RIM - 2 Terrier 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 . It underwent significant upgrades while in service , starting with a beam - riding system with 10 nm range at a speed of Mach 1 . 8 , and ending as a semi - active radar homing system with a range of 40 nm at speeds as high as Mach 3 . It was replaced in service by the RIM - 67 Standard ER ( SM - 1ER ) . " 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 . History . The Terrier was a development of the Bumblebee Project , 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 the mid - 1950s , with the Canberra being the first to achieve operational status June 15 , 1956 . Its US Navy designation was SAM - N - 7 until 1963 when it was re - designated RIM - 2 . For a brief time during the mid - 1950s the USMC had two Terrier battalions equipped with specially modified twin sea launchers for land use that fired the SAM - N - 7 . The Terrier was the first surface to air missile operational with the USMC . The launchers were reloaded by a special vehicle that carried two Terrier reloads . Initially , the Terrier used radar beam - riding guidance , wing control , and a conventional warhead . It had a top speed of only Mach 1 . 8 , a range of only 10 nautical miles ( 19 km ) , and was only useful against subsonic targets . 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 . Cost per missile in 1957 was an estimated $ 60 , 000 dollars . 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 40 nm . 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 . The RIM - 67 offered the range of the much larger RIM - 8 Talos in a missile the size of the Terrier .