The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project was completed in August 1998 and resulted in the book Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940 edited by Stephen I. Schwartz. These project pages should be considered historical.
This June 1955 “family portrait” shows (left to right) the Army’s Honest John, Nike Ajax, and Corporal missiles.
The Honest John and Corporal could carry nuclear or conventional warheads. The Nike Ajax carried only a conventional warhead. More than 9,300 Honest John’s were produced and deployed from 1954-84 at a cost $2.5 billion (excluding the cost of nuclear warheads). Some 1,100 Corporal’s were produced deployed from 1954-67 and also cost $2.5 billion (excluding the cost of nuclear warheads). The cost of the Nike Ajax is unknown.
Credit: U.S. Army