Missile RIM-67 Standard

The RIM-67 Standard is an extended range surface-to-air missile developed for the United States Navy as a replacement for the RIM-8 Talos and RIM-2 Terrier systems. It was designed to fit existing Terrier launchers and magazines, serving as a two-stage counterpart to the RIM-66. The RIM-67A SM-1ER Block I entered service as the initial variant, while the second-generation SM-2ER was developed for the Aegis Combat System and the New Threat Upgrade program. The USS Mahan served as the test platform for the SM-2ER program.

The missile utilizes a two-stage solid-fuel rocket motor configuration consisting of a sustainer and a booster. Guidance for the RIM-67A variant is semi-active radar homing. The RIM-67B and subsequent SM-2 variants utilize inertial guidance for the mid-course phase with semi-active radar homing for terminal intercept. The RIM-156A Block IV variant incorporates a finless booster with thrust-vectoring control for launch from vertical launching systems and is capable of terminal phase ballistic missile defense. Warhead options include continuous-rod and blast-fragmentation types equipped with radar proximity and contact fuses. A nuclear-armed variant utilizing the W81 warhead was planned to replace the RIM-2D, but the requirement was rescinded in the 1980s. The system maintains a secondary anti-ship capability, utilizing semi-active homing for line-of-sight engagements or inertial guidance with terminal infrared homing for over-the-horizon targets.

The RIM-67 was deployed on United States Navy cruisers and destroyers, including the Long Beach, Farragut, Leahy, Bainbridge, Belknap, and Truxtun classes. The Italian cruiser Vittorio Veneto operated the RIM-67A. The RIM-156 variant is deployed on Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. During the Iran-Iraq War, the system was deployed to the Persian Gulf to protect naval and commercial shipping. In April 1988, during Operation Praying Mantis, the USS Wainwright fired two RIM-67 missiles at the Iranian missile boat Joshan, damaging its superstructure. Two SM-2 missiles were used in the 1988 downing of Iran Air Flight 655. Iranian F-4 Phantom II aircraft were engaged by SM-2ERs during the Iran-Iraq conflict, with one aircraft sustaining shrapnel damage. The United States Navy is currently considering the phased replacement of the SM-2 series with the PAC-3 MSE.