History of the Talos Missile Warhead

Phillip R. Hays PhD LT USNR-R

During World War II most anti-aircraft artillry rounds usd !plosi" fragmntation #arhads that scattrd small pics of th shll in all dirctions around th !plosion. $arly anti-aircraft artillry rounds usd a tim
dlay fu% that #as st to dtonat a spcific tim intr"al aftr firing. This tim dlay #as calculatd to dtonat th shll at a dsird altitud and #as st into th pro&ctil 'for firing. Th tim 't#n th calculation
of targt hight and actual firing of th gun causd significant rrors( and th rror incrasd as th targt spd incrasd. )ftn th pro&ctil !plodd 'for raching th targt*s altitud or it passd 'y th targt 'for
!ploding.
Th d"lopmnt of th radio pro!imity fu% 'y +ohns Hop,ins Uni"rsity -pplid Physics La'oratory .-PL/ during th #ar impro"d
anti-aircraft accuracy gratly( causing th pro&ctil to dtonat #hn it cam clos to a targt. Ho#"r( fragmntation #arhads had lo#
lthality. During th #ar many airplans rturnd from missions #ith do%ns of hols causd 'y shrapnl and 'ullts( #ith no srious
damag. Unlss a pic of shrapnl hit a critical componnt( such as a cr#man or an ngin( all it did #as punch a small hol in th
aircraft s,in.
- ma&or pro'lm #ith fragmntation #arhads is that th distanc 't#n fragmnts incrass rapidly as thy mo" out#ard from th
!plosion. -t som distanc th spac 't#n fragmnts is largr than th dimnsions of th targt and th chanc that a fragmnt #ill hit
th targt is "ry small. To ha" a high pro'a'ility of causing srious damag th shll must !plod "ry clos to th targt #hr 'last
ffcts 'com significant. 0urthr studis at -PL in 1233 sho#d that for shrapnl to pntrat dp into a targt it ndd a "locity nar
14(444 ft pr scond( much highr than th 5(444 to 3(444 ft pr scond common #ith anti-aircraft shlls.
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6larly th fragmntation
shll #as marginally ffcti".
Dirct attac, on an aircraft*s airfram is th most ffcti" mthod of dstroying th targt. Th airfram is th largst
componnt and cannot ' protctd. Th ffct of damaging th airfram may ' immdiat disintgration of th targt.
$!primnts #r conductd using largr fragmnts that might ' sufficint to cut through structural lmnts in an
aircraft. -rtillry shlls #r machind #ith paralll groo"s as sho#n in th pictur.
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Whn th shlls !plodd thy
'ro, apart into long rods #hich #r much mor massi" than small fragmnts( and #r capa'l of cutting through
ha"ir parts of an airplan. Whn thy rippd through th aircraft s,in th rsulting gash oftn tor opn in th airstram
causing grat damag. Ho#"r( ths shlls producd a rlati"ly small num'r of rods( and li, ordinary fragmntation
shlls( ths rods mo"d apart rapidly and th chanc of hitting a targt dcrasd #ith rang. It #as ncssary to !plod th shll "ry clos to th targt. Still( ths shlls #r considra'ly mor lthal
than ordinary fragmntation rounds.
Whn th +ohns Hop,ins Uni"rsity -pplid Physics La'oratory 'gan d"lopmnt of Talos thy rali%d that thy ndd a mor ffcti" #arhad for th missil. Unli, anti-aircraft gunfir( #hich
attmptd to fill th air #ith numrous rounds to impro" th chanc of hitting a targt( only on or t#o missils #r to ' fird at ach targt. Thy must ha" a much gratr pro'a'ility of succss than
an anti-aircraft pro&ctil.
Rod Fragmentation Warhead
Th initial #arhad dsign for Talos #as an adaptation of th rod fragmntation pro&ctil. It #as d"lopd for th RI7-8- 0irst Tactical Talos
missil that #as introducd to th flt in 1292. Th #arhad #as housd in t#o sctions placd around th ram&t diffusr tu' in a mor or lss
cylindrical layr at th surfac of th missil.
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It had a fragmntation layr composd of many indi"idual rods that fit tightly togthr. ;nath this
#as a layr of high !plosi"s. - spac 't#n th !plosi"s and diffusr tu' allo#d ca'ls( #a"guids and prssur snsor tu's to pass to th
lctronics compartmnt aft of th #arhad.
This #arhad had th sam limitation of othr fragmntation d"ics. -s rang incrasd th chanc of hitting a targt droppd rapidly. 0urthr(
studis of aircraft damag indicatd that to dstroy largr aircraft it is ncssary to cut from t#o thirds to th full lngth of a structural sction to
achi" a high ,ill pro'a'ility. This r<uird rod fragmnts s"ral ft long( too larg for any practical #arhad.
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Continuous Rod Warhead
In 129= an ida #as proposd to connct many rods togthr to crat a larg circl.
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$ach rod #ould ' connctd at on nd to its nigh'or on
on sid and at th othr nd to th opposit nigh'or. Th rods #ould ' foldd togthr into a compact pac,ag surrounding a cylindrical
!plosi" charg. Whn th #arhad !plodd th rods #ould ' 'lo#n out#ard( 'ut still rmain attachd at th nds so thy #ould !pand into a
circl. With no gaps 't#n rods th pro'a'ility of hitting a targt #ould ' 144? #ithin th radius of th circl if th targt #as in th path of th
rods( and th rsulting damag #ould span th aircraft. This configuration #as far mor ffcti" than a disprsd pattrn of rods.
This ida #as d"lopd into th RI7-86 #arhad for th $!tndd Rang
Talos missil that #as introducd in 12:4. Li, th original #arhad dsign
th n# continuous rod #arhad #as placd at th surfac of th missil( in
t#o @6@ shapd sctions surrounding th ram&t diffusr. This #arhad
producd t#o smicircular !panding sctions. Th outr part of ach
#arhad sction #as t#o layrs of rods #ldd togthr to form a continuous
rod. Insid this #as th !plosi".
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- spac 't#n th !plosi" and th diffusr tu' allo#d passag of ca'ls and tu'ing from th antnnas
and pitot tu' to th lctronics sction aft of th #arhad.
Th 0irst Tactical Talos and th $!tndd Rang Talos missils #r producd in t#o "rsions. )n had a con"ntional #arhad as dscri'd a'o"
.RI7-8- and RI7-86/. Th othr carrid a 7, 54 nuclar #arhad .RI7-8; and RI7-8D/. Ships #r r<uird to carry 'oth con"ntional and
nuclar armd missils. $"n though th nuclar missils #r n"r usd thy occupid spac in th maga%in and rady sr"ic trays. This limitd
th num'r of con"ntional missils a"aila'l. Th con"ntional and nuclar missils #r diffrnt lngths and usd diffrnt parts and assm'lis.
Th nuclar #arhad #as positiond insid th inlt innr'ody that actd as th comprssor for th ram&t. It #as rali%d that #ith som
modification a continuous rod #arhad could ' dsignd to rplac th nuclar #arhad. With som additional modifications to th fu%ing
systm a singl missil #as dsignd to carry ithr typ #arhad. This #as th Unifid Talos RI7-8$ that #as introducd in 12:=. -ll su's<unt
"rsions of th missil #r modifications of th Unifid Talos dsign. $arlir "rsions #r rmo"d from th flt 'y th mid 12:4s.
Mk 46 Continuous Rod Warhead
Th 7A 3: #arhad that #as d"lopd for th Unifid Talos RI7-8$ had t#o layrs of 12.=9 inch long 4.=9 inch s<uar rods surrounding a
hollo# cylindr of !plosi"s. Th outr diamtr of th rod assm'ly #as a'out 1:.8 inchs( and th innr diamtr of th !plosi" #as 8.> inchs.
Th #arhad #as =2.9 inchs long and #ighd 3:9 pounds( #ith ==9 pounds of !plosi"s.
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Th !plosi" #as >9? TNT .cyclotol/ and =9? RDB. Th moltn !plosi" #as cast into a stl shll formd 'y th innr linr( a for#ard nd
plat and an outr shll. - thin silicon spong linr insid th innr linr pr"ntd th !plosi" from crac,ing as it coold aftr casting. Th 1C1:
inch thic, outr stl shll not only containd th !plosi"s 'ut it sr"d as a filtr( along #ith a surrounding 4.4=9 inch thic, lad layr( to rduc
th s"r shoc, of th !plosion on th rod assm'ly. -round th filtr layrs #r th t#o layrs of rods. T#o nd rings #r #ldd to th stl
filtr to hold th rods in plac( and a 4.459 inch thic, stl strss s,in fit o"r th rods and #as #ldd to th nd rings to pro"id structural rigidity.
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-t th rar of th #arhad #as th safing and arming assm'ly composd of th safing and arming d"ic( th dtonator and a 'oostr !plosi"
charg. This assm'ly fit #ithin th rar nd of th stl innr linr. - ha"y co"r plat at th rar carrid th #arhad #hn it #as mountd into th
innr'ody assm'ly. - stl support con #as #ldd to th rar nd ring and mountd to th struts that attachd th #arhad to th missil
airfram.
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Th safing and arming d"ic containd an arming mchanism that #as acti"atd 'y th acclration of launch. - pro!imity fu% #ith antnnas
arrangd around th lctronics compartmnt triggrd a dtonator charg locatd at th rar cntr of th !plosi" assm'ly. This dtonatd a
'oostr charg that sprad th !plosion to th main !plosi" charg. Th rod assm'ly #as locatd for#ard a distanc sufficint to allo# th
!plosi" shoc, to form and mo" "nly through th !plosi" cylindr to nsur fairly constant acclration through th lngth of th rods.
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Unli, th arlir #arhads that had th rods arrangd around th outr surfac of th missil and had to pass
through only a thin s,in( th 7, 3: rods had to pntrat th innr'ody shll and pass through th missil
structur. This posd a pro'lm of dforming th rods and 'ra,ing apart th !panding ring. Th parts of th
nos co#ling #r distri'utd around th #arhad to caus minimum distortion of th !panding rods. Th
missil structur a'sor'd a'out 54? of th ,intic nrgy of th rods( rducing th initial "locity from 9544
to 3:44 ft pr scond. Impact #ith th missil structur had th positi" ffct of rducing th gap 't#n
innr and outr layrs of rods( and this hlpd maintain continuity of th ring.
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Th 7, 3: producd on continuous circular !panding ring. It !pandd #ith full continuity to a radius of
a'out :4 ft( and #as 24? continuous at a radius of a'out 24 ft. If a rod struc, a thin targt dg on it
'ro, into t#o parts( #ith th most damag occurring 'for th rod 'ro,. If a rod hit a thic, surfac it
snappd into thr parts( #ith th cntr part doing th most damag.
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W-30 Nuclear Warhead
)n of th pro'lms #ith th arly Talos homing systm #as th ina'ility to distinguish indi"idual targts in a cro#d. If aircraft #r spacd th right distanc apart in a formation
th missil might fly 't#n thm and dtonat far nough from any targt to ha" a lo# ,ill pro'a'ility. This( com'ind #ith th limitd num'r of targts th fir control systm
could ngag( mad Talos suscpti'l to saturation attac,s 'y larg num'rs of aircraft.
In 1291 #or, #as undr#ay to d"lop a small nuclar #arhad that could ' dli"rd 'y aircraft. Th diamtr of this W-54 #arhad #as smallr than th Talos missil so it loo,d as if it could ' usd in Talos. -
modifid "rsion of th missil #as dsignd to carry th W-54 in an innr'ody that formd th comprssor of th ram&t ngin. Th first flight tsts of th prototyp RI7-8; missils #r conductd in 1295( only 18
months aftr dsign #or, startd.
Th nuclar #arhad #as sn as a solution to th saturation thrat. With a ,ill radius of 1444 to =444 yards th #arhad could dstroy s"ral
targts #ith a singl 'last. Dust loading #ould ' th primary caus of damag at long rang( #ith contri'utions from o"rprssur and thrmal
radiation. Th ,no#ldg that Talos #as nuclar capa'l #ould caus nmy stratgists to spac thir aircraft far apart to rduc th ffcti"nss of
a singl nuclar #arhad. If attac,rs incrasd th distanc 't#n aircraft th con"ntionally armd missil #ould no longr ha" trou'l
rsol"ing targts.
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D"lopmnt of th W-54 #arhad #as carrid out in a sris of fi" atmosphric tsts at th -$6 tsting grounds in N"ada in 1299 and 129>.
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It
#as th smallst nuclar #arhad at th tim and incorporatd s"ral n# faturs to gi" it @mor 'ang for th 'uc,.@ Th #arhad #as producd
in thr "rsions( 7od 4 - =( all ssntially th sam si% and #ight.
Hundrds of tst and training firings #r conductd using modifid W-54 #arhads #ith th nuclar matrial rplacd 'y inrt matrials( 'ut no
actual li" firing shots #r conductd #ith th nuclar armd Talos missil.
References
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1. Continuous Rod Warhead( $ugn L. Noo,r( U. S. Patnt No. 5(324(5>3( +anuary =4( 12>4.
=. Evolution of the Talos Missile( William Dartn( +r. and 0ran, -. Dan( +ohns Hop,ins -PL Tchnical Digst Eol. 5( No. =( 128=( pag 11>.
5. The First Forty Years, Chapter 3, The Missile Age( +ohns Hop,ins Uni"rsity -pplid Physics La'oratory( Schnidrith F Sons( ;altimor 7d( 1285( pag 12.
3. Innerbody Continuous Rod Warhead( $ugn L. Noo,r( 6harls R. ;ro#n( Eictor +. Dit%( and Harold S. 7orton( U. S. Patnt No. 5(==5(45>( Dcm'r 13( 12:9.
9. The u!lear Weapons Ar!hive( httpGCCnuclar#aponarchi".orgCUsaCTstsCind!.html
:. Rod Type E"plosive Warhead( Ludolph 0. W,ant%( U. S. Patnt No. =(2>=(294( 0'ruary =8( 12:1.
>. The Talos Continuous Rod Warhead( 6harls R. ;ro#n and 6harls 0. 7yr( +ohns Hop,ins -PL Tchnical Digst Eol. 5( No. =( 128=( pag 19>.
Links
USS ),lahoma 6ity Hom pag.
Talos Talos missil and launching systm
Talos 7issil Talos RI7-8 missil
Talos History History of th Talos missil
Talos Ram&t History of Talos ram&t d"lopmnt
Talos ;oostr History of Talos 'oostr d"lopmnt
Talos W-54 History of Talos W-54 nuclar #arhad
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