RIM-24 Tartar

RIM-24 Tartar
RIM-24 on USS Berkeley in 1970
Type	Medium range surface-to-air missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1962
Used by	United States Navy, and Others
Production history
Manufacturer	General Dynamics (Convair)
Specifications
Weight	1,310 lb (590 kg)
Length	180 in (460 cm)
Diameter	13.5 in (34 cm)
Warhead	130 lb (59 kg) continuous-rod
Engine	Dual thrust, Solid-fuel rocket
Propellant	Solid Rocket Fuel
Operational range	8.7 nmi (16.1 km; 10.0 mi) (RIM-24A) 16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) (RIM-24B) 17.5 nmi (32.4 km; 20.1 mi) (RIM-24C)
Flight ceiling	50,000 ft (15 km) (RIM-24A) 65,000 ft (20 km) (RIM-24B)
Speed	Mach 1.8
Guidance system	SARH
Launch platform	Surface ship

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.