Typhon was a missile system developed by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in the late 1950s, intended to serve as an integrated air-defense system for Navy fleets. Consisting of the SAM-N-8 Typhon LR, later designated RIM-50A, and the SAM-N-9 Typhon MR, later RIM-55A, paired with the
AN/SPG-59 radar system, the cost and expense of the Typhon system led to it being cancelled in favor of the
Standard Missile program.
Design and development
Development of Typhon was initiated in the late 1950s, as the existing
Talos
In Greek mythology, Talos — also spelled Talus (; el, Τάλως, ''Tálōs'') or Talon (; el, Τάλων, ''Tálōn'') — was a giant automaton made of bronze to protect Europa in Crete from pirates and invaders. He circled the island's sh ...
,
Terrier
Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...
, and
Tartar ("3T") long-, medium-, and short-ranged missiles were considered to be approaching obsolescence; in the event of a mass attack by Soviet bomber forces, the requirement for each missile to have its own dedicated
target illuminator would lead to rapid saturation of the defensive system. The Typhon system, developed under a contract awarded to the
Bendix Corporation
Bendix Corporation is an American manufacturing and engineering company which, during various times in its existence, made automotive brake shoes and systems, vacuum tubes, aircraft brakes, aeronautical hydraulics and electric power systems, av ...
, would overcome this through the use of the
AN/SPG-59 electronically scanned array
In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving t ...
radar system, capable of tracking and engaging multiple targets simultaneously.
The missile system to complement the radar was originally named Super Talos (long-range) and Super Tartar (short-range), but to avoid confusion with upgrades for the existing missiles was soon renamed Typhon.
[Parsch 2001a] Typhon LR, the only version of the Typhon missile system to be test-flown, was
ramjet
A ramjet, or athodyd (aero thermodynamic duct), is a form of airbreathing jet engine that uses the forward motion of the engine to produce thrust. Since it produces no thrust when stationary (no ram air) ramjet-powered vehicles require an ass ...
-powered and was capable of intercepting high-speed aircraft and missiles, engaging targets in the
Mach 3–4 range at between to altitude and to range; a secondary capability in the
surface-to-surface
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...
role, capable of targeting enemy ships, was also included in the specification.
While primarily intended to be armed with a conventional
high explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...
warhead, Typhon LR was designed to be capable of carrying the
W60 nuclear warhead
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
.
Typhon MR was designed to be capable of intercepting aircraft at between to in altitude and to range, but had yet to enter testing before the Typhon project was cancelled.
[Parsch 2001b]
Operational history
In March 1961 the first test launches of the SAM-N-8 Typhon LR took place;
beginning in 1962, the test ship entered refit to install the Typhon Weapon Control System to allow at-sea tests to be undertaken.
[DANFS 1970] However the expense of the Typhon system, combined with the technical issues encountered during development, meant that the program was cancelled in November 1963. The conversion of ''Norton Sound'' was allowed to be completed to provide test data,
[Boslaugh 1999, p.180.] the ship recommissioning in June 1964; following the tests the Typhon equipment was removed in July 1966.
In lieu of Typhon, the U.S. Navy developed the
Standard Missile family to provide air defense for the fleet, with the
RIM-66 Standard
The RIM-66 Standard MR (SM-1MR/SM-2MR) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a secondary role as an anti-ship missile, originally developed for the United States Navy (USN). A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the ...
and
RIM-67 Standard ER
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 d ...
missiles replacing Tartar and Terrier respectively.
See also
*
Sea Dart
Sea Dart, or GWS.30 was a Royal Navy surface-to-air missile system designed in the 1960s and entering service in 1973. It was fitted to the Type 42 destroyers (United Kingdom and Argentina), Type 82 destroyer and s of the Royal Navy. Originally ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
RIM-50 Typhonat GlobalSecurity.org
{{USN early guided weapons
RIM-050
Abandoned military rocket and missile projects of the United States
RIM-050
RIM-050
Nuclear anti-aircraft weapons
Bendix Corporation