RIM - 67 Standard The RIM - 67 Standard ER ( SM - 1ER / SM - 2ER ) is an extended range surface - to - air missile ( SAM ) and anti ship missile originally developed for the United States Navy ( USN ) . The RIM - 67 was developed as a replacement for the RIM - 8 Talos , a 1950s system deployed on a variety of USN ships , and eventually replaced the RIM - 2 Terrier as well since it was of a similar size and fit existing Terrier launchers and magazines . The RIM - 66 Standard MR was essentially the same missile without the booster stage , designed to replace the RIM - 24 Tartar . The RIM - 66 / 67 series thus became the US Navy ' s universal SAM system , hence " Standard Missile . " RIM - 67A SM - 1 Extended Range . The RIM - 67A ( SM - 1ER Block I ) was the Navy ' s replacement for RIM - 8 Talos missile . Improved technology allowed the RIM - 67 to be reduced to the size of the earlier RIM - 2 Terrier missile . Existing ships with the Mk86 guided missile fire control system , or " Terrier " were adapted to employ the new missile in place of the older RIM - 2 Terrier missile . Ships that switched from the RIM - 2 Terrier to the RIM - 67A were still referred to as Terrier ships even though they were equipped with the newer missile . RIM - 67 and RIM - 156 SM - 2 Extended Range . The second generation of Standard missile , the Standard Missile 2 , was developed for the Aegis combat system , and New Threat Upgrade program that was planned for existing Terrier and Tartar ships . served as the test platform for the development of the CG / SM - 2 ( ER ) missile program project . The principal change over the Standard missile 1 is the introduction of inertial guidance for each phase of the missile ' s flight except the terminal phase where semi - active homing was retained . This design change was made so that missiles could time share illumination radars and enable equipped ships to defend against saturation missile attacks . Terrier ships reequipped as part of the New Threat Upgrade were refit to operate the RIM - 67B ( SM - 2ER Block II ) missile . However , Aegis ships were not equipped with launchers that had space enough for the longer RIM - 67B . The RIM - 156A Standard SM - 2ER Block IV with the Mk 72 booster was developed to compensate for the lack of a long range SAM for the " Ticonderoga " - class of Aegis cruisers . The Mk72 booster allows the RIM - 156A to fit into the Mk41 guided missile launch system . This configuration can also be used for Terminal phase Ballistic Missile Defense . There was a plan to build a nuclear armed standard missile mounting a W81 nuclear warhead as a replacement for the earlier Nuclear Terrier missile ( RIM - 2D ) . The USN rescinded the requirement for the nuclear armed missile in the 1980s , and the project was canceled . The Standard can also be used against ships , either at line - of - sight range using its semi - active homing mode , or over the horizon using inertial guidance and terminal infrared homing . A new generation of Standard extended range missiles is expected to become operational in 2011 . This missile is covered in a separate article . Please see RIM - 174 Standard ERAM for details . Operational history . During the Iran – Iraq War ( 1980 – 1988 ) the United States had deployed Standard missiles to protect its navy , as well as other ships in the Persian Gulf from the threat of Iranian attacks . According to the Iranian Air Force , its F - 4 Phantom II s were engaged by SM - 2ERs but managed to evade them , with one aircraft sustaining non - fatal damage due to shrapnel . During the same war United States navy accidentally shot down an Iranian civilian airliner , Iran Air Flight 655 using two SM - 2 missiles . On April 18 , 1988 , during Operation Praying Mantis , the fired four RIM - 66 Standard missiles and the fired two RIM - 67 Standard missiles at " Joshan " , an Iranian ( Combattante II ) Kaman - class fast attack craft . The attacks destroyed the Iranian ship ' s superstructure but did not immediately sink it , although it did subsequently go down . Deployment . RIM - 67 Standard was deployed on ships of the following classes , replacing the RIM - 2 Terrier , and it never was VLS - capable . All of the ships used the AN / SPG - 55 for guidance . The Mk10 guided missile launching system was used as the launching system . New Threat Upgrade equipped vessels operated the RIM - 67B which used inertial guidance for every phase of the intercept except for the terminal phase where the AN / SPG - 55 radar illuminates the target . The RIM - 156 Standard Block IV , is a version that has been developed for Aegis Combat System it has a smaller compact sized booster stage for firing from the Mk41 Guided missile launch system . Like the earlier RIM - 67B it employs inertial / command guidance with terminal semi - active homing . The last vessel to operate the RIM - 67 was the Italian cruiser Vittorio Veneto ( 550 ) which was retired in 2003 . The RIM - 174 Standard ERAM or Standard Missile Six has superseded the RIM - 156A in production . The RIM - 156A remains in service as of 2010 .