* Late in World War 2, the US military became interested in using missiles for air defense, with the US Army focusing on became the "Nike Ajax" surface-to-air missile (SAM), leading to improved Nike SAMs, and also the "Hawk" battlefield SAM. These missiles led to the Army "Patriot" series of SAMs, as well as work on missile interceptor technology. The US Navy followed a separate path, first working on the ill-fated "Lark" naval NSAM, and a more successful effort codenamed Project BUMBLEBEE. BUMBLEBEE led to three NSAMs, including the "Talos", "Terrier", and "Tartar" -- with Terrier and Tartar leading to the modern "Standard" NSAM. This document provides a history and description of US SAMs. A list of picture credits is given at the end.
