RIM-24 Tartar SAM missile

Surface Vessel Weapon System
RIM-24 Tartar SAM

The General Dynamics RIM-24 Tartar was a medium-range naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships. The Tartar was the third of the so-called "3 T's", the three primary SAMs the Navy fielded in the 1960s and 1970s, the others being the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-8 Talos.

The Tartar was born of a need for a more lightweight system for smaller ships, and something that could engage targets at very close range. Essentially, the Tartar was simply a RIM-2C Terrier without the secondary booster. The Tartar was never given a SAM-N-x designation, and was simply referred to as Missile Mk 15 until the unified Army-Navy designation system was introduced in 1963.

The Tartar was used on a number of ships, of a variety of sizes. Initially the Mk-11 twin-arm launcher was used, later ships used the Mk 13 and Mk 22 single-arm launchers. Early versions proved to be unreliable. The Improved Tartar retrofit program upgraded the earlier missiles to the much improved RIM-24C standard. Further development was canceled and a new missile, the RIM-66 Standard, was designed to replace it. Even after the upgrade to a new missile, ships were still said to be Tartar ships because they carried the Tartar Guided Missile Fire Control System.

Variants:
RIM-24A: original missile
RIM-24B: improved Tartar
RIM-24C: improved Tartar Retrofit (ITR) aka. Tartar Reliability Improvement Program (TRIP)

Weight: 1310 lb (594 kg)
Lenght: 180 inch (4,57 meters)
Engine: solid fuel rocket
Range: RIM-24A = 8,7 nautical miles (16 km) / RIM-24B = 16 nmi (29,6 km) / RIM-24C = 17,5 nmi (32,4 km)
Ceiling: RIM-24A = 50000 feet (15240 meters) / RIM-24B = 65000 feet (19800 meters)
Speed: Mach 1,8

images

RIM-24 Tartar SAM on a Mk-13 missile launcher aboard USS Gary (FFG 51)

rim-24 tartar missile

Australian Navy Frigate HMAS Darwin (FFG-04) fires a RIM-24 Tartar SAM

Australian Navy Frigate HMAS Darwin (FFG-04) fires a RIM-24 Tartar SAM

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