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 ( 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 . 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 . 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 structure was manufactured by McDonnell Aircraft in St . Louis ; final assembly was by Bendix Missile Systems in Mishawaka , Indiana . 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 . Indeed , the 11 . 6 - meter - long , 3½ - tonne missile was similar in size to a fighter aircraft . The Talos Mark 7 launcher system was installed in three " Galveston " class cruisers ( converted " Cleveland " class light cruisers ) with 14 missiles 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 . Fate . 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 . A Talos missile is displayed in the atrium of the South Bend Regional Airport ( historically known as Bendix Field ) . Another example can be seen at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum , located at Mount Pleasant , South Carolina .