment during readiness alerts, maintenance checks, drills, test firings, and live-fire training. The launcher remained lowered during missile loading and servicing, then raised the missile when the battery prepared to fire. The United States began reducing its Nike Hercules network during the late 1960s and phased out most continental sites during the 1970s, while several allied nations continued using the system for many more years.
Ideal For
This technical manual change is well suited for:
- Military technical manual collectors
- Nike Hercules historians and researchers
- Cold War air defense museums
- Veterans of U.S. Army missile units
- Historic Nike missile-site restoration projects
- Military launcher and hydraulic-system research
- Collectors assembling the complete TM 9-1440-250 manual series
Approx length 8", Approx width 10", Approx height .2", Approx weight .2lbs.
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