| RIM-8 Talos | |
|---|---|
 RIM-8G Talos missile | |
| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958-1979 |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Bendix |
| Produced | 1955 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7,800 lb (3,500 kg) (missile: 3,400 lb (1,500 kg), booster: 4,400 lb (2,000 kg)) |
| Length | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Diameter | 28 in (71 cm) |
| Wingspan | 280 cm (110 in) |
| Warhead | 211 kg (465 lb) continuous-rod HE warhead orW30 nuclear warhead (2–5 kt) |
| Engine | Stage 1:Hercules MK 11 solid-fueled rocket booster, Stage 2: Bendix ramjet sustainer 20,053lbf, 89.20kN |
Operational range | RIM-8A: 92 km (50 nm); RIM-8J: 241 km (130 nm) |
| Flight ceiling | 24,400 m (80,100 ft) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 3 (3704 km/h) |
Guidance system | Radarbeam riding and (non-nuclear variants)semi-active radar homing |
Launch platform | Surface ship |
BendixRIM-8 Talos was a long-range navalsurface-to-air missile (SAM), among the earliest SAMs to equipUnited States Navy ships. The Talos used radarbeam riding for guidance to the vicinity of its target, andsemi-active radar homing (SARH) for terminal guidance. The four antennas surrounding the nose were SARH receivers, which functioned as acontinuous waveinterferometer. Asolid rocket booster provided thrust for launch and a Bendixramjet powered its flight to the target, with the warhead serving as the ramjet's compressor.
Talos was the end product ofOperation Bumblebee, the Navy's 16-year surface-to-air missile development program for protection against guidedanti-ship missiles likeHenschel Hs 293glide bombs,Fritz X, andkamikaze aircraft.[1] The Talos was the primary effort behind the Bumblebee project but was not the first missile the program developed; theRIM-2 Terrier was the first to enter service. The Talos was originally designated SAM-N-6 and was redesignated RIM-8 in 1963. The airframe was manufactured byMcDonnell Aircraft inSt. Louis; final assembly was by Bendix Missile Systems inMishawaka, Indiana. The first production versions of the missile cost about $155,000 in 1955 ($1,793,335 in 2022 dollars); however, the price would drop as Bendix increased production.[2]
The Talos saw relatively limited use due to its large size and dual radar antenna system; few ships could accommodate the large missiles with the AN/SPW-2 missile guidance radar and the AN/SPG-49 target illumination and tracking radar.[3] The 9.9-meter-long, 3½-ton missile was comparable in size to a smallfighter aircraft.[4] The Talos Mark 7 Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS) was installed in threeGalveston-class cruisers (convertedCleveland-classlight cruisers) with 16 missiles in a ready-service magazine and up to 30 missiles and boosters in a storage area above the main deck. Nuclear-poweredUSS Long Beach and threeAlbany-class cruisers (convertedBaltimore-class heavy cruisers) carried Mark 12 Guided Missile Launching Systems fed from a 52-round magazine below the main deck.[5]
The initial SAM-N-6b/RIM-8A had an effective range of about 50 nmi and a conventionalwarhead. The SAM-N-6bW/RIM-8B was a RIM-8A with anuclear warhead; terminal guidance was judged unnecessary for a nuclear warhead, so the SARH antenna was omitted. The SAM-N-6b1/RIM-8C was introduced in 1960 and had double the range and a more effective conventionalcontinuous-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-tipped variants. The RIM-8E also carried an improved continuous-wave terminal homing seeker and had a higher ceiling reach-out. Some RIM-8Cs were retrofitted with the new seeker and designated RIM-8F. The RIM-8G and RIM-8J had further radar homing improvements and a new fuel that extended the range to 130 nm.[6]
The surface-to-air versions also saw action in Vietnam, with a total of fourMiGs being shot down by USSChicago andLong Beach. On May 23, 1968, a Talos fired fromLong Beach shot down a Vietnamese MiG at a range of about 65 miles. This was the first downing of a hostile aircraft by a missile fired from a ship. The hit also destroyed a second MiG which flew through the debris. In September 1968,Long Beach scored another MiG destroyed at a range of 61 miles. On May 9, 1972,Chicago's forward Talos battery scored a long-range kill on a MiG.[7] The Talos missile also hadsurface-to-surface capabilities.[8]
The RGM-8H Talos-ARM was a dedicated anti-radar homing missile for use against shore-based radar stations. Initial testing of the RGM-8H was performed in 1965, and soon after, it was deployed in Vietnam onChicago,Oklahoma City, andLong Beach, attacking North Vietnamese SAM radars.Oklahoma City fired the first successful RGM-8H combat shot in US Navy history in early 1972. It was also the first combat surface-to-surface missile shot in US Navy history.[9]
| Date | Fleet inventory | Ship | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 1958[10] | 1 × Mk 7 GMLS 2 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Galveston[10] | Commissioned as CLG-3[10] |
| 3 June 1960[11] | 2 × Mk 7 GMLS 4 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Little Rock[11] | Commissioned as CLG-4[11] |
| 7 September 1960[12] | 3 × Mk 7 GMLS 6 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Oklahoma City[12] | Commissioned as CLG-5[12] |
| 9 September 1961[13] | 3 × Mk 7 GMLS 1 × Mk 12 GMLS 8 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Long Beach[13] | Commissioned as CGN-9[13] |
| 3 November 1962[14] | 3 × Mk 7 GMLS 3 × Mk 12 GMLS 12 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Albany[14] | Commissioned as CG-10[14] |
| 1 December 1962[15] | 3 × Mk 7 GMLS 5 × Mk 12 GMLS 16 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Columbus | Commissioned as CG-12 |
| 2 May 1964[16] | 3 × Mk 7 GMLS 7 × Mk 12 GMLS 20 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Chicago[16] | Commissioned as CG-11[16] |
| 25 May 1970[17] | 2 × Mk 7 GMLS 7 × Mk 12 GMLS 18 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Galveston | Decommissioned |
| 31 January 1975[15] | 2 × Mk 7 GMLS 5 × Mk 12 GMLS 14 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Columbus | Decommissioned |
| 22 November 1976[18] | 1 × Mk 7 GMLS 5 × Mk 12 GMLS 12 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Little Rock | Decommissioned[11] |
| 1978 | 1 × Mk 7 GMLS 4 × Mk 12 GMLS 10 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Long Beach | Talos system removed |
| 1 November 1979 | 4 × Mk 12 GMLS 8 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Oklahoma City | Last Talos fired |
| 15 December 1979 | 4 × Mk 12 GMLS 8 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Oklahoma City | Decommissioned |
| 1 March 1980[16] | 2 × Mk 12 GMLS 4 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR | Chicago[16] | Decommissioned[16] |
| 29 August 1980[14] | Albany[14] | Decommissioned[14] |
Long Beach had her Talos launcher removed in 1978. Talos was phased out of fleet service with the decommissioning ofUSS Oklahoma City in 1979, though theAlbany-class ships carrying the system soldiered on a few more years with the launchers left in place until they were retired in 1980. After 21 years of fleet service, the missile was replaced by theRIM-67 Standard missile, which was fired from the smaller Mk10 launcher.
Two Talos missiles are on display at the Military Honor Park located near the entrance of the South Bend International Airport in South Bend, Indiana.
A Talos missile was displayed in the atrium of theSouth Bend Regional Airport (historically known as Bendix Field), but was removed in 2021 to be displayed in the Manufacturing Victory exhibit at The History Museum in South Bend.[19] After the exhibit closed, the missile did not return to the airport.
Another example can be seen at thePatriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, located atMount Pleasant, South Carolina.
A Talos Missile can also be seen on display at theMuskogee War Memorial Park located inMuskogee, Oklahoma.
A Talos missile is on display atNaval Weapons Station Yorktown inYorktown, Virginia.
A Talos missile is on display at The US Navy's Guided Missile School at Dam Neck, inVirginia Beach, Virginia, just outside of the main building of the NAVGMSCOL.
Two Talos missiles are on display, in launch position, on the stern ofUSS Little Rock at theBuffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park located inBuffalo, New York.
A Talos missile and booster were on display at Rita Blanca Park (home of theXIT Rodeo & Reunion) in Dalhart, Texas, at least from 1981 or earlier, but as of 2017 had been removed.
A Talos missile is on display in theSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at theWashington Dulles International Airport.
A Talos missile is on outdoor display in front of the Missiles and More Museum onTopsail Island, NC. Notably, this location is also the birthplace of the RIM-8 Talos missile, having been a result of the research effort on ramjets and surface-to-air missiles which took place on Topsail Island from 1946 to 1948, as part ofOperation Bumblebee.[20]
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