RIM-2 Terrier
Encyclopedia
The Convair
RIM-2 Terrier was a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile
(SAM), and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy
ships. Originally, the Terrier had a launch thrust of 23 kN (5,200 lbf), and weight of 1392 kg (3,069 lb). Its original dimensions were a diameter of 340 mm, a length of 8.08 m, and a fin span of 1.59 m.
Terrier has also been used as a sounding rocket
, typically as a first stage, for conducting research. The Terrier can be equipped with various upper stages, like the Asp
, the Tomahawk
or the Orion.
, the Navy's effort to develop a surface-to-air missile to provide a middle layer of defense against air attack (between carrier fighters and antiaircraft guns). It was test launched from USS Mississippi (AG-128) ex (BB-41)
on January 28, 1953, and first deployed operationally on the Boston class cruiser
s, USS Boston (CAG-1)
and USS Canberra (CAG-2)
in late 1955. Its designation was SAM-N-7 until 1963 when it was redesignated RIM-2.
Initially, the Terrier used radar beam-riding guidance, wing control, a conventional warhead, had a top speed of only Mach 1.8, and a range of only 10 nautical mile
s (19 km), it was useful only against subsonic targets. Before it was even in widespread service it was seeing major improvements. The RIM-2C, named the Terrier BT-3 (Beam-riding, Tail control, series 3) was introduced in 1958. The wings were replaced with fixed strakes, and the tail became the control surface. The BT-3 also had a new motor, and featured extended range, Mach 3 speed, and better maneuverability. The RIM-2D Terrier BT-3A(N) used a W45
1kt nuclear warhead, but all other variants used a 218 lb (99 kg) controlled-fragmentation warhead. The RIM-2E introduced semi-active radar homing
, for greater effectiveness against low-flying targets. The final version, the RIM-2F, used a new motor which doubled effective range to 40nm.
The Terrier was the primary missile system of most US Navy cruisers built during the 1960s. It could be installed on much smaller ships than the much larger and longer-ranged RIM-8 Talos
. A Terrier installation typically consisted of the Mk 10 twin-arm launcher with a 40-round rear-loading magazine, but some ships had extended magazines with 80 or 120 rounds, and the installation in the Boston and Canberra used a bottom-loading magazine of 72 rounds.
The French Navy's Masurca
missile was developed with some technology provided by the USN from Terrier.
The Terrier was replaced by the extended range RIM-67 Standard
missile.
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
RIM-2 Terrier was a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
(SAM), and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ships. Originally, the Terrier had a launch thrust of 23 kN (5,200 lbf), and weight of 1392 kg (3,069 lb). Its original dimensions were a diameter of 340 mm, a length of 8.08 m, and a fin span of 1.59 m.
Terrier has also been used as a sounding rocket
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
, typically as a first stage, for conducting research. The Terrier can be equipped with various upper stages, like the Asp
Asp (rocket)
Asp is the designation of an American sounding rocket. Between 1955 and 1962 these were used 30 times to study the explosion clouds of nuclear bombs....
, the Tomahawk
TE-416 Tomahawk
The TE-416 Tomahawk is a rocket developed by the American company Thiokol at the beginning of the 1960s for Sandia National Laboratories. Although the TE-416 Tomahawk can be launched alone, it was started predominantly as upper stage in connection with other rockets, for example with a Nike rocket...
or the Orion.
History
The Terrier was a development of the Bumblebee ProjectOperation Bumblebee (US Navy)
Operation Bumblebee developed and tested US Navy ramjet missiles at the end of World War II. The Applied Physics Lab PTV-N-4 Cobra/BTV was flown in October 1945, and the program developed the operational RIM-8 Talos missile.-Origin:Navy ships were hit by air-launched Henschel Hs 293 glide bombs...
, the Navy's effort to develop a surface-to-air missile to provide a middle layer of defense against air attack (between carrier fighters and antiaircraft guns). It was test launched from USS Mississippi (AG-128) ex (BB-41)
USS Mississippi (BB-41)
USS Mississippi , a , was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state, and the second battleship to carry the name. Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II, for which she earned eight battle stars...
on January 28, 1953, and first deployed operationally on the Boston class cruiser
Boston class cruiser
The United States Navy's Boston class were the first guided missile cruisers in the world. Both ships in this experimental class were originally Baltimore class heavy cruisers that had been decommissioned after World War II, but were redesignated as guided missile heavy cruisers and entered refit...
s, USS Boston (CAG-1)
USS Boston (CA-69)
USS Boston , a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was launched 26 August 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Company's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Mass.; sponsored by Mrs. Maurice J. Tobin, wife of the Mayor of...
and USS Canberra (CAG-2)
USS Canberra (CA-70)
USS Canberra was a Baltimore class cruiser and later a Boston class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed Canberra before launch, for the Royal Australian Navy's County class cruiser, , which was sunk during the Battle of Savo...
in late 1955. Its designation was SAM-N-7 until 1963 when it was redesignated RIM-2.
Initially, the Terrier used radar beam-riding guidance, wing control, a conventional warhead, had a top speed of only Mach 1.8, and a range of only 10 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (19 km), it was useful only against subsonic targets. Before it was even in widespread service it was seeing major improvements. The RIM-2C, named the Terrier BT-3 (Beam-riding, Tail control, series 3) was introduced in 1958. The wings were replaced with fixed strakes, and the tail became the control surface. The BT-3 also had a new motor, and featured extended range, Mach 3 speed, and better maneuverability. The RIM-2D Terrier BT-3A(N) used a W45
W45
The W45 was a multipurpose American nuclear warhead developed in the early 1960s, first built in 1962 and fielded in some applications until 1988. It had a diameter of 11.5 inches , a length of 27 inches and weighed 150 pounds . The yields of different W45 versions were 0.5, 1, 5, 8, 10, and 15...
1kt nuclear warhead, but all other variants used a 218 lb (99 kg) controlled-fragmentation warhead. The RIM-2E introduced semi-active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal – provided by an external ...
, for greater effectiveness against low-flying targets. The final version, the RIM-2F, used a new motor which doubled effective range to 40nm.
The Terrier was the primary missile system of most US Navy cruisers built during the 1960s. It could be installed on much smaller ships than the much larger and longer-ranged RIM-8 Talos
RIM-8 Talos
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 for terminal guidance...
. A Terrier installation typically consisted of the Mk 10 twin-arm launcher with a 40-round rear-loading magazine, but some ships had extended magazines with 80 or 120 rounds, and the installation in the Boston and Canberra used a bottom-loading magazine of 72 rounds.
The French Navy's Masurca
Masurca
The Masurca missile was a first generation naval surface-to-air missile system developed and used by the French Navy. Planned as the primary air defence missile system of the first generation of French guided missile ships it was to be used only aboard the two Suffren-class destroyers and as a...
missile was developed with some technology provided by the USN from Terrier.
The Terrier was replaced by the extended range RIM-67 Standard
RIM-67 Standard
The RIM-67 Standard ER is an extended range surface-to-air missile and anti ship missile originally developed for the United States Navy...
missile.
Terrier Versions
| Designation Joint Electronics Type Designation System The Joint Electronics Type Designation System , which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Department during World War II for assigning an unclassified designator to... |
Early Designation | Control Surfaces | Guidance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIM-2A | BW-0 | Wing Control | Beam-Riding | Subsonic targets only |
| RIM-2B | BW-1 | Wing Control | Beam-Riding | Subsonic targets only |
| RIM-2C | BT-3 | Tail Control | Beam-Riding | In Service 1958, supersonic targets |
| RIM-2D | BT-3A(N) | Tail Control | Beam-Riding | W45 W45 The W45 was a multipurpose American nuclear warhead developed in the early 1960s, first built in 1962 and fielded in some applications until 1988. It had a diameter of 11.5 inches , a length of 27 inches and weighed 150 pounds . The yields of different W45 versions were 0.5, 1, 5, 8, 10, and 15... Nuclear 1kT yield |
| RIM-2E | HT-3 | Tail Control | Semi-active radar homing Semi-active radar homing Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal – provided by an external ... |
Introduced Semi-Active Homing |
| RIM-2F | Tail Control | Semi-active radar homing Semi-active radar homing Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal – provided by an external ... |
New Rocket Motor |
See also
- USS Norton Sound (AVM-1)USS Norton Sound (AVM-1)USS Norton Sound was originally built as a by Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in San Pedro, California. She was named for Norton Sound, a large inlet in West Alaska, between the Seward Peninsula and the mouths of the Yukon, north-east of the Bering Sea.-Career:Norton Sound was laid...
- RIM-8 TalosRIM-8 TalosThe 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 for terminal guidance...
- RIM-24 TartarRIM-24 TartarThe General Dynamics RIM-24 Tartar was a medium-range naval surface-to-air missile , and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships...
- RIM-67 StandardRIM-67 StandardThe RIM-67 Standard ER is an extended range surface-to-air missile and anti ship missile originally developed for the United States Navy...
- TerascaTerascaTerasca, or Terrier-ASROC-Cajun, was an American three-stage sounding rocket developed and launched by the United States Navy. Derived from a combination of the Terrier, ASROC and Cajun rockets, three launches were attempted during 1959, but only one was successful.-Design and development:The...
- MasurcaMasurcaThe Masurca missile was a first generation naval surface-to-air missile system developed and used by the French Navy. Planned as the primary air defence missile system of the first generation of French guided missile ships it was to be used only aboard the two Suffren-class destroyers and as a...