View source for RIM-8 Talos

{{Short description|U.S. Navy surface-to-air missile (1955–1979)}}
{{Infobox weapon
| is_missile         = yes
| name               = RIM-8 Talos
| image              = US Rim-8g missile.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = RIM-8G Talos missile
| origin             = United States
| type               = [[Surface-to-air missile]]
| used_by            = [[United States Navy]]
| manufacturer       = [[Bendix Corporation|Bendix]]
| unit_cost          = 
| propellant         = 
| production_date    = 1955
| service            = 1958-1979
| engine             = Stage 1: [[Hercules Aerospace|Hercules]] MK 11 solid-fueled rocket booster, <br>Stage 2: Bendix ramjet sustainer
| engine_power       = 20,053[[Thrust|lbf]], 89.20[[Kilonewton|kN]]
| weight             = {{convert|7,800|lb|kg|abbr=on}} (missile: {{convert|3,400|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, booster: {{convert|4,400|lb|kg|abbr=on}})
| length             = {{convert|32|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| height             = 
| diameter           = {{convert|28|in|cm|abbr=on}}
| wingspan           = {{convert|280|cm|in|abbr=on}}
| speed              = Mach 3
| vehicle_range      = RIM-8A: 92 km (50 nm); RIM-8J: 241 km (130 nm)
| ceiling            = {{convert|24,400|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| altitude           = 
| filling            = {{convert|211|kg|lb|abbr=on}} continuous-rod HE warhead or [[W30 (nuclear warhead)|W30]] nuclear warhead (2–5&nbsp;kt)
| guidance           = Radar [[beam riding]] and (non-nuclear variants) [[semi-active radar homing]]
| detonation         = 
| launch_platform    = Surface ship
}}

[[Bendix Corporation|Bendix]] '''RIM-8 Talos''' was a long-range naval [[surface-to-air missile]] (SAM), among the earliest SAMs to equip [[United States Navy]] ships. The Talos used radar [[beam riding]] for guidance to the vicinity of its target, and [[semi-active radar homing]] (SARH) for terminal guidance. The four antennas surrounding the nose were SARH receivers, which functioned as a [[continuous wave]] [[interferometer]]. A [[solid rocket]] booster provided thrust for launch and a Bendix [[ramjet]] powered its flight to the target, with the warhead serving as the ramjet's compressor.
[[File:Final US Navy RIM-8 Talos firing 1979.jpg|thumb|Last Talos missile launched by {{USS|Oklahoma City|CLG-5|6}} in 1979]]

==History==
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 missile]]s like [[Henschel Hs 293]] [[glide bomb]]s, [[Fritz X]], and [[kamikaze]] aircraft.<ref name="nmsu">{{cite web|url=http://nmsua.edu/tiopete/files/2008/12/wspgcoldbook.pdf|title=A Brief History of White Sands Proving Ground 1941-1965|publisher=New Mexico State University|access-date=2010-08-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028154222/http://nmsua.edu/tiopete/files/2008/12/wspgcoldbook.pdf|archive-date=2014-10-28}}</ref> 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 airframe was manufactured by [[McDonnell Aircraft]] in [[St. Louis]]; final assembly was by Bendix Missile Systems in [[Mishawaka, 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=RIM-8 Talos |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/rim-8.htm |website=Global Security |access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Polmar, Norman |title=The U.S.Navy: Shipboard Radars |journal=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |date=December 1978}}</ref> The 9.9-meter-long, 3½-ton missile was comparable in size to a small [[fighter aircraft]].<ref>The contemporary [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[MiG-15]] [[jet aircraft|jet]] fighter was 10.1 meters long and weighed 5 tons.</ref> The Talos Mark 7 Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS) was installed in three {{sclass|Galveston|cruiser|1}}s (converted {{sclass|Cleveland|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]s) with 16 missiles in a ready-service magazine and up to 30 missiles and boosters in a storage area above the main deck. Nuclear-powered {{USS|Long Beach|CGN-9|6}} and three {{sclass|Albany|cruiser|1}}s (converted [[Baltimore-class cruiser|''Baltimore''-class heavy cruisers]]) carried Mark 12 Guided Missile Launching Systems fed from a 52-round magazine below the main deck.<ref name="GMM 1&C">{{cite book|last1=Naval Training Command|title=Gunners Mate M 1&C|date=1972|publisher=US Government Printing Office|edition=NAVTRA 10200-B}}</ref>

The initial SAM-N-6b/RIM-8A had an effective range of about 50&nbsp;nmi and a conventional [[warhead]]. The SAM-N-6bW/RIM-8B was a RIM-8A with a [[nuclear weapon|nuclear 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 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-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&nbsp;nm.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Garten Jr.|first1=William|last2=Dean|first2=Frank A.|title=Evolution of the Talos Missile|journal=Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest|date=April–June 1982|volume=3|issue=2|pages=117–122|issn=0270-5214}}</ref>

The surface-to-air versions also saw action in Vietnam, with a total of four [[MiG]]s being shot down by USS ''[[USS Chicago (CA-136)|Chicago]]'' and ''Long Beach''. On May 23, 1968, a Talos fired from ''Long 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usslittlerock.org/Armament/Little_Rock_Talos_Missile.html|title=USS LITTLE ROCK CLG 4 / CG 4 TALOS MISSILE & MISSILE SIGHTINGS|access-date=2017-09-22|archive-date=2010-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802150545/http://www.usslittlerock.org/Armament/Little_Rock_Talos_Missile.htmL|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Talos missile also had [[surface-to-surface missile|surface-to-surface]] capabilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.okieboat.com/Talos%20firing%20operations.html|title=USS Oklahoma City - Talos Missile Firing Operations|access-date=2014-05-23}}</ref>

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 on ''Chicago'', ''Oklahoma City'', and ''Long 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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hays|first1=Phillip R.|title=Details of the First Talos RGM-8H Anti Radiation Missile Combat Firing|url=http://www.okieboat.com/Talos%20antiradiation%20shot.html|website=USS Oklahoma City CL91 / CLG5 / CG5|access-date=14 March 2017}}</ref>

==Variants==
;SAM-N-6:Development and prototype missiles; pre-1962 US Navy designation of the Talos missile.
;SAM-N-6a:Development and prototype missiles; pre-1962 US Navy designation of the Talos missile.
;SAM-N-6b:Production missiles deployed with conventional explosive warheads; redesignated '''RIM-8A'''.
;SAM-N-6bw:The -6b missile with a nuclear warhead, omitting terminal guidance and SARH antennas; redesignated '''RIM-8B'''.
;SAM-N-6b1:An improved -6b with much greater range and continuous rod conventional warhead; redesignated '''RIM-8C'''.
;SAM-N-6c:"Unified Talos" with interchangeable nuclear/conventional warheads eliminating the need for storage of both missile types, also fitted with improved terminal homing and higher operating ceiling; redesignated '''RIM-8E'''.
;RIM-8F Talos:Some RIM-8C missiles retrofitted with the new seeker from the RIM-8E (post-1962 only).
;RIM-8G Talos:Variant with further homing improvements.
;RGM-8H Talos-ARM:A dedicated surface-to-surface anti-radar homing version for deployment on ships already fitted out for the Talos SAM.
;RIM-8J Talos:Variant with further homing improvements.
;MQM-8G Vandal:Talos missiles remaining after removal from active service were converted to super-sonic drone targets, with the inventory being exhausted circa 2008.

==Chronology==
{|class="wikitable"
!Date
!Fleet inventory
!Ship
!Event
|-
|28 May 1958<ref name=clg3>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/galveston-ii.html |title=Galveston II (CL-93) |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |accessdate=3 February 2022 }}</ref>
|1 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 2 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Galveston|CLG-3|2}}<ref name=clg3/>
|{{active|Commissioned as CLG-3<ref name=clg3/>}}
|-
|3 June 1960<ref name=clg4>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/little-rock.html |title=Little Rock I (CL-92) |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |accessdate=3 February 2022 }}</ref>
|2 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 4 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Little Rock|CLG-4|2}}<ref name=clg4/>
|{{active|Commissioned as CLG-4<ref name=clg4/>}}
|-
|7 September 1960<ref name=clg5>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/o/oklahoma_city.html |title=Oklahoma City I (CL-91) |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |accessdate=3 February 2022 }}</ref>
|3 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 6 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Oklahoma City|CLG-5|2}}<ref name=clg5/>
|{{active|Commissioned as CLG-5<ref name=clg5/>}}
|-
|9 September 1961<ref name=cgn9>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/long-beach-iii.html |title=Long Beach III (CG (N)‑9) |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |accessdate=3 February 2022 }}</ref>
|3 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 1 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 8 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Long Beach|CGN-9|2}}<ref name=cgn9/>
|{{active|Commissioned as CGN-9<ref name=cgn9/>}}
|-
|3 November 1962<ref name=cg10>{{cite web |url=https://www.navysite.de/cg/cg10.htm |title=USS Albany (CG 10) |last=Doehring |first=Thoralf |website=Unofficial US Navy Site |accessdate=3 February 2022 }}</ref>
|3 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 3 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 12 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Albany|CA-123|2}}<ref name=cg10/>
|{{active|Commissioned as CG-10<ref name=cg10/>}}
|-
|1 December 1962<ref name="columbus">{{cite web|url=http://www.usscolumbus.org/USS_Columbus/Welcome_Aboard.htm|title=Welcome Aboard|publisher=USS Columbus Veterans Association|access-date=2010-08-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102124521/http://www.usscolumbus.org/USS_Columbus/Welcome_Aboard.htm|archive-date=2010-11-02}}</ref>
|3 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 5 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 16 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Columbus|CA-74|2}}
|{{active|Commissioned as CG-12}}
|-
|2 May 1964<ref name=cg11>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/04/136/04136.htm |title=USS CHICAGO (CA 136 / CG 11) |last=Yarnall |first=Paul L. |website=NavSource Online |accessdate=3 February 2022 }}</ref>
|3 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 7 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 20 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|{{USS|Chicago|CA-136|2}}<ref name=cg11/>
|{{active|Commissioned as CG-11<ref name=cg11/>}}
|-
|25 May 1970<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ussgalveston.org/archiveddocs/timeline.htm|title=Chronology - U.S.S. Galveston CL-93 / CLG-3|publisher=USS Galveston Shipmates Association|access-date=2010-08-27}}</ref>
|2 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 7 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 18 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Galveston''
|{{eliminated|Decommissioned}}
|-
|31 January 1975<ref name="columbus"/>
|2 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 5 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 14 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Columbus''
|{{eliminated|Decommissioned}}
|-
|22 November 1976<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usslittlerock.org/Ship%20History.html|title=A Brief History of the USS Little Rock|publisher=USS Little Rock Association|access-date=2010-08-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223032403/http://usslittlerock.org/Ship%20History.html|archive-date=2010-12-23}}</ref>
|1 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 5 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 12 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Little Rock''
|{{eliminated|Decommissioned<ref name=clg4/>}}
|-
|1978
|1 × Mk 7 GMLS <br /> 4 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 10 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Long Beach''
|{{eliminated|Talos system removed}}
|-
|1 November 1979
|4 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 8 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Oklahoma City''
|{{center|Last Talos fired}}
|-
|15 December 1979
|4 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 8 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Oklahoma City''
|{{eliminated|Decommissioned}}
|-
|1 March 1980<ref name=cg11/>
|2 × Mk 12 GMLS <br /> 4 × AN/SPG-49 RADAR
|''Chicago''<ref name=cg11/>
|{{eliminated|Decommissioned<ref name=cg11/>}}
|-
|29 August 1980<ref name=cg10/>
|
|''Albany''<ref name=cg10/>
|{{eliminated|Decommissioned<ref name=cg10/>}}
|}

==Fate==
''Long Beach'' had her Talos launcher removed in 1978. Talos was phased out of fleet service with the decommissioning of {{USS|Oklahoma City|CG-5|6}} in 1979, though the ''Albany''-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 the [[RIM-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 the [[South 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. <ref>{{cite web |title=South Bend airport's Talos missile taken to History Museum for manufacturing exhibit |url=https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/2021/06/16/cold-war-era-missile-moved-south-bend-airport-museum-exhibit/7709247002/ |website=South Bend Tribune |access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> After the exhibit closed, the missile did not return to the airport.

Another example can be seen at the [[Patriots Point|Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum]], located at [[Mount Pleasant, South Carolina]].

A Talos Missile can also be seen on display at the [[Muskogee War Memorial Park]] located in [[Muskogee, Oklahoma]].

A Talos missile is on display at [[Naval Weapons Station Yorktown]] in [[Yorktown, Virginia]].

A Talos missile is on display at The US Navy's Guided Missile School at Dam Neck, in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], just outside of the main building of the NAVGMSCOL.

Two Talos missiles are on display, in launch position, on the stern of {{USS|Little Rock|CG-4|6}} at the [[Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park]] located in [[Buffalo, New York]].

A Talos missile and booster were on display at Rita Blanca Park (home of the [[XIT Ranch#Legacy|XIT 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 the [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]] at the [[Washington Dulles International Airport]].

A Talos missile is on outdoor display in front of the Missiles and More Museum on [[Topsail 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 of [[Operation Bumblebee]].<ref>Missiles and More Museum. (2014, January 26). Operation Bumblebee. Missiles and More Museum. https://missilesandmoremuseum.org/exhibits/operation-bumblebee/</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" class="center">
File:Talos missile launcher on USS Long Beach.jpg|Talos missile launcher on USS ''Long Beach,'' July 1961
File:Talos missile guidance radars on USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5), in October 1963 (NH 98688).jpg|Talos missile guidance radars, AN/SPG-49.
File:Tir de Talos.jpg|RIM-8A and -8B missile launch.
File:RIM-8 Talos intercepting B-17 target drone in 1957.jpg|A Talos shortly before hitting a B-17 target drone in 1957.
File:USS Little Rock (CLG-4) fires a RIM-8 Talos missile on 4 May 1961 (NH 98953).jpg|{{USS|Little Rock|CLG-4|6}} fires a Talos, 4 May 1961.
File:RIM-8 Talos on USS Little Rock (CLG-4) 1960 (KN-1120).jpg|Talos missiles on USS ''Little Rock'', November 1960.
File:MQM-8G Vandal missile launch 1999.jpg|MQM-8G Vandal launch from San Nicolas Island, in 1999.
File:RIM-8 Talos conveyor in the USS Little Rock.jpg|RIM-8 Talos missile loading conveyor aboard USS ''Little Rock''.
File:RIM-8 Talos magazine racks in the USS Little Rock.jpg|RIM-8 Talos magazine racks in USS ''Little Rock''
File:RIM-8 Talos Display.jpg|RIM-8 Talos display, Patriots Point Naval Museum, Charleston South Carolina
File:Rim 8 talos missle udvar hazy 20040710 150926 1.jpg|A Bendix RIM-8 Talos on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[RIM-2 Terrier]]
* [[RIM-24 Tartar]]
* [[Sea Dart]], the [[Royal Navy]]'s similar design.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite journal|last=Friedman|first=Norman|year=1982|title=The "3 T" Programme|journal=Warship |publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|volume=VI|issue=22–3|pages=158–166, 181–185|isbn=0-87021-981-2}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Goss |display-authors=etal |first1=Wilbur H.|title=Talos in Retrospect|journal=Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest|date=April–June 1982|volume=3|issue=2|pages=116–179|issn=0270-5214}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-8.html Designation systems.net – RIM-8 Talos]
* [http://www.okieboat.com/Talos.html Talos missile and launching system, Talos history]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaeDP4p1qZI Talos Missile Handling, Cruiser Installation Film]

{{USN missiles}}
{{USAF missiles}}
{{US missiles}}
{{USAF system codes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:RIM008}}
[[Category:Cold War nuclear missiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War surface-to-air missiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Naval surface-to-air missiles]]
[[Category:Naval surface-to-air missiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Naval weapons of the United States]]
[[Category:Nuclear anti-aircraft weapons]]
[[Category:Surface-to-air missiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Ramjet-powered missiles]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Anti-radiation missiles of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Anti-radiation missiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Bendix Corporation]]