| RIM-8 Talos | |
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RIM-8G Talos missile. |
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| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Withdrawn from service 1980 |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Bendix |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 7,800 lb (3,538 kg) (missile: 3,400 lb (1,542 kg), booster: 4,400 lb (1,996 kg) |
| Length | 456 in (11.6 metres) |
| Diameter | 28 in (0.7 metres) |
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| Warhead | 136 kg (300 lb) continuous-rod HE warhead or W30 nuclear warhead (2 - 5 kt) |
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| Engine | Bendix ramjet sustainer, Stage1: MK 11 solid-fueled rocket booster, Stage2: Bendix ramjet sustainer |
| Wingspan | 2.80 m (110 in) |
| Operational range |
185 km (100 nm); RIM-8A: 92 km (50 nm) |
| Flight ceiling | 24400 m (80,000 ft) |
| Speed | Mach 2.5 |
| Guidance system |
Radar beam riding and (non-nuclear variants) semi-active radar homing |
| Launch platform |
Surface Ship |
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.
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Talos was the end product of Operation Bumblebee, the Navy's 16-year surface-to-air missile development program for protection against guided anti-ship missiles like Henschel Hs 293 glide bombs, Fritz X, and kamikaze aircraft.[1] 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 and dual radar antenna system; there were few ships that could accommodate the large missiles with the AN/SPW-2 missile guidance radar and the AN/SPG-49 target illumination and tracking radar.[2] Indeed, the 11.6-meter-long, 3½-tonne missile was similar in size to a fighter aircraft.[3] The Talos Mark 7 launcher system was installed in three Galveston class cruisers (converted Cleveland class light cruisers) with 14 birds in a ready-service magazine and up to 30 unmated missiles and boosters in a storage area above the main deck. Nuclear-powered USS Long Beach and three Albany class cruiser (converted Baltimore class heavy cruisers) carried Mark 12 launchers fed from behind by a 46-round magazine below the main deck.
The initial SAM-N-6b/RIM-8A had an effective range of about 50 nm, 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 effective conventional continuous-rod 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.
| Date | Fleet inventory | Ship | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 1958 | 1xMk 7 launcher with 2xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Galveston | commissioned as CLG-3 |
| 3 June 1960 | 2xMk 7 launchers with 4xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Little Rock | commissioned as CLG-4 |
| 7 September 1960 | 3xMk 7 launchers with 6xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Oklahoma City | commissioned as CLG-5 |
| 9 September 1961 | 3xMk 7 & 1xMk 12 launchers with 8xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Long Beach | commissioned as CGN-9 |
| 3 November 1962 | 3xMk 7 & 3xMk 12 launchers with 12xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Albany | commissioned as CG-10 |
| 1 December 1962[4] | 3xMk 7 & 5xMk 12 launchers with 16xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Columbus | commissioned as CG-12 |
| 2 May 1964 | 3xMk 7 & 7xMk 12 launchers with 20xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Chicago | commissioned as CG-11 |
| 25 May 1970[5] | 2xMk 7 & 7xMk 12 launchers with 18xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Galveston | decommissioned |
| 31 January 1975[4] | 2xMk 7 & 5xMk 12 launchers with 14xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Columbus | decommissioned |
| 22 November 1976[6] | 1xMk 7 & 5xMk 12 launchers with 12xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Little Rock | decommissioned |
| 1978 | 1xMk 7 & 4xMk 12 launchers with 10xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Long Beach | Talos system removed |
| 15 December 1979 | 4xMk 12 launchers with 8xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Oklahoma City | decommissioned |
| 1 March 1980 | 2xMk 12 launchers with 4xAN/SPG-49 RADAR | Chicago | decommissioned |
| 29 August 1980 | Albany | decommissioned |
Talos was phased out of fleet service in 1976, though the ships carrying the system soldiered on a few more years with the launchers left in place until they (Albany-class, and Oklahoma City) were retired in 1980, after Long Beach had her Talos launcher removed in 1978. After 22 years of fleet service, 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 super-sonic drone targets, the MQM-8G Vandal. The inventory was exhausted around 2008.
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