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RIM-8 Talos

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RIM-8 Talos
RIM-8G Talos missile.
TypeSurface-to-air missile
Place of origin United States
Service history
In serviceWithdrawn from service 1979
Used byUnited States Navy
Production history
ManufacturerBendix
Specifications
Mass7800 lb (3538 kg) (missile: 3400 lb (1542 kg), booster: 4400 lb (1996 kg)
Length456 in (11.6 metres)
Diameter28 in (0.7 metres)
Wingspan2.80 m (110 in)
Warhead136 kg (300 lb) continuous-rod HE warhead or W30 nuclear warhead (2 - 5 kT)
EngineBendix ramjet sustainer,
Stage1: MK 11 solid-fueled rocket booster,
Stage2: Bendix ramjet sustainer
Operational
range
185 km (100 nm); RIM-8A: 92 km (50 nm)
Flight ceiling24400 m (80000 ft)
Maximum speed Mach 2.5
Guidance
system
semi-active radar homing
Launch
platform
Surface Ship
This article is about the surface-to-air missile. For Talos (disambiguation), see RIM-8 Talos (disambiguation).

The Bendix RIM-8 Talos was a long-range naval surface-to-air missile, and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships. The Talos used radar beam riding for guidance to the vicinity of its target, and semiactive radar homing (SARH) for terminal guidance. The characteristic array of four antennas surrounding the nose are the SARH receivers which functioned as a continuous wave interferometer. Thrust was provided by a solid rocket booster for initial launch and a Bendix ramjet for flight to target with the warhead doubling as the ramjet's compressor.

History

The Talos was a development of the Bumblebee Project, the Navy's effort to develop a surface-to-air missile to provide an extra layer of aircraft defense. The Talos was the primary effort behind the Bumblebee project, but was not the first missile the program developed; the RIM-2 Terrier was the first to enter service. The Talos was originally designated SAM-N-6, and was redesignated RIM-8 in 1963.

The Talos saw relatively limited use due to its large size; there were few ships that could accommodate the system. The Talos was launched from the Mk 12 twin-arm launcher, which was fed from behind by a 46-round below main deck magazine. The Talos system was installed in three converted Cleveland class light cruisers (USS Oklahoma City, Galveston, and Little Rock) (which used the Mark 7 Launching System which had 14 birds in a ready-service magazine and up to 30 unmated missiles and boosters in a storage area all above main deck), the converted Baltimore class heavy cruisers Albany, Chicago, Columbus and the nuclear-powered USS Long Beach.

The initial SAM-N-6b/RIM-8A had an effective range of about 50nm, and a conventional warhead. The SAM-N-6bW/RIM-8B was a RIM-8A with a nuclear warhead; terminal guidance was judged unnecessary for a nuclear warhead, so the SARH antenna were omitted. The SAM-N-6b1/RIM-8C was introduced in 1960 and had nearly double the range, and a more lethal conventional warhead. The RIM-8D was the nuclear-warhead version of the -8C. The SAM-N-6c/RIM-8E "Unified Talos" had a warhead that could be swapped while embarked, eliminating the need to waste magazine capacity carrying dedicated nuclear warhead variants. The RIM-8E also carried an improved continuous-wave terminal homing seeker, and had a higher ceiling. Some RIM-8Cs were retrofitted with the new seeker, and designated RIM-8F. The RIM-8G and RIM-8J had further radar homing improvements. The RIM-8H Talos-ARM was a dedicated anti-radar homing missile for use against shore-based radar stations. Initial testing of the RIM-8H was performed in 1965, and soon after it was deployed in Vietnam on Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Long Beach, attacking North Vietnamese SAM radars. The surface-to-air versions also saw action in Vietnam, a total of three MiGs being shot down by Chicago and Long Beach. The Talos missile also had surface-to-surface capabilities.

Fate

The Talos was slowly phased out of service as ships with the Mk 12 launcher were retired. The last Talos-equipped ship other than Long Beach was retired in 1979, and Long Beach had her Talos launcher removed in 1978. The missile was replaced by the RIM-67 Standard missile which was fired from the smaller Mk10 launcher.

The missiles remaining in the Navy inventory were converted to a high tech supersonic target missile, the MQM-8G Vandal. The inventory was exhausted ca. 2005.

My Grandpa built this baby with his bare hands. Don't mess with Nick Armstrong. He will run your city.

  • Talos missile guidance radars, AN/SPG-49.
    Talos missile guidance radars, AN/SPG-49.
  • Unfinned Talos missiles on USS Columbus (CG-12), November 1962.
    Unfinned Talos missiles on USS Columbus (CG-12), November 1962.
  • Talos missile launched by USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5) in 1979, claimed to be one of the last fired by a commissioned US Navy warship.
    Talos missile launched by USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5) in 1979, claimed to be one of the last fired by a commissioned US Navy warship.
  • Talos missile Test Launch.
    Talos missile Test Launch.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RIM-8 Talos.
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