Q&A ยท 2:13:42-2:14:42

Why Talos launchers did not receive successor missiles

The transition to vertical launch and Talos's shipboard handling machinery made adapting its rail launcher unattractive.

Question

Why was the Talos launcher not reused for a newer missile such as Standard or a rail-launched Tomahawk?

Short answer

Talos required costly specialized handling machinery, while the emerging VLS architecture offered a cleaner and more flexible successor.

Notes

Talos was supported by a complex internal storage, assembly, and handling system that functioned almost like a small factory inside the ship. Reworking that machinery for another missile would have been extremely expensive. At the same time, vertical launch systems offered the more promising development path, so navies had little reason to perpetuate an elaborate rail-launch architecture.