It underwent significant upgrades while in service, starting with beam-riding guidance with a 10-nautical-mile (19 km) range at a speed of Mach 1.8 and ending as a semi-active radar homing (SARH) system with a range of 40 nmi (74 km) at speeds as high as Mach 3.

For a brief time during the mid-1950s, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) had two Terrier battalions equipped with specially modified twin sea launchers for land use that fired the SAM-N-7.

[3] Initially, the Terrier used radar beam-riding guidance, forward aerodynamic controls, and a conventional warhead.

Originally, the Terrier had a launch thrust of 23 kN (5,200 lbf) and weight of 1,392 kg (3,069 lb).

The Belknap class of DLG, redesignated CG, also carried the ASROC (Anti Submarine Rocket), which was launched from the same launcher as the Terrier.

This was an additional safety feature in that it involved transferring the Nuclear Missile from the bottom ring to the upper ring and then to the launcher rails, which entailed many moving steps and time, preventing the accidental loading of a Nuclear Missile from one of the top two magazines.

The French Navy's Masurca missile was developed with some technology provided by the USN from Terrier.

On April 19, 1972, a Terrier missile fired by USS Sterett was claimed by the US to have shot down a North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17F in the Battle of Dong Hoi.