Air Force Bases

Nike Missile Detroit Defense Area

Built during the mid-1950s Detroit Defense Area Nike batteries are located at:
(D-06) Utica
(D-14) Selfridge AFB
(D-16) Selfridge APB
(D-17) Algonic/Marine City
(D-23) Detroit City Airport
(D-26) Fort Wayne/Detroit
(D-51) NAS Grosse Isle
(D-54) Riverview/Wyandotte
(D-57) Carleton
(D-58) Carleton/Newport
(D-61) Wayne County Airport
(D-69) River Rouge Park
(D-26)Franklin/Bingham
(D-87) Commence/Union Lake
(D-97) Auburn Heights.

Missile defense coordination was controlled by Missile Master (replaced by Missile Mentor) collocated with sites at Selfridge APB. Headquarters facilities were posted at Selfridge as well as the Detroit Artillery Armory.

Site (D-58) Carleton hosted two launcher sites that were controlled by separate tracking radar sites. Between 1958 and 1961, the Army converted sites (D-06, D-16, D-26, D-58, D-61, and D-87) from Nike Ajax to Nike Hercules. The Michigan Army National Guard assumed manning responsibilities for many of the sites in the 1960s.

Sites D-06, D-58, and D-87 Hercules batteries remained active until 1974.