What historical role did Nike/Hawk systems play in CRC/TACS development?

• A. Early ground-to-air missile systems requiring integrated C2 to coordinate interceptor launches and guidance
• B. They were air-to-air systems used by fighters
• C. They were naval anti-air systems
• D. They were civilian air traffic control radars

Answer: (A)

Nike and Hawk were early ground-based air defense missiles that showed why integrated command-and-control is essential to defending airspace. They worked as a network: radars detect and track targets, a central fire-control and command post processes those tracks, and launchers receive coordinated commands to intercept. This arrangement required a real-time, shared picture of the battlespace and a way to direct multiple interceptors across a defended area. That need for coordinating sensors, weapons, and communications across several sites became the foundation for CRC/TACS concepts, which evolved into unified air-defense control networks that could allocate missiles and fighters in a timely, centralized way. The other options don’t fit because Nike/Hawk are ground-to-air systems, not air-to-air fighters, naval ships, or civilian air-traffic control radars.