# Operation Bumblebee

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Operation_Bumblebee
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Operation_Bumblebee.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bumblebee
> Source revision: 1293840779
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

US Navy effort to develop surface-to-air missiles

Not to be confused with [Operation Bumblebee (UK)](/source/Operation_Bumblebee_(UK)).

For the two-part Transformers episode titled "Operation: Bumblebee", see [List of Transformers: Prime episodes](/source/List_of_Transformers%3A_Prime_episodes).

[RIM-8 Talos](/source/RIM-8_Talos) test firing

**Operation Bumblebee** was a [US Navy](/source/US_Navy) effort to develop [surface-to-air missiles](/source/Surface-to-air_missile) (SAMs) to provide a mid-range layer of [anti-aircraft defense](/source/Anti-aircraft_warfare) between anti-aircraft guns in the short range and fighter aircraft operating at long range. A major reason for the Bumblebee efforts was the need to engage bombers before they could launch [standoff](/source/Standoff_(missile)) anti-shipping weapons, as these aircraft might never enter the range of the shipboard guns.

Bumblebee originally concentrated on a [ramjet](/source/Ramjet)-powered design, and the initial [Applied Physics Lab](/source/Applied_Physics_Lab) [PTV-N-4 Cobra](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PTV-N-4_Cobra&action=edit&redlink=1)/BTV (Propulsion Test Vehicle/Burner Test Vehicle)[1] was flown in October 1945.[2] Cobra eventually emerged as the [RIM-8 Talos](/source/RIM-8_Talos), which entered service on 28 May 1958 aboard the [light cruiser](/source/Light_cruiser) [USS *Galveston*](/source/USS_Galveston_(CL-93)). As part of the development program, several other vehicles were also developed. One of these developed into the [RIM-2 Terrier](/source/RIM-2_Terrier), which entered operational status on 15 June 1956, two years before Talos; Terrier was first installed aboard the [heavy cruiser](/source/Heavy_cruiser) [USS *Canberra*](/source/USS_Canberra_(CA-70)). The Terrier was later modified as a short-range missile system for smaller ships, entering service in 1963 as the [RIM-24 Tartar](/source/RIM-24_Tartar). Together, the three missiles were known as the "3 Ts".

Bumblebee was not the only early Navy SAM project; the [SAM-N-2 Lark](/source/SAM-N-2_Lark) was rushed into production as a short-range counter to the [Kamikaze](/source/Kamikaze) threat. However, it never matured into an operational weapon. The [RIM-50 Typhon](/source/RIM-50_Typhon) was developed to replace the 3 Ts but was cancelled during development. The 3 Ts were ultimately replaced by the [RIM-66 Standard](/source/RIM-66_Standard), a development of the Tartar.

## Origin

Navy ships were hit by air-launched [Henschel Hs 293](/source/Henschel_Hs_293) and [Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X](/source/Fritz_X) [anti-ship](/source/Anti-ship_missile) [guided bombs](/source/Precision-guided_munition) in 1943. A ramjet-powered [anti-aircraft missile](/source/Surface-to-air_missile) was proposed to destroy aircraft launching such weapons while remaining beyond the range of shipboard artillery.[3] Initial performance goals were target intercept at a horizontal range of 10 miles[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] and 30,000 ft (9,100 m) altitude, with a 300 to 600 lb (140 to 270 kg) warhead for a 30 to 60 percent kill probability.[4]

Heavy shipping losses to *[kamikaze](/source/Kamikaze)* attacks during the [Battle of Okinawa](/source/Battle_of_Okinawa) provided additional incentive for missile development.[5] This role was not as demanding as the attacking weapon was much larger, but there was a desire for long range and rapid deployment. This led to a second concept, the [SAM-N-2 Lark](/source/SAM-N-2_Lark), a subsonic missile intended to provide a middle layer of defense between the long-range [combat air patrols](/source/Combat_air_patrol) and short-range [anti-aircraft artillery](/source/Anti-aircraft_artillery). With the ending of the war, and the introduction of jet-powered bombers with significantly higher performance, interest in Lark ended in favor of the Bumblebee efforts, and the prototype examples were used as test vehicles.[6]

## Field testing

In addition to initial tests at the [Island Beach, New Jersey](/source/Island_Beach%2C_New_Jersey), and [Fort Miles](/source/Fort_Miles), [Delaware](/source/Delaware), temporary sites,[7] [Camp Davis](/source/Camp_Davis), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), was used for Operation Bumblebee from 1 June 1946 to 28 July 1948.[8] [Topsail Island](/source/Topsail_Island), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), became the permanent Bumblebee testing and launch facility in March 1947.[7] The Topsail Historical Society hosts the Missiles and More Museum at the site. Testing was transferred to [Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake](/source/Naval_Air_Weapons_Station_China_Lake) and then to [White Sands Missile Range](/source/White_Sands_Missile_Range) in 1951, where [USS *Desert Ship* (LLS-1)](/source/USS_Desert_Ship_(LLS-1)) was built as a prototype Talos launch facility.[5]

## Program results

The [RIM-2 Terrier](/source/RIM-2_Terrier), devised as a test vehicle, became operational as a fleet anti-aircraft missile aboard [USS *Boston*](/source/USS_Boston_(CA-69)) in 1955 and evolved into the [RIM-66 Standard](/source/RIM-66_Standard). Talos became operational with the fleet aboard [USS *Galveston*](/source/USS_Galveston_(CL-93)) in February 1959 and saw combat use during the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War). Ramjet knowledge acquired during the program aided the development of the [XB-70 Valkyrie](/source/XB-70_Valkyrie) and the [SR-71 Blackbird](/source/SR-71_Blackbird).[4] Solid fuel boosters developed to bring the ramjet to operational velocity formed the basis for larger solid fuel rocket motors for [ICBMs](/source/ICBM), satellite launch vehicles, and the [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle).[4]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Parsch, Andreas. ["PTV-N-4"](http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/ptv-n-4.html). Retrieved 2009-07-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Parsch, Andreas. ["Cobra-BTV"](https://web.archive.org/web/20030904144747/http://astronautix.com/lvs/cobrabtv.htm). astronautix.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/cobrabtv.htm) on September 4, 2003. Retrieved 2009-03-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Galdorisi, George. ["U.S. Navy Missile Defense: Getting Surface-to-Air Missile Development Started"](http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/u-s-navy-missile-defense-getting-surface-to-air-missile-development-started/). *Defense Media Network*. Retrieved 8 March 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hays_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hays_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-hays_4-2) ["Talos Missile History"](http://www.okieboat.com/Talos%20history.html). Hays, Philip R. Retrieved 2010-08-19.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nmsu_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nmsu_5-1) ["A Brief History of White Sands Proving Ground 1941-1965"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120311032614/http://nmsua.edu/tiopete/files/2008/12/wspgcoldbook.pdf) (PDF). New Mexico State University. Archived from [the original](http://nmsua.edu/tiopete/files/2008/12/wspgcoldbook.pdf) (PDF) on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2010-08-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-par_6-0)** ["SAM-N-2/SAM-N-4"](http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/sam-n-2.html). Andreas Parsch. Retrieved 2013-04-17.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NPS_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NPS_7-1) ["US Naval Ordnance Test Facilities, Topsail Island MPS"](http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/usn.htm). *From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms*. NPS.gov. Retrieved 2009-03-19.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Jones_8-0)** Jones, Wilbur D. (Jr) (2005). *The Journey Continues: The World War II Home Front*. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Books. p. 83. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-57249-365-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-57249-365-8).

## External links

- [Topsail Historical Society's Missiles and More Museum](https://missilesandmoremuseum.org/exhibits/operation-bumblebee/)

- [The Bumblebee Project](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~buzznau/bmblbee.html)

v t e Early major guided weapon programs of the United States Navy Bumblebee Gorgon Glomb Kingfisher Pelican/Bat Typhon

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Operation Bumblebee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bumblebee) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bumblebee?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.