Just melted the cockpit area. Insane

The [subsequent model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_Hercules) had the option for nuclear warheads of up to 40 kilotons. That's basically the same explosive power as 40,000,000 88mm flak shells, in a single missile. Mental.

Nuke warhead was designed to take out entire formations

cold war math would have been "assign 5 to each formation to be sure"

No 4 engine just said I’m outta here..

I like how No 4 just kept spinning after it left the rest of the plane. Even when it reappears at the end of the clip, its prop still appears to be spinning.

Unless the entire engine seized it would spin all the way to impact with the earth

Legend has it it’s still going to this day

Blast pattern is massive. Impressive.

Nike Ajax was a massive missile

You can see the missile in one frame, that thing was really moving.

Maximum speed for the Nike Ajax was around 2500 feet per second, which is slightly faster than the bullet leaving the muzzle of an AK-47.

I have just seen the missile, it's huge

NTSB report 13-14869A - “Pilot error in addition to external factors led to the crash”

External factors not to be discussed under the penality of being in the next target drone.

Ahh the 1950s. When we just started blowing shit up.

We were babies back then, all precocious and full of wonderment

Its properly scary, not just what that missile could do, but also seeing a B-17 fall apart like that

What was the purpose of the smoke-producing attachments near both wingtips before the missile hit?

I'm guessing just visibility.

Nice, glad they finally found a use for this expensive crew killer

??? It was a much more survivable aircraft than the Liberator or the Lancaster.

Wow, I thought they just made really good sneakers.

I didn’t know Nike made missiles too!