A SAM firing a missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile desgined to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. In the late 1940s and the 1950s, the first SAMs were developed, and in the second half of the 1950s, most major countries had SAM systems in their countries for defense. SAMs would replace AA guns for the most part, and the MIM-3 Nike Ajax's entry into service in 1954 with the United States would lead to a new generation of defensive weaponry being made. Today, the MIM-104 Patriot and S-300 are two examples of SAMs.