AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO

$ 9.95

A magnificently illustrated color directory

of all the air-launched missiles
in service with and under development
for the world's armed forces

***

More than 40,000 words of data and text

More than 180 illustrations, most in color

MODERN

AIRBORNE
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15BN:D-668-0581

"n"0

,matic descriptions
of all air-to-air,
air-to-surface
and air-launched
anti-tank missiles
in service today
systems included

150 photographs,
130 in full c olor
10 superbly detailed
color cutaways
22 color diagrams
and line drawings
160 fac.t -packed pages

AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO

MODERN
AIRBORNE.-,,..-.,.

Published by Areo Publishing , Inc .

NEWYOAK

AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO

Bill Gunston

Credits

A Salamander Book
C

Author : BiU GunSlon. former

1983 by Salamander Book$ Ltd

27 Old Gloucester 5treeL

Published by
Areo Publishing. Inc...
215 Park Avel'lue South.
New York,
N Y 10003,

london WC 1N 3AE
United K,ngdom

.lIme's All thfJ World's Alrcrsft.

United Siales of America

AN fights reserved

contributor to many Salamander

cllUSlr ated reference books

This book may not be sold outside

ISBN 0 668-05822-6

the USA and Canada

All

cor~ence

Techmcal Editor- of Flight

fntemlltiolllll, Assistant Compiler of

Photographs: The pobl~ wish 10

thank E.e.p. Armees lPage 81) and
the other official mlemational

governmental archives, miSSIle

Editor : Philip de Ste. Croix
Designer: Philip Gotton

concerning tho

~fume

should be
addressed to Salamander Books lid
COnlent of th'$

line dr_ings ' TIGA

Salamander Books Ltd

manufac turers and private indIViduals

who have supplied piCtures for this
hook

Color drawing8:
Terry Hadler. Mike Badroc;ke, Wdf

Printed 10 BelgIum by

Hardy and M ike Trim

Henri ProOSI el Cie

Salamander Books lid

Contents
Air-ta -Air M issiles
Introduction
AA-l Alkali
AA-3 Anab
AA-2 Atoll
AA-5 Ash
AA-6Acrid
AA-7 Apex
AA-8 Aphid

AA-9
AA-X-l0

AA-XP-l and 2
AA-X-?

AAM-l
AAM-2

AIAAM
AMRAAM
Asalm
Asat
Aspide
Asraam
Falcon
Firestreak
Genie

HATCP
IR-AAM
Magic. R.550
Mica

MLMS
Phoenix
Piranha
Python 3

R.S30
Super 530

--

RBS 70
6
10
10
12
14
16
18
18
20
20
20
20
21
21
21
22
24
24
26
28
30
32
34
34
35
36
38
38
40
42
42
42
44

Red Top

SA-7
Shafrir
Sidewinder. AIM-9
Sky Flash
Sparrow, AIM-7

SRAAM
Tirailleur
V3 Kukri

48

48
50
SO
52
56
58
60
61
61

Air-ta-Su rface Missiles

62
Introduction

AOSM
Alarm

ALCM , AGM-86B
ANS
AS-2
AS3
AS-4
AS5
AS-6
AS-7

Kipper
Kangaroo
Kitchen
Kelt
Kingfish
Kerry

AS-8
AS-X-9
AS-X-10
AS- l l , -12

AS-X-?
AS.2L
AS .11
AS ,12
AS.20
AS ,1STT
AS.30/ 30L

--

66
66
68
72
72
73
74
76
76
78
78
78
79
79
79
80
80
82
82
84
86

Asalm

ASM- l
ASMP
AST.1228
8eluga
Bullpup
Carcara . MAS- 1

CSW
CWS
Durandal
Exocet. AM .39
French lG8s
Gabriel III A/S

GBU-1S , CWW

Harm. AGM-88A
Harpoon. AGM-84A

HVM
Indian ASM
Kormaran

JP,233
Marte
Martin Pescador
Martel
Maverick. AGM-65

MRASM , AGM-109
NATO FALW
NO-7
P4T
Paveway LGBs

88
88
88
90
90
90
94
94
95
96
98
100
100
100
102
104
107
107
108
11 0
1 10
111
112
114
118
120
120
120
120

Penguin

RB OSA
RB 04
RBS lSF
Sea Eagle
Sea Skua
Shrike, AGM-45

SRAM, AGM-69

124
124
126
128
130
132
134
136

Standa rd ARM . AGM -78 140

Stand-Off Missile
142

STM

Walleye, AGM-62
Anti-Tank Missi les
Introduction
AT-2 Swatter
AT-3 Sagger
AT-6 Spiral
AT-X-?
Bantam
Hellfire

Hot
MAF
ASS 56 Bill
Spark
Tow. BGM-7 1
Trigat

WAAM
Wasp

143
143
144
146
146
148
148
148
150
152
154
15 4
155
156
158
158
159

Air-to-Air
AAMs-air-to-air missiles-were first developed in
World War 2. Early types had command guidance.
with steering commands sent to them either along
fine wires or via 8 radio link from the launching
aircraft. By the 19505 the technology had moved on

to more advanced guidance which enabled the AAM

to home on its target. in other words t o steer it self
towards its target. The two favoured methods were
SARH and IR homing. and they remain so to this

day.
SARH. semi-active radar homing. requires the
launching fighter to have a radar which can lock-on
to the hostile aircraft so that the latter is caught in
the radar's beam. It is said to be 'illuminated', just as
if it were caught in the beam of a searchlight. The
AAM is then fired. and its sensitive radar receiver in
the nose. tuned to the fighter's radar signals. picks
up the radiation which is scattered or reflected from
the target and causes the missile continuously to
steer towards their source. No matter how the
hostile aircraft tries to escape. it is outmanoeuvred
by the AAM until the latter either strikes it or has its
warhead triggered by a proximity fuze as it flashes

past.
IR. infrared. today rivals rad ar in its g enera l
importance in warfare . IR, or heat radiation. is the
same thing as radio or radar waves but with the
difference that the wavelength is many times shorter

(almost as short as the visible waves we call light'.

To some degree this means that the AAM seeker
head can be smaller. but the most important difference
is that no illumination is needed; the target generates
IR radiation itseJf ~ It would be hard to think of a
better IR source than the combustor of a modern jet
en gine. but t h is is in side t he engine and cannot be
seen. The final turbine rotor stage and jetpipe are
much cooler. but still a very powerfullR source, and
30 years ago there was no intrinsic problem in
making a sensitive seeker that could steer a missile
on to it.
At first IR missiles sometimes tended to home on
the Sun, or on to its reflection in a friendly pond or
greenhouse. In any case, while it is traditional for a
fig hter to get behind its enemy, it would clearly be
more useful if an AAM could be made sensitive
enough to detect and home on to the IR radiation
e m itted by a target aircraft in all directions. (This
was doubly important to ground troops, whose first
generation of IR antiaircraft missiles had to wait
until the hostile aircraft had made its attack and was
departing before they would lockon to the receding
jetpipesl) Modern IR missiles have seekers of amazing
sensiti vity which not only lockon at great d i stances.
with the target aircraft in any aspect (even head.-on)
but also have much better performance through
clouds and rain.
II>
Right : AIM9L Sidewinder is a
typicallR-guided AAM. with 8
body diameter of Sin (127mm) .
It needs little connection to
the fighter apart from a launch
rail, electrical firing socket
and a cryogenic system to
refrigerate the IR seeker.

Above : IR homing . Most shortrange MM, have IR (infra-red )

guidance: they home automatically
on to hot object. emitting IR Iheat)
radiation within a chosen band of
wavelengths. SpuriOUS .ou rce
such a. sunlight. .,e if possible
excluded from these wavelength .

Left : AIM9L has an ABF

(a nnular blast/ fragmentation)
warhead, triggered by a
proximity fuze.

Ii>

Though AAMs are also carried by attack aircraft

for self-defence. and even for the same purpose by
such aircraft as the RAF Nimrod ocean patroller

when in the South Atlantic. the usual carrier is . of

course. the fighter. Most fighters are so-called
dogfightars for close air combat. and their AAMs
are small and very agile to kill at a range of a very
few kilometres. But there also exists a class of
larger aircraft. called interceptors. which have the
ability to detect and destroy hostile aircraft at great
distances from their home base. and even at great
distances from themselves. For example the RAF
Tornado F.2 has to protect all airspace from Iceland
to the Baltic. no matter what the weather. Its
powerful radar can select a target-even a small
aircraft seen end-on-and lock-on to it at a distance
of scores of miles. One AAM. the US Navy's Phoenix.
can actually destroy its target at a range of over 100
miles.
Such high-performance missiles need to fly very
fast. say Mach 4 (four times the speed of sound).
This calls for a stainless-steel airframe (except for
the radome. which has to be ceramic) and special
streamlining. The motor. which in almost all AAMs is
a solid-propellant rocket. has to have a very long
burn time in order to keep up the speed. Close-range
AAMs blast off with very high acceleration and then
coast the rest of the way. As the speed bleeds off. so

does the power of manoeuvre fall away. and it is

clearly central to every AAM to be able to outmanoeuvre all targets .
In many ways the AAM 's task is easy. An aerial
target stands out well in a large block of airspace
and in a war situation any such target is worth a
missile. This contrasts with the land battle. where
out of thousands of moving vehicles only a few are
high-value battle tanks. self-propelled guns. mobile
missiles or anti-aircraft systems. which have to be
picked out from the rest. But today's attack aircraft
try to penetrate hostile airspace by flying as low as
possible. where they are more difficult to track by
defending radars . Seen from above. such aircraft
are very close to the intense clutter (unwanted
reflections of radar waves) from the ground. Only in
recent years have AAMs become clever enough to
home from above on to such prey.
Another recent trend is the use of small selfhoming AAMs for the defence of relatively small
and slow aircraft such as tactical helicopters and
close-support aircraft. Such missiles have to lock-on
their targets with no help from the launch aircraft.
and depart cleanly from a launcher which may be
hovering at zero airspeed. Most have been derived
from the SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) used by
infantry. usually fired from tubes with IR or laser
homing .
Left : Though it was designed
o ver 20 years ago the Hughes
AWG9 radar and AIM -54
Phoenix missile can kill over
range s exc eeding 100 miles
{161km}, giving the US Navy
F14 Tomc at c apability no
other fighter c an equal . The
red dome under t he radar is
an IR/ EO seeker .

, ..... - - - - - _ .. * #

Above : SARH guid ance. The

l ig hter illum inat es t he t arget
aircraft with CW r ad ar and
then fires an AAM w h ich
homes automatically o n t o the
targe t -re f lected radi ation .

AlA TO AlA

AA-l Alkali
Origi n : $ovIet Union
Pro pulsion : Sohd motor WIth twm
IlelVnghl) sustalner nozzles
Dimen sions : length 74,n 11 88m)
bOO.,. diameter 7 5m (l9Ommlspan 22 75m (578mm)
Weight: At launch about 200Ib
(91kg)
Performance: Speed probablV
about Mach 1 range estimated at
5 miles (8km)
Warhead : Convenbonal. about 60Ib
(27kg)
User. : Aetalned In training and
secondlJne units ,n SoVIet Union
and posslblv East Germanv
So far as IS known. thiS was the first
AAM to go Into operational use In
the SoYlet Union like all other
known SoYlet AAMs the onglnal
user was the PVO alrdefence force
Development must have started
around 1950. tailored closelv to the
parallel deveIopmentof the somewhat
crude Interceptor radars grouped

under the SoVIet name of lzumrud

The earhest models 01 thiS radar
known In the West are codenamed
Scan Foe. and are saod to have fixed
scan This contradICtion In terms IS
thought to mean that they are bore
SIghted to point directly ahead. for
ranging and target Illumination tor
semi actNe miSSIle gUidance This
primlUve set was Installed In the
MIG 17Plntheearty 1950s.enteT"Ing
selVlCebv 1958 A few mon1hs later
1he gunless MIG 17PFU en1ered
selVlCe With underwmg racks for
four of these earlv miSSiles The
associated radars are thought to
operate In E/Fband In COfltrast the
miSSile nellt appeared on the MIG
19PM Interceptor. associated With
the later Scan Odd radar WIth alleged
complex 9:3nnlng patterns and opera
tlng In Iband at 930(HMOOMHz
like most SoYlet AI radars thiS has
two PAFs. around 9(X) pps for
search and doubled freQuency for
tracking This aircraft again carned

AA-3Anab
Origin : SoVIet Umon
Propulsion : ProbabJy sohd motor
Dimensions: length (lA) about
16hn (4 1m). (radar) 157 Sin
(4 Om), body diameter 1 lin
(28Ornm). span 511n (1 3m)
Weight : At launch about 6CX)Ib
(275kg)
Performance : Speed about Mach
25. range (I A) about 12 mIles
(19km ). (radar) at least 15 miles
(24km)
Warhead : Unknown but probablv
large
Uler. : Included East Germany (not
operational). SoViet Union
ThIS second generation AAM was
the fIrst large long range all weather
miSSIle to reach the PVO. whICh It
did at about the llmedummvexampies
were dlsplaved earned by an early
Yak 28P Interceptor at Tushmo at
the 1961 Sov!eIAVlCltJOnDaydisplav
At that llmeltwasat first thought bv
the West to be an ASM but gradually
It was identified as a straightforward
10

AAM carned 10 both IA and SAAH

..-erSlons. usuallV one of each The
carnersare the Yal( 28P In an ver-5IOflS
except trainers. Su- 1 1 and Su- 15
All these aircraft have the radar
called Skip Spm by NATO. a much
more capable InstallatIon than those
aSSOCiated WIth the earlier AAMs
and probablydenved Irom the Scan
Three f,lted to the Yak25 Beheved
to be deSignated Apl1. It operates
In Iband bet'Neen 8690/8995 MHz
at peak power 01 200 kW. With a
PAF 01 2700/3000pps and pulse
wodth of about 0 5 mlCrosec I t IS
assumed that CW Illumination IS
prOVIded for mISSile homing AA-3
has large rear WIngs Indexed In line
WIth crUCiform canard controls. and
sohd propuls.on IS assumed Aero
dynamoes may be denved from AA
1. though as there appear to be no
WIng control surfaces It IS probable
that the canards can be driven as
four Independent unrts lor rol control
There IS no Informauon on eIther
type 01 horTling head. the motor has

Above: Four early Alkali AAMs

armed the MiG 19PM.
lour launch ralls apparently tdenbcal
to those of MiG 17PFU and hung
on prominent pylons The third
Installaoon was the Su-9 all-weather
Interceptor, which again has the
same four clumsv ralls ThiS aircraft
has yet another radar. called Spm
Scan bv NATO but believed actuallv
to be deSignated AIL and of a later
lamllV than the lzumruds Thev
operate In I band. one verSlOfl haVIng
over 100 kW peak and PAFs of
825/895 for search and 1750/1795
for track_ WIth $plral scan The
miSSIle IS thus hlghlV adaptable It IS ~

a Single central nozzle. and may

have boost'sustalner portIons. and
the warhead IS amidshlps_ WIth a
proXlmityluze AnAA32Advanced
Anab has been Identtfled smce 1972.
but how It l'S'advanced has not
become publoe The Yak-28P is be
!leved to have been WIthdrawn to
reserve and tra,nmg umts. and the
Su l11saisograduaUybeing phased

Wldelv said to be radar homing and

to manoeuvre by trailing edge con
trois on the rear wmgs
ThIs IS strange, because e..-eryttllng
points to the followln9 beam-riding
9U1dance. WIth cochng to gIve auto
matlC error-correction. control bv
the cruciform of nose fms roll
stablllzalion bV wing ailerons. and
tWin (lateral) motor nozzles well
ahead 01 the streamlined boat tall
There are at least Sill models 01
AA 1 some haVing cone/cyllnder
prOjectIOns Ofl the nose and all
haVing fairings on the Wlngtlps The
warhead IS behind the canard can
trois Bv 1978 all were though t to
be Withdrawn from corrybat unIts

out 01 hrsthne PVO 5efVICe. but thiS

miSSIle remaIns the primary arma
ment of the Suo 15 deployed In large
numbers (1982estlmate. 70010 IA
PVO regiments e><eludlng spares and
reserves tor attrition)
Below: All Sukhoi Su-15
versions carry AA3 Anab
missiles; this is Flagon-D .

*-

II

AIR TO AIR

AA-2 Atoll
Origin : SoVIet UntOn
Propulsio n : Solid motor resembl.ng
those used In Sidewinder llOule
dlClmeter 315m IBOmml
Dimensions: length CIRI aboul
lIOn 28ml Iradar about 114,n
29m1
body diameter 472,n
12Qmm) span learly AA 2 canard
177,n (45Omm). IAA 2 2 canard
and al taliSI 209m 153Omm)
Weight : At launch ItvpiCal, about
1541b OOkg'
Performance : Speed about Mach
25. range about 4 m,les (6 5km)
Warhead : Blast fragmentation.
13 21b 16kg.
Users; tncludeAfghan,stan. Algeria
Angola. Bangladesh. 8ulgarla China
Cuba, Czechoslovakia Egypt. East
Germany. Fmland. Ind.a. Iraq Jugo
slaw, laos. llbva. Morocco (stored),
Mozambique. North Korea Peru.
Poland. Romania, Somaha, SoVIet
UntOn, Svna Uganda. Vietnam. Yemen
IbOth)
Unlike most RUSSIan weapons thiS
AAM IS beyond doubt a Copy 01 a
Western onglnal, the early AIM 9B
SideWinder When ',rSt seen on 9
June 1961. carned by vanous

fighters ,n an air display. It was

almost IdentICal to the US weapon
Since then ,I has followed ItS own
path 01 development and Ike SlCfe
Winder has diverSified Into IR and
SARH verSions Body diameter IS
even less than that of S,dew,nder
and so far as IS known all models
have the nose to tall seQuence 01
AIM9B The 13 2Ib 16 Okgl warhead
's a BF type WIth smooth extenor
Bel.eved to be deSignated K 13A or
SB 06 In the SoViet Union. several
early verSions have been bU'lt In very
large numbers as standard AAM lor
most models 01 MIG 21. whICh carry
two on large adapter shoes {whICh
house Ihe seeker cooling system m
later models) on the underwmg
pylons lICence productJon by the
MIG complex 01 Hondustan Aero
nautlCS has been In progress since
the early 1970s. and It IS believed
there .s also a Chinese verSion
Since 1967 there have been later
sub typescal!edAA 2 201" Advanced
Atoll by NATO Some reports ascrobe
these deSIgnations to the SARH
verSlORS. but the consensus of optnI(lI"I
IS that there are fA and radar verSIons
of the f,rst generation miSSIles. m

Above : The Libyan Arab

Aepublic AF is a major user of
Soviet AAMs, on three aircraft
types . This Su22 is carrying
AA22 Advanced Atoll AAMs .
vanous sub types. and IA and radar
verSions of the Advanced model
Several photographs ,ndlCate that
later models have qUIte d,fferent
control "ns These fins are dnven ,n'
OPPOSIte pa.rs through 300 and the
later fin IS unswept. has a cropped
t,p and greater area and 's hned
after loading on the launcher like

AIM 9 verSions. IA m,s:s.tes have

hem,sphencal noses transparent to
heat. and radar verSions slightly
tapered noses that appear opaque
Current carriers Include all later
fighter MIG 215. With four mls
Slle shoes ,"stead of two. and the
M,G 23S sWing wing lighter whiCh
also carnes later AAMs
Below; A US Navy portrait of

Libyan FloggerE IMiG23

export model) armed with four
Advanced Atoll AAMs.OO
GSh-23 gun on the centreline.

13

AlA TO AlA

AA-5 Ash
Origin : SeMet Union
Propulsion : Probably solid motor
Dimensions: length (lA) 18ft
155m ). (radar ) 171t 15 2ml. body
diameter- 121n 1305mml. span 5 lin
(13m)

Weight : At launch about 800b

139Okg)
Performance : Speed about Mach
3, rangellA)about 13mllesI21kml.
{radarj about 35 miles (SSkm)
Warhead : Unknown but probably
large, perhaps IOOb (45kg)
User: SoVIet Union
ThiS large AAM was developed In
1954 59 specifically to arm the
Tu-28P long range all weather Inter
ceptOl", and genUine miSSiles were

seen carned by a development air

craft 01 thiS lam.ly at the 1961
AVlatJon Day d,splay at Tushmo
{This aircraft had a very large ventral
bathtub beheved to house SIde
looking Of early-warning radar. not
seen subseQuentlyl Early verSions
of Tu 28P at fIrSt tnlStakenty reported
as Blinder but corrected to Fiddler
earned two of these m'SSIles on
underwlng pylons So far as one can
tell. lhey were SAAH gUided, asso
clated With the Big Nose radar 01 the
carner aircraft. a very large and
powerful I band radar whICh had no
counterpart operatIonal In the West
unliliheAWG90f 1974 ThemlSSlIe
IS matched to the radar In scale.
being larger than any Western AAM

Above : The IR (inboard) and

left: AA-5s awaiting loading on
radar (outbOard) missik!s
to a row of Tu--128 interceptors.
Powered loading is essential for unclerthe right wing of a Tu-128.
like the photograph opposite
such large. heavy and delicate
weapons. which can be rendered this was taken from a Soviet
unserviceable by any severe
' propaganda fi lm. henCe the
blurred reproduction .
impact or jolt.
For many years Western estImates
01 AA 5 range were luchcrouslv low
but they are creeping up and may
now be abOut half the true value for
the radar verSlOll
Earlv Tu 2SPs 8I'"e thought to have
entered PVO servce soon after 196 1.
/liling m gaps around the SeMel
Unions rmmense Irontler By 1965
the Tu -1 28 was berng armed With
the newiV Intn;xluced IA verSIon of
thiS miSSile ThiS aircraft has four
underwmg pVlons carrymg the IA
verSIOn With Cassegram optICS be
hmd a small nose Window. on the
Inners and lhe SARH model. WIth
opaque (usually red painted) conICal

nose on the outers Early verSIons of

MrG -25 Foxba t rntercepter were also
armed WIth thiS miSSIle. usually one
of each type It IS not known whether
these aircraft also had Big Nose or
an earlv model 01 Fox Fire radar
thiS large but obSOlescent weapon
rema.ns In the lA PVO Inventory as
the standard armament 01 Ihe Tu
128 Fiddler. the produclJon aircraft
whICh (despite repeated rumours of
an Interceptor verSion 01 the Tu 22
Blrnder) has no known replacement
olfenng the same combat radiUS

Selow : Artist's i mpression of a Tu-,28 Fiddk!r interceptor i n

servk:e with the Soviet PVO, armed with four Ash missik!s. No
other air-defence aircraft has such long radius of action.

14

15

AIR TO AlA

AA-6Acrid
Origin : Solllel Unl<)f\
Propulsion : Unkl"lOwn but probably
sohd motor with ver-V long burn
sustalner
Oimenaio n.: length IIAI 248m
63m) Iradarl2321n 15 9m body
diameter 157." 14()()nm span
88&n (225m
Weight : At Launch lboth) about
1,7651b IBOOkgl
Performanee: Speed about Mach
4. range !IRI about 155 miles
125km). (radar! about 50 ml~S
(8Okm)

Wame.d : Unknown but USestlmate

132.200b (SO 9OI:g). blast
fragmentation
Users : Include libya and Sovlel
Union. poSSIbly Algeria and Syria
Largest AAM In the world. IhlS awe
some weapon famllv was deSIgned
around 195961 ongmallv to kill the
870 Valkyne (whICh InSlead was
killed by lhe US Congressl and
entered PVO serv.c:e as definitive
armament of the Mach 3 2 MIG 25
Foxbal A InterceplOf W,th four
miSSIles IWO IRhomerson lhemner
pvlonsand two SARH on the oulers
IhlS31rcraftlshmiled to Mach 2 8 (II
's. of course_ totally a straight line
aircraft at sl..Ch speeds and ,n lIS
ong.nal form was I"IOt Intended for
any k.nd of close encounter w,th
hOsb~a.rcraft Since 1975deve1oped
verSIons With many changes have
emerged able 10 Withstand about
+6g at Mach 2 and armed WIth AA
6andAA 7m'SSIleSI LiketheTu28
the MIG 25 was mtended to detect
targets at long range. usmg the
Markham ground cur data hnk to
give a COCkPit display based on
ground sUl'Velllance radars, SWItching
to ItS own Fox Fire radar at about
100 m,Jes (ISOkm) range ThiS
eQuipment likened 10 an F4 AWG
10 In character but greater ,n power
Includes CW aenals In slim wlngt,p
pods to IUum'nale Ihe largel for the
SARH mlSSlIes_ wtllch could probably
lock-on and be fired at ranges ex
ceedlng 62 m,les r l()()kml both
Right: Two AA6 Acrid. on a
Libyan MiG26. The rad om
apPMr bulged in this view .

16

peak pulse CWpowerandrecever

aena Slle are considerably greatl:'l
than for any Sparrow and closely
$1m Jar to AWG 9, PhoeniX The IR
vefSJOIl has ml..Ch shorter range
Ihougn there s no reason 10 doubt
thaI current Savet technology IS
Increasing I R fldehty as,s being done
elsewhere Acrid has a large long
burl'llng motor gIVIng a speed
generally put at Mach 4 Ithe figure
of 2 21n one report IS nonsense! and
manoeuvres bvcanard controls. WIth
supplementary arlerons lposslbly
elevens) on an four WIngs The latter
have the great area needed for
extreme altitude Interception. lor Ihe
870 crUIsed al well over 70,OOOIt
121kmL but earlv ACrid miSSiles did
nolhave look-downcapab,bty SoVIet
films suggestlhal. when the range IS
close el"lOugh. It IS usual to fOllOW
nallonalstandard practlCeand ripple
miSSIles In pa:rs. IR closely follOwed
by SAAH The two homing heads

Above : The firs1: MiG-26 air-toair photogl'Slph. taken in 1974.

. ho wed early AA-e missiles.
are dlfferenl In shape. the IR head
being a curved DgIV8 and the radar
type bemg a pomted cone Despite

reports tha t It IS carned by the later

verSIons of Su-15. no miSSile of thiS
family has been seen on any Inler
cep tor other than the PVQ MIG 25
Later V8rsons of thiS aircraft are
believed to carry the so-called
AA-X9

AIR TO AIR

AA-7Apex
Origin : SoVIet Union
Propulsion : Advanced boost
sustain solid motor
Dimensions: length (radar only
known verSIon) lBlIn~46ml txxIv
d'ameter !front) 7 710 (195mml.
Ima,nsectJonIB80n(223mml span
39,n 1m
Weight : At launch. about 705lb
/320kgl
Performanee : Speed about Mach
3 range (radar) estimated Irom
124 m,les 12Okm) to at least 25
m,les (4Okm)
Warhead: Unknown but one US
report stales 88Ib 140kgl
Users: Include CzechOSlOvakia. East
Germany. India. libya. SoVIet Union.
probably IncreaslOg number of other
countnes
Standard med.um range AAM carned
on the glove pylons of the M,G 23,n
atllts Intercepl()l" ver$lOl"lS. th,s moSSoie
IS aerodynamICally Slm,lar to the AA
5 Ash The large cyhndncal body
fides on four large delta wlOgs and
four rear control flOs mdexed In hne
around the nozzle 01 the motor The
newer weapon IS. however some
what smaller. and has a totally

d,lferenl front end CUriously. the

body dl8meter.s reduced over almost
Ihe I,rst metre from the tiP of the
nose. so Ihe gUidance sect,on has to
lit In a conslncted portIOn As In
other 50vIetAAMs there are beheved
to be IR and SARH verSIOns and
wh,1e a smaller d,ameter may not
reduce IR seeker performance It
obVIOUsly must restrict the d,ameter
01 the receiver aerial In Ihe SARH
modet In fact. there may not be any
SARH dish, because surround,ng
the guodance sectIOn are four pro
jectlons whICh were al fIrst wrongly
Ident,lled by Western observers as
extra control surlaces but WhICh In
fact are almost certaInly SARH re
celVilr aerl8ls working on an mler
ferome ler Principle (as do the lour
aerl8[S spaced around the nose of
the Sea Dart mISSIle) It should be
poSSIble to home on the Signals
receIved by these lour shallow fIn
hke prOJ6CtlOns. and dIspense WIth
the need for an Internal radar dish
At the same lime. the reason lor the
reduced diameter 01 Ihe forebody of
thIs mISSile IS obscure. unless IllS 10
prOVIde an area ruled oglval platform
to carry the four blade aenals

AA-8Apbid
and IS beIng produced In extremely
large quantitIes as the 81f combat
mISSIle of lhe PVO. FA and poSSIbly
AV MF lor Ihe 1980s Very SImIlar
tn shape and SIze to Ihe USAF
Hughes Falcon of 30 years ago. AA
B IS a technoeally novel canard WIth
delta Wings nght at Ihe ta,1. canard
delta control fins and. at theextreme
f55kg)
nose and Immediately ahead of the
Performance : Speed about Mach
3 range eSllmated 0335 m,les contrOl Ims. four rectangular blades
01 very low aspect rallO and WIth
1500rn 5 5km)
W.mead : Estlmaled at 13 2tb 16kgl span conSlderablv less than that of
Ihe conlrols These are bel.eved to
Users : Include East Germanv. Indl8
lIbya SoVl6t Union. probabtyothers be Ilxed aerodynamIC surfaces to
enhance combat manoeuvrabIlity.
Including most MIG 23 users
but they are bv no means obv'ously
hnked lor thiS purpose Wllh the
Supplementmg and eventually pro
movable fins as are Ihe IwO sets 01
bably to replace lhe vast stock 01
AA 2 AIOII close range mISSIles. Ih,S
surfaces on Ihe French Matra Magoe
.nlereSlmg weapon IS one of lhe
mISSIle and II IS posSIble that lhe
fixed blades ~ a dlllereni functIon
smallest guoded AAMs ever bUIlt
Origin : Sovtet UnIon
Propulsion : Advanced boost
sustaIn mOlor. probably solid
Dimensions: Length fIR. only known
verSIOn) 84 5n f2 15m). body
dl8meler 4 7210 I 12()nml. span
157510 140Clmm)
Weight: At launch about 1211b

18

Above: MiG-23MF interceptor

with AA-7 and AA-B missiles.
Immed,atelv to Ihe rear. at the
upstream end of the lull d.ameter
sectJon. a dark rong probably locates
the ..... ,ndo..... s 01 the proxImity IU10ng
system The warhead IS estimated al
no less Ihan B8lb 14Okg) The ta,l
conlrols are cropped althe lipS at an
angle apPfopr,ate 10 about Mach 3
and carry near the '"PS forward
lacong bul etla r,ngs SImIlar to those
on the ..... ,ngs and control f,ns of
certaIn OUler Sov>el anti alrcrafl m\$
SIIeS The only really puzzlmg Ihlng
about AA 7 IS liS very poor Western
estImated performance. whICh may
SImply be yet anolher case of ralher
chl~'sh WIshful th,nk,ng There 's no

concerned WIth gUIdance or ECM

The only known AA B has a hem,s
phencal glass nose for an IR seeker
Ihough some WeSlern reports state
Ihat there IS also an SARH model
Almost certaInly AA B propulSIon 15
of Ihe boost, coast type and.t may
have better manoeuvrabilIty than
any olher AAM over ranges up to
Below: MiG-21bis with AA-B
(inboard) and AA-2-2 missiles.

eVldenl reason why Ihls mISSIle should

not haVil performance appreclablv
greater lIn range. ~ngand manoew
rabllltv' than most verSIons of

Sparrow. lIS nearest Western counter

part The H'gh Lark J band radar of
most M,G 23 ,nterceplors IS a selin
Ihe 150kW class Wllh a plate aenal
of about 30n 1076ml d.arneter II
Ihe lOw est,mates of AA 7 range are
accurate one elCplanatlorl mIght be
devotIOn of much of the m'SSlIe body
to duplicated guidance methods In
each round w,th e)Cfremelv sophl
sloeated ECCM ClrCUItsolO ensure that
the hom,ng lock IS never broken The
onlv alternallve 'S a sharp upward
reVISIon 01 the eS!Jmated flight per
lormance AA 7 was probably deYeIo
pad 10 197174
aboul 5 ml~S (Bkm) A black strope
between Ihe gwdance sechon and
motor almost certa,nly locates the
pro)OmllY fuze for the warhead \lYhich
hasbeenest,mated al barely half the
SIze 01 the warhead carned by all
current models of Sodewlnder AA B
.....as f,rst seen 10 the West In 1976
but no clear pholograph appeared
unt,l 1981 II IS camed by Ihe
MIG 21 MIG 23 Ion body pylons).
Yak 36MP and probably others

AlA TOAIA

New Soviet Missiles

M -O

the MIG 29 Fulcrum Of other ad

vanced lighter No details are
available

Not yet publicly assocl8ted WIth a

NATO code-name. this large and
advanced AAM IS the pnmary
VIo'88pon carned by FO)l;hound_ the
new genera bon two-seat denvat,ve
of the M.G25 No piCture has yet
been published of thiS miSSIle. but It
was scud by Washmgton sources to
have done well m prolonged look
down shoot down tests.n 1978 at
Vlad,mlrovka ImpreSSIve Simulated
killS were scored against target APVs
Simulating US crUise miSSIles flying
al heights Within 200ft (91m) 01 the
ground. after acquISition by the
Foxhound at heights Irom 20,QOOft
{B. HX)rn) upwards MaXimum range
IS e)l;pected to be In the neighbour
hood of 80 miles (13Okml

AA-XP 2
AmerICan deSignabon for another
alleged SoVIet AAM. descnbed by
AVIatIOn Week ,n same terms as XP
1 but With range esllmated at 21 5
to 38 nautICal miles (24 9 43 75
miles. 40 370 4km)

AA-X-l0
This Western deSignatlon has been
pub~shed for a further new AAM
whICh IS probably to be earned by

AAX1
Said by a Washing Ion reparlto be a
new SoVIet dogfight AAM. no
details

AA-XP l
AmerICan deSignation lor another
alleged new SoVIet AAM. descnbed
by AVI8tlQ(l Week as All-aspect
look down. shoot down. 102 (Initial
operabonalcapabdlty) 1984' Range
said to be 11 to 19 nautICal miles
1127219mlles.204352kmJ

AAM -i
Almost a direct copy of SideWinder
AIM 9E. thlsAAM wasde...eloped In
19609 by Mltsublsh. Heavy In
duslnes for use by F 86F. >f 104J
and F 1 fighters 01 the JASDF In
196971 a total of 330roundswere
deh...ered and these have subse
qoently been In the JASDF <nventOfy
alongside larger numbers of SIde
Winders AAM, IS unofhclally re

ported to be slightly smaller' 102,n.

26m) and I'ghter I 154lb. 70kgl
than most Slde ......,nders. and to have
the modest range of 4 3 m.les
t7km)
Below: AAM-l wa s extensi vely
tested from Fl04J and Fl
trials aircraft of the Japan Air
SeIfOefence Force.

AAM-2
Under development at Mltsublsh.
Heavy Industries from 1972 th.s
was Intended to sueceed AAM-'
With all aspect colhSlon-course gUld
ance USm9 an IA seeker head by
Nlhon Electnc More than 6OdeveIop

ment miSSIles were fIred but the

JASDF decoded to adopt SodeWinder
as ItS next AAM and AAM 2 was
tefmlnated III 1977 MIl$Ub1Sh1 Heavy
Industnes IS now studYIng IR-AAM
(see p 35)

AIAAM

Above : Hybrid (rocket/ ramjet) propuls;on for this Firebott gives a

cruise Mach number of 4 , about right for the proposed AIAAM .

20

Intended as a successor to AIM-54

Phoenl)t the Advanced Intercept
AAM IS an mhouse development by
Raytheon wh,c;h was revealed In the
form of a one third scale model at
the US Navy league 1982 Con
venllon AIAAM has aircraft conll
guratlon. With one set of WIngs and
talt controls for twlst-andsleer
manoeuvring An IncIH'led supersonIC
Inlet under the belly feeds an ad
V8nced ramjet or hybrid propulSion
system One poSSible propulSion
contractor IS eSD. whose hybnd
propulSIon for another vehICle IFIre
bOlt) .s Illustrated here_ eso also
prOVides an mtegral ramjet for the
Vought STM \ Navy supersonIC tic
IlCal miSSile I and dueted rockets fOf

other miSSiles AIAAM thus has a

wode chOice of propulSion methods
(Indeed a company other than eso
could be selected as propulSion
contractor). and IS hoped to lead the
way 10 the air 10 air member of the
planned new family of all" breathing
supersoniC miSSiles ollenng enor
mously enhanced range and sus
talned high power of manoeuvre
Guidance WlH Include mid course
and. It IS pred,c;ted act.ve radar
termmal homing The US Naval
Weapons Center began a tWOithree
year technology validation pro
gramme .n early 1982 With Slmu
lations .ntended to lead to hardware
tests .ncludlng tr..,ls With complete
gUided fOUndS

21

AIR TOAIR

AMRAAM
Origin : Hughes AIrcraft. MIssile
Systems Group. USA
Propulsion : Advanced Internal
rocket motor. detaIlS and contractor
not yet decided
Dimension.: Length 1457.n
37m). body diameter 7 On
178mml
Weight : At launch 3261b (148Xgl
Performance : Speed probably
aboul Mach 4 maXimum range.n
excess of 30 miles !4&ml
Warhead : Expected to be lighter
than 50Ib I 22kg I
Users : To .nclude USAF. USN
USMC. Germany (Wesli and UK
(AAF and posSibly AN)
Also called BVA (Beyond Visual
Rangel m'SSlle
the Advanced
Medlum-Aange AAM IS the high
est priOrity AAM programme In the
UMed States. because AIM 7F IS
becoming long In the tooth and IS
Judged urgently In need of replace
ment In the 1980s by a completely
new miSSIle AMAAAM IS a JOint
USAF/USN programme a,med at
prOOUClng a mlSSI~ haVing higher
performance and lethality than any
conceivable advanced verSion 01
Sparrow ......,thln a package that IS
smaller. IIghter_ more reliable and
cheaper AMRAAM 'Mil ob\llOusly
be matched 'Mth later verSIOns of
F 14 15 16 and IB eqUipped

woth programmable s.gnal processors

lor doppler beam sharpening and
WIth advanced IA sensors able to
aCQuire ,nd,Vidual targets at extreme
range The mlss,le would then be
launched automatICally on Inertial
mid course gu.dance ......'thOut the
need lor the lIghter to Illuminate the
target the hnal term,nal homIng
being by a small active seeker The
task clearly needs a very broad
programme to rnvestigate not only
tradrtlonal senSing and gUidance
methods but also new ones such as
target aerooynam.c nOise. engine
harmoniCS and laser scanning to
venfy the external shape and thus
con firm aircraft type MullJple target
and TWS Will be needed and
AMAAAM WIll have a high Impulse
motor glvrng rapid acceleraton to a
Mach number higher than 4 With
subseQuent manoeuvre by lVe
and 'or tall controls combined With
body 11ft. wings not be,ng needed
The ong,nal t'st of five compet,ng
groups was narrowed to two In
February 1979. and at the end of
19B 1 Hughes was PICked over Rav
theon to bUild 94 test m,SSlles_ With
optionS on 924 lor Inventorv plus
lolow-on prodUCtion (which because
the US buy alone IS expected to
exceed 13000 for the USAF and
7.000 lor the Navy/Mannes. IS
expected 10 be split between two

con tractors. Rav theon probably be

comrng second source) By late 1982
the AMAAAM (always pronounced
as a word) was well ,nto fmng trlBls
With fulty guided rounds domg well
agarnstlncreasmgly tough targets al
Holloman and Pt Mugu Mid course
gUidance IS Norlromcs mert&al. and
the sman Hughes active termini!
radar now uses a TWT (travelhng
wave tube) transmitter In 1980
West Germany and the UK Signed a
memorandum of understanding as
Belo w : Launch in spring 1981
of an AMRAAM test missile
from an F 16A of the USAF.
The wingtip missile is an AIM9J.

Above : One of the 94 test

AMRAAM. ready for firing from
a Navy F l4A at Point Mugu.
s(gnlng AMRAAM (0 the USA and
ASRAAM to the two European
nations SInce then work has gone
ahead on rntegratlng the US miSSile
mto the RAF Tornado F 2. replacing
Sky FlaSh. and the Luftwaffe F 4F
flhe lauer poSSIbly bemg refitted
WIth APG 65 or Improved APG 66
radar under the Peace RhIne pro
grammel The Tornado Foxhunter
radar may need a small L band
transrmller 10 proVIde mid course
updatJng Testing 01 fun scale de
veiopment rounds IS due In 1984

AIR TO AIR

Asalm
The Advanced StrategIC Alrl.aurched
MisSIle (also p 88) has s,nce 1974
been one of the larger research pro
grammes of USAF Systems Com
mand. and the e....entual vehoele was
enVIsaged as not only a BOM
(Bomber Defense MISSIle) but also
an offenSl....e deh....ery ....ehlCle capable
of flymg many klndsof miSSion In ItS
pnmary roleAsalm was to becarned
In mulbple by a strategIC bomber
and woukl becompallbleWith SRAM
and crUise miSSile pylons 04"" rotary
launchers Tnggered and launched
automatICally by the bomber"s
defence system. With fadar and IR
coverage at least over theenbre rear
hemJsphere. the miSSIle woukl qUICkly
a,r slew' (.e change course) to the
deSired heading to Intercept the

detected threat PropulSion woukl

be by an advanced ramrocket grVlrlg
hIgh launch accelerabon at alt alII
tudes and suStaIned prOpylSion lor a
II'ghl of more than 100 mIles
(161km) CruISIng speed woukl pro
bably be aboul Mach 4. rendenng
Wings unnecessary There woukl be
a SOphIStICated gUldance system.
low radar and IR Signatures and
sustained hlghg maneuver caps
b!~tv The warhead woukl be nuclear
McDonnell Douglas and Martin
Manetta have been engaged In lech
nology Integration and fflght
dynamoes sludles. while eSD and
Marquardt work on the propulSion
system The Asalm (pronounced as
a word) was to have been carned by
the B1B. 852 and FBlllA. but In

1980 the USAF decided not to

proceed With II as a weapon lor the
Inventory It has Since been a pro
pulSIon technology demonstra tor
programme

Above: An artist's impression of

Asalm. showing the wingless
bodylift configuration. It i.
extremety doubtful that development witt be completed.

Asat
FOI"" many years small offICes Wlthm
the US Department of Defense and
USAF have studlE!d AsCII (antlsatelttel
weapon systems In 1979 these at
last led 10 a programme for opera
oonal hardware. wrtha S78 2 moihon
contract award by the USAF to
Vought Corporation lor an Asat
system to be deployed by about
1985 It WIll compnse an advanced
Interceptor vehICle With guidance so
accurate that ,t WIll destroy ,ts targets
by Col~SIOn. nowarhead being neces
sary It Will be launched by an F 15
alfcraft (presumablylollOWlnga pre
directed flight tra)eC tory) and then
boosted to O1"bltal heiohl bv two

rocket stages The first stage IS

based on the SRAM (see SRAM
entry. p 136). a Boeing Aerospace
product. and Boeing WIll develop
thIS stage. proVIde Integratl()('l
5elVlCes and manage de....elopment
of the miSSIon control centre The
second stage WlW be Altair III. the
Thlokol molor whICh for many years
has beert the lourth stage 01 Vought"s
Scout vehICle McDonnell A,rcraft
WIll modify the F 15 to serve as the
launch platform An S82 3 mIllIOn
contract was voted In 1980 and a
further 5268 million In 1981 to
continue developmenl through II.ghl
testlng.n 1984

left : Artist' s portreyal of Asat

launch from an Air Force F-15.
The fighter acts merely as a
launch pad. with guidance
from ground stations only.

Above: This Vought interceptor

has direct side thrust in eny
direction from 56 motors
whose nozzles form a radial
ring round the mid-section.

25

AlA TO AlA

Aspide
Origin: SeJema Industne EJettrornche
ASSOCiate SpA. ltalv
Propulsion : Solid motor developed
from Aocketdvne Mk 38 bv Ollesa e
Spalla
Dimension. : Lenglh 1211 1 ,on
(37m!. bodvdlClmeter Sn r203mm1
Wing span 39 371n I 1 (X)ml
Weight : At launch 4851b 1220kgl
Perfonnance : Speed Mach 4 range
31 62 miles (50 l()()Kml
Warhead : Dllesa e Spalla 72 751b
(33kgllragmentatJon
User. : Italy
Though a whOlly ltal.an develOpment.
and the largest single miSSile pro
gramme In the country. thiS Impres
Slve weapon was deSigned to be
compatible WIth systems uSing
Sparrow This e)(tencis to AAM apph
cations. tor which the Immediate
prOSpE!(:t IS the Itahan Air Force F
I04S Starflghter oflgonally lallored
to AIM7E and several surface
launched appllcabons The ltahan
SAM system usong thiS miSSile IS
named Spada on ItS mobile land
form. a different ship to air system

IS named AlbatrOS Similar to Sparrow

In baSiC conl'guratlon. Asp,de IS
powered bv an adYanced Single
Slage moto!" bv SNIA VISCOsa Dllesa
e SpaZIO Iwtllch made the moto!"S
for Iiallan Sparrows I giVing higher
thrust and a speed 01 Mach 4 at
burnout Theall round performance
IS claimed to e)(Ceed that of even
AIM 7F and thegufdancelshkewose
claimed to have Significant advan
!ages over that of the AmerICan
miSSile Matched WIth an I band
monopulse fighter radar. It IS said to
have greater ECCM capabllltv. to
offer Increased snapdown per
lormance and to be markedly su
perlor at very low altitudes The
seeker aenal system IS dnven hyd
rauhcally The radome and forebody
are deSCflbed as redeSigned for more
etflClenl operation at hypersonic
speeds. and In the AAM role the
moving wings are said to have
e)(tended bps WIth greater span The
fragmentatIon warhead IS ahead of
the wings FolloWing carry Inals on
1974 and prolonged stallC testong
01 the seeker. II(lng Inals at Saito dl

Below : Four frame. from a cin6 film taken during trials on the
Salta di Quirra minile ranga on Sardinia. shOwing a Aspide with
telemetry in place of a live warhead actually striking an
Abrospatiale CT.20 target drone. The grey trail is kerosene.

26

OlJlrra Sardlnl(l begarllnMav 1975

By 1977 fuliV representative Asp.df'
miSSIles. Includ n9 the AAM verSIon
had completed Quahhcaloon IIflngs
and production began In 1978 Final
verifICation Inals took place on
1979 BO The AAM 's re"OClng
Sparrow In the ltal,an A,r FOfce and
..... 011 also be a poSSIble m'SSlIe fOf
l!al>an Tornados

Below: Launch of an early

Aspide missile from a box-type
launcher at t he Salta di Quirr.
range. Aspide is designed to
be interchangeable with
Sparrow and to be used as an
alternative on aircraft. on ship
launchers and even in land
SAM systems. The only known
c arrier aircraft is the F-l04S.

AIA,TOA1R

Asraam
Origin : UK/German consortlum

led by BntJsh Aerospace DynamICs

and Bodenseewerk Geraletect'lnlk.
IBGT)
Propuillion : Advanced sobd motor
not yet defined
Dimensions: Not defined but pro
bably smaller than SIdeWInder
Weight: Probably Ilghler than
typical SIdewInder
Performance; Range limits probably
to be about 0 69 3 mileS. II to
15km) speed over Mach 3
Warh. .d : Probably small, see te)(t
Users : Probably to mdude West
Germany. UK. USA and most other
NATO countries Initially

role In the eventual weapon An

excellent move was the mVitatlon.
accepted m September 1982, lor
Hughes to J(M the team to smooth
compliance WIth US reQuirements
A severe. and ~ lJfV'IeCeSSaI'Y
handICap IS that Asraam must fit
launchers already In use for SIde
Winder and MagIC. even Ihough the
latter have large e](ternal controls
and !allllns, while Asraam relies on
body hit MlClcourse guidance could
be by a Simple SlTapdown Inertial

Unit glll'lng greatly e)(tended range

especially In adverse weather Ter
mlnal homing IS e)(pecled 10 be by a
staring local plane array IR seeker
all procesSing being digital by mICro
mmllllure electrOniCS Nothmg has
vet leaked out regarding pe:iSSlble
use of ltCtrve radar homing, whICh
could certainly be accommodated
wlthm a bodydillmeter slrmmer than
SIdeWinder It might even be possrble
for each round to use both IR and
actrve radar The West has In tile
past lacked the SoVIet UnIOn's ability
10 select eIther type of guidance to
SUit prevailing weather Obl8CtrveS

Include minimum cost. zero main

tenance over a long shell life. all
aspect engagement and high klU
probability 'Mth accuracy suffclE!nt
lor dlrecthlttmg to be guaranteed
ehmu"latlng need for a prOXimity fuze
or large warhead A posSIble con
flgurabon was shown In trrple mock
ups on a Single SIdeWInder launcher
al the 1982 S8AC Show at Farn
borough One of 1he encouraging
aspects 01 the programme IS that.
should development appear to lag
the USAcouk:l 'Mthdrawand p(oouce
Its own Asraam, thiS should be a
poweriul mcentlve

The obll'lous need for a completely

new close range AAM was made
more acute by the progresSive obso
lescence of the AIM-9 family and
cancellatJon of the German Viper
and Bnbsh SRAAM After years of
talking, the deciSion was taken at
Government level to develop an
Asraam lsald asa word. the acronym
meaning Advanced ShortRange
AAMJ m Europe for use by NATO
The MoU (memo of understandmg)
was Signed by the USA France
(wtllch has merely a watchmg bnef).
the UK and Federal Germany Fol
lowing a "prefeaSib,ktv" stage wtHch
lasted to the end 01 198 1 the three
actively participating governments
authorized BAe Oynamcsand 8GT,
the team leaders. to proceed to the
feaSibility S:ludy stage, whICh IS ex
pected 10 last Into 1983 PrOject
deflnlbon WIll extend mto 1984
With el'lglneenng development lasting
from 1985 to 1990 and production
deliveries begmnlng "In the early
19905" Clearly, the offICial View IS
that time and the effects 01 sustained
Inflation do not matter. and that
SideWInder can meet all challenges
for another decade l Though US
Indus1ry has no share In programme
management I! can bid at all stages
and IS almost certain to playa malor
Right: Asraam is potentially a
'litally important missile which
(whatever its pertners may fail
to do) BAa Dynamics must d.
velop with the highest priOrity.

28

29

AlA TO AlA

Falcon
Origin : HughesAlrcrail somemodels
lICensed to Saab Scama of Sweden
Propulsion : Solod motor Ivanous
suppliers). some WIth boost/susta,n
charges
Dimensions : See separate table of
variants
Weight: See separate table of
variants
Performance : See separate table
of variants
Warhead: Vanous29 4CI:l (13 18kg)
WIth prOXImity fuze (AIM 26A. I 5kT
nuclear)
Users : Canada, Finland. Greece.
Japan. S~n. SWitzerland TaIwan,
Turkey. USA (AF. ANG)
F,rst guoded AAM In the world to
enter operahonal selVlCe. Falcon was
created WIth ImpresSIve assurance
by a new team In 1947 the newly
created USAF asked for bids on a
completely new radarbased fire
control system for manned Inter
ceptors, and a gUIded AAM for the
folloWIng Interceptor generatJon To
the surpnse of most bIdders both
packages were won by Hughes
AIrcraft. lately diverSIfied Into ad
vanCed technologIes and at that
time of dally concern to Howard
Hughes himself By 1955 the family
of flre 'control systems had Included
the E9, fltled to the F 89H. WIth a
new computer and software lor
guns. FFAAs or gUIded miSSIles
Subsequently the more advanced
MG 10 followed for the supersonIC
F, 102. the MG 13foflhe F-l0 1 and
the semi automated MA-! for the
F 106 All were matched to the
miSSIle Hughes created. at Culver
C,ly. and put Into production at a
new plant at Tucson In 1954 Called

..

Pro)6CI Dragonlly. and at tlrst classed

as an expenmental f,ghter IXF 98.
see tablel. ,t matured as GAA 1
Falcon. but was later re styled
AIM 4 and for clar,ty the 1962
deSIgnatIons
WIll
be
used
throughout
AIM 4 was an amazing exerCIse In
packaging The aIrframe. about the
SIze of a man. conta,ned a large
proportIon of GAP COf'lslruchon
Accelerated at about 50g by a SIngle
charge Thlok-ol sohd motOr, It had a
hemlsphencal nose radome flanked
by receIver aerials hk-e small nose
fins, g1\llng SAAH proportional na'll
gallOn and steenng by elevons on
the traIling edges of the slender
delta wings Most early InstallatJons
were Internal, three being housed In
the tIP pod on each WIng of the
F 89H and J and SIX IIttlng the
weapon bay of the F 102A 80th
reached IDC WIth Air Defense Com
mand In mId 1956 Later that year
the Itrst IA Falcon, AIM 48. entered
sef\llCe With a d,s\Jnctlve glass nose.
followed by AIM 4A (radarl with
ImPf'Oved manoeuvrablhty from
larger controls camed well behmd
Ihe WIngs AIM 4C had a better IA
seeker able to lock on against a
wider range of ambl6nt fbaCkground)
temperatures The IA miSSiles were
especIally popular In permitting the
Interceptor to break away as soon as
the mlSSlle(sl had been launched

(though. as In the Solliet Umon. II

was common doctnne to fife one
miSSIle WIth each type of gUidance to
ensure a kJ(1) These early Falcons
accounted lor three quarters 01 the
total production
...

Right: One of the few remaining

FaJcon users is Sweden' s Flyg
vapan . This J35F Draken intercep tor has two HM55s under
the body and two H M 58s under
the wing (see table for
designations).

The Falcon Family

, ,

XF98

1950

1962

GARl
GAR1D
GAR2
GARZAGAR-2B
GAR-3
GAR3A
GAR4A
XGARll
GAR-l I
GAR I IA
GAR-9

AIM 4
AIM-4A
AIM46
A1M-4C HM-!j.8 RB 28
AIM-40
A1M4E
AIM4F
AIM"G
XAlM26
AIM26A
AIM 288 HM-55 Re 27

AIM"7A

XAIM4H

30

Ex po"

s~

Abo ve: On d is play o utside th e

Tucs on plant ar e (fro m left):
A I M-4G, 4A. 4F, 4C. 26A and
(f or egro und) 40. Lat er W est ern
AAM s gave u p o Herin g a
c hoice of rada r or IA g uidance.

Guid .nce

,..,H
"
""'H
SARH
"SARH
SARH

IR

SARH
SARH
SARH/IRTH

ACH

L.nglh
77 Son 11 97ml
780.nI198m)
79 5,n 12 02m)
79 Son [202m)
795," 12 02ml
B6 Con 12 18m)
86o.n(218m)
81 o.n 12 Ci6m1
84 Con 12 13ml
84 25<n 12 14",)
815"'{207m l
1260.n132m)
ctIOon 12 03m)

L.unch w i

Di.m.,
64"'1163mm)
6 4,n 1163mml
64"'I163mm)
6 4 .... (163mm)

84," 1163mm)

6 50n 1168mm)
6 6-tn (168mm)
660nll68mm)
11 o.n 1279nvnl
II o.n 1279mm)
11 4,n 129Orrwn)
132",1335mml
6 6", (16Bmm)

20 Oin l5Ci8mml
20 OJn 1506mm)
20 Oin (506mml
20 OJn 1506m",)
20 Oin (5Ci8mm)
24 Oin (61Omm)
24 o.n (6 10m",)
240.nl61Ommi
24 Illn 162Omm)
24 4'n (62Omm)
24 Illn 162Om",)
33 Con 1838mml
24 Oin161Omm)

1101> 15Okg)
1201> (S4~II)
1301b 159"11)
1341b 16 I kll)
134lb 16 I kg)
lSOib l68klll
150Ib l68kgl
1451> l66kgl
2001b19 1klll
203ib j9211g)
2621b 1119klll
800Ib (363kgl

160Ib l13kgl

s,...

R. n lle

P,o d UCl lo n

M"

5 m,1e:!18 km)

'080
12.100
16000
13500 lone: 1.000 HM.nd
4 000
3_000 RB)

M3
M3
M3
M'

M'
M'
M'
M2
M2
M2

M'
M'

6 ....... 19 7 km)

6 m,1e:! (9 7 !unl
6 moles 19 7 km)
6 miles 19 7 !un)
7"","1113km)
7mo1es1113km)

7nules1113k"'l
5 moles 18 kml
5 moles (8 km)
6 m.1e:!19 7 km)
I 15 m,1es 12 13 1<tn)
7 moles Il' 3!un1

300

"00
2,700

0>00

, 900
2.000 ItnC 400 HM and
c80
800 RBJ

,"

31

AlA TO Al A
..

In 1958 dehvenes began of

AIM4E, the first so~ Ued Super
Falcon, to meet the greater demands
01 the F1Q6A It Introduced a longer
burning motor . advanced SAAH
guidance Wi th a new receiver behu'\d
a pomted radome 01 new mater.al.
long Wing-root fillets and a mOfe
powerful warhead In Mav 19591he
Tucson plant sWitched to the 4 F
With a new motor haVIng boosV
sustarner charges. Improved SAAH
gUidance With greater accurac y and
specrflC ECCM prOVISIon. and aor
lrame modlhcatlOns Including a white
mOIstureproof sleew owr the fore
body and a 4m 1102mm) metal
probe on the nose to form a weak
obliQue shock and Improw aerod V
namlCS A few weeks later came
AIM 4G With the .4F airframe and a
new IA seeker able to lockon to

smaller targets at conSiderablV

grea ter ranges
In 1960 came a dramabC develop
ment AI M 26 wa s developed to
glw high SSKP rn head-on attacks
IA wa s Judged Inadequate In such
engagements. and because 01 Ihe
red uced preciSion of SAAH It was
decided to use a much more powerful
warhead AIM26A was fitted w ith
almost the same nuclear warhead as
GenIe. toggered bv lour actJwradar
prQlumltyfuze aer.als almost fl ush
WIth the body ahead 01 the WIngs
The body naturally had to be of
greaterd.ameter, and a larger motOf
was necessary toachl&"tle the reqUired
flight performance AIM 26B 101
lowed, With large conventJonal war
head. and thiS was exported as
HM55 and bcencebullt by Saab
Scanl8 as AB 27 Today about 800

Firestreak
Origin : DH Propellers. now 8nllsh
Aerospace DynamICS Group. UK
Propulsion : Sobd motor amidships
With tube to nozzle
Dimenaiona: length 125 5rn
(3 188m ). body diam eter 8 751n
(222mm). span 29 41n (746 8mm)
Weight: At launch JOOb (137kg)
Performance: Speed about Mach
3 , range 0755 miles ( 1 2 Bkm )
Warhead : Convenbonal5()b
(22 7kg) With IA prOXimity fuze

.ystem
U.. r. : Few remain With Saudi

Arabia, UK (RAF )
Orlglnallv codenamed Blue Jay. thiS
was the Ilrst guided missile of Bnllsh
ong,ntor&achIOC. ln 1958 Develop
ment began seven years prevlouslv.
the prime contractOl' (de HaVIlland
Propellers) being assisted by the
AAE. AAE and AAAOE. and With
Mullard plaYing a central role In the
IA guldanci! GUided rounds were
fired from 1954 a unIQue result
being such an unbroken strrn g of
total successes that the team at first
learned nottwlg (later the programme
became more normal l ) In 1955 a
Venom la unched a pre-producnon
Blue Jay against a Firefly U 9 . and
about I OO roundswere then frred at
the WAE from Avon Sabres against

32

JlndlVlks In 1958 the miSSIle was

named Flrestreak. and In Mk 1 form
entered servICe With the Sea Venoms
01 B93 SQn AN ( two miSSIles).
follO'Ned by the Jawhn FAW 7 (tour)
With 33 SQn AAF In August 1958
Subsequently variOUS subtypes
served With the Sea Vixen FAW 1
and 2 of the AN (four) and all marks
of l ightning !two) of the AAF. Saudi
Arabta and Kuwait Several thousand
rounds were produced. endIng In
1969. and a few rema in operaltonal
Wi th lightning users The layout was
very back to-front. The aircraft eqUiP
ment vaned conSlderablV. and tn the
Venom and Sabre was In an e)(ternal
bulge Operatronal Interceptors had
a slaVIng unit whICh pointed the IA
seeker head's Cassegraln telescope
to look at the target held by tile
Ilghter's radar Another unique
feature was the elghtSlded glass
nose, llke a sharp pencil Error Signals
commanded proporltonal naVlga tton
by very small ta tl controls drrven bv
long push/pull rods from ac tua tors

01 the 268 mode are the only

Falcons lelt ,n USAF Aerospace
Delense Command serVICe ThE'
S... ,ss Flug ...aUe uses the HM 55 on
the M,rage I I S matched ... ,th
HugheS Taran radar
In 1958 Hughes began ...ork on a
challeng ng !ourth generation I're
con lrol and AAM sys tem toarm the
Mach 3 2 lip luel North Amerrean
F 108 Aap'er ,nterceptor
The
ASG 18 radar w as used fOf" mrd
course guidance and target ,111,1
m l n3lonoverrangesell:Ceedlng 100
mIles I 161kml. and the mISSile. then
called GAA 9 was also g'ven IA
terminal homIng PropulSion was by
a lockheed PropulSion Co slOfable
bqUld rocket gIVIng hyperson.c speed
so that the w'ngs became mere
strakesalong the body In 1959 thiS
very large AAM , sllli called Falcon.

was translerred to the pl"oposed

YF 12A Blackbtrd research Inter
ceptor ...,Ih wt1reh It conducted much
baSIC lact flnd,ng In advanced <nter
cept,on techn'Ques
The I,na! productJon FalCon ...as
the AIM 40011963 TheonlyFak:on
laolored for ant, f'gh ter combat It
was a crossbreed combInIng the
small airframe of early models With
the powerful motor and advanced
IR seeker head 01 the large 4G The
result '5 a wry last and eHec llve
Short range rTIISSlIe More than 8.CXX>
4A and 4C haw been remanu
factured to 11'1'5 standard In 1969
the AIM 4H was funded to Improve
the 4 0 by IlIlIng an A OPF (Act,ve
Optreal PrO)(lmltv Fuze) w ,th l our
laser pa nca ke beams at 90 to the
major a)(,s It was abandoned lor
budgetary reasons rn 197 1

In the forebody fed ... ,th a,r from a

toroodal ba ilie near the motor nozzle'
The a,r also drow a turbo alternator
The seeker cen and paned eJeCtrOfllCS
...ere cooed by n'trogen from the
f,ghter Nearrng the target. t..-vo nng~
01 IA sensors lOCated beh'nd g ass
wondo... s ahead of the ""ngs locked
on to the target to form a two beam

proxom,ty fuze feedong targe t bearrng

and ranQ(' and, at the correct pornt
detonat,ng the 50Ib 122 7kg' war
head surrOUnding the motor tube
Just ahead of the fins Flreslreak
eventuallv ach'eved an 'SSKP 01 85
per cent v.tIen f,red woth,n a lO.OCOIt
1305Om1 rad,us hem,sphere to the
rear of the target

Right: BAa Dynamics Firestr.ak

s.en 00 a Ughtning of RAF No
74 Sqn (the first user of this
interceptor), Both the missile and
this F. Mk 3 aircraft are now
withdrawn and in storage.

33

AIR TO AIR

Genie, AlR-2A
Origin : Douglas Alrcraft Co. USA
Propulsion : Thlokol sol,d motor
36.6OOIb 116.600kgl thrust
Di~nsions : length 1160n
,2946mm~. body diameter (except
warhead I 17 51n (445mm). span
Iflns eJCtendedl 4()n t 10 16mml
Weight: At launch 8221b 13731o:g1
Performance: Speed Mach 3 3
range 5 6 2 miles (8 lOkml

Warhead : 15 kiloton nuclear

User : USA (AFI
Though ,t IS an unguided rocket
wtllch tI.es a near balliStIC tra,ectory.
thiS can certainly be classed as an
AAM and the most powerful In the
world because It has a nuclear
warhead Development was begun
by Douglas Aircraft In 1955. as
soon as LASL IlosAlamos Sctenllhc
laboratory) could predICt complete
success With the spec.al I 5k T war
head The f,rst live mISSIle was fired
froman FB9J at 15.000ft (4572m\
over Yucca Flat. Nevada. on 19July
1957 The rocket was detonated by

ground command. and JSAF oil

servers standing unprotecled at
ground zero (Ie directly under the
bursU suffered no III effects Dunng
development thiS progra-nme was
cahed Ding Dong and subsequently
High Card. ,IS onglnal d~Slgnalion
wasMB I. changed In 195210AIA
2A A training misSile. Wlh a wh,le
cloud spotting charge Imtead of a
warhead was called Tlng. Ling and
IS now ATA 2A Genie IS carned
e)(ternally by the CF 1018 and on
ternally by the F 106. ha\llng eartter
also armed the FB9J and F 1018
The Hughes MA 1. MG 10 or MG
13 lire control tracks the target.
aSSigns the miSSile. comnands the
Pilot to arm the warhead fires the
miSSIle. pulls the Intercepor ,nto a
tight lurn to escape the d~tonatlon.
and finally troggers the v.arhead at
the correct moment le~1 rad,us IS
over 1.00000t lseveral hundred
metres) MISSIle proptJlSlOn IS by a
Thlokol TU 289 (SA491 motor of
366OO1b f 16.602kgl thrust Flock

out fin-ups give the miSSile stablilly

and correct roll and gravl\y-drop
Selleral thousand GenieS had been
bUllt when productIon ceased In
1962. the Improved TU 289 motoe;.
remamed In prodUCtlOO to 1982

Above: The nuclear-warhead

Genie was not supplied for use
by the CF-101 B interceptors
of the Canadian Armed Forces
and the only users are the dwindling F-106 ANG squadrons.

of the launch aircraft. and has elCCep

toona!ty high average flight speed

Above: SATCP, an infantry SAM ,

provides the basis for HATCP.

HATep
Origin : SA Matra. France
Propulsion : SEPhigh Impulse solid
motOf
Dimensions : Length 71 26m
(181Omm). body diameter 354m
(9Dmm)

Weight : At launch 38lb (17 3kg1

Performance : Speed Mach 26
range 0 33 7 miles 10 5 6km)
Warhead : Blast plus tungsten baUs
6 Sib f2 95kgl
User : Not yel developed
Since 1981 the aggressIVe French
Matta company has been promotmg
ItS SA Tep surface to air weapon
system ,n other roles. one 01 these
being as an AAM lor the augmen
laban ollhe vo.eapon fll on helicopters
and low performance tactICal aircraft
of other kinds The acronym HATCP
denves from '"hehcoptere_,alr tres
courte portee- (helicopter to air very
short range) The miSSile IS baSICally
the same as In the SA TCP system
e)(Cept that the propulSion system

3'

may later be modified Matra IS

receoVlng gollernment funding In thiS
programme. wtuch by early 1982
had comple ted Inilial studies With
Aerospatlale whICh had ed to the
deSign of neat tWin launchers based
on a bght alloy rail housongelec:troolC
Clrcwts and a purpose de>tgned Clf
CUlt for refrogerattng the IA honllng
head of each round The IfllSSlIe has
a pencllltke nose oilial gl~ss panels
resembhng thai at Flrestreak, Within
which IS the senSitive seek.er. electrIC
servomotOf dflv1ng canard control
Itns and. further 10 the rear the
prO)(lm,ty fuzed warhea:!
Much
ellon has gone mto perf~,,"g the
target acqu'Sltion system wtuch IS
e)(pected to compnse e,\"ler a sta
blhzed optical telescope o lat short
ranges) a helmet Sight. to whICh the
I R seeker 's slaved The m"n market
IS expected to be anti annour hell
copters whoch could mount the tWin
launcher In clusters HATCP can be
t,red With only llery bnef e)(posure

IR-AAM
In 1981 Mitsublshl Heavy Industnes
of Japan began developmenl and
pre senes manufacture of the IA
AAM (self e)(ptanatoryl under con
tract to the Japan Development

Agency s TechnICal R&D Institute It

Will be a highly manoeuvrable dog
flghl miSSIle usmge)(perlence gained
..... ,th AAM 1 and AAM 2 descrobed
earher No deta,ls are available

35

AIR TO AIR

Magic, R.SSO
Origin ; SA Matra Franc/!
Propulsion : SNPE Romeo IMagl"
or RIChard IMage II) BoJtalane h gh
mpulse soIod motor
Dimensions : length 109..,
12770mml body d,ameter 62,n
157mm) span 26 3n l668mm)
Weight :Atlaunch 1981bl898kgl
Performenee : Speed about
Mach 3 range 0 2 6 2 m,les
03210kml
WarhNd ; Convent,onal rod
Iragmentatton. 27 61b 112 5kg' wth
all s.ector prox.mlty foJze or Impact
loop detonat,on
Usen : Total 01 15 countnes by late
1982 not hsted by Matra but In
eluding Abu Dhabi. Argentina Ecu
ador. Egypt France. Greece India
Iraq Kuwait libya Oman. Pakistan.
Saud, Arabia and South Afnca
Alone among European compames
Matra took on the SideWinder ,n
head on Compelltlon and has not
merely achoeved technICal success
but has alSO established 14 ellport
CUStomers and an output rate ex
teed ng thai 01 any other AAM ever
produced In Western Europe W,sely
the weapon was made InstaiJatoanal1y
IntefChangeabie IMIh s-;e......,nder but
the deslgn reqUIrements were greater
than those 01 presently avallab
verSions 01 the US m'SSIIe ,nc1ud,ng
launch anywhere Wlth,n a 1400
10fward hemisphere at all he,ghts up
to 590001t IB.OOOmI and With
,m,tallons at h'gher alt,tudes ability
to engage from almost any target
aspect (head on .....111 shortly be
ach'evedl. ab,lIty to snap fire at
ranges down to 984ft (3(X)mI. ab,~ty
to fire from a launch platform IIYlng
at any speed Ina minimUm) up to
over 808mph II300km/hl whilst
pull'ng up to 6g and ab,IoIY to pu
Guodanee elett'OfI

3 50 and cross In Iront of ttle launch

a rcrall only 164ft 15Om1 ahead
The IR guidance uses the SAT type
AD 360 I. the PbS SE!f?l<er be,ng
COOIP.d proor to launch b~ a .quod
nItrogen bottle ,n the launch ra I Its
output dnves the electrIC control
sectIOn .... ' til four canard finS (almost
the reverse shape of those of Super
5301 stationed ,mmedoately down
stream of four tlXf?d fins With me
same span as the trps of the controls
The tal\ fins are tree to rotate around
the nozzle PropulSIon IS by an SNPE
Romeo SIngle stage compoSite DB
motor whICh g'ves high accelera
tlon for 1 9sec The warhead we'ghs
27 61b ! 12 5kgl of whICh hall IS the
explOSive charge detonated by IR
proxim,ty and DA fuzes Malra began
development as a company venture
In 1968 receIVIng an Air Mmlslry
contract," 1969 After various
s,mp;er air trials a miSSIle With
guidance was f!fed from a MeteOf of
the CEl aga nst a CTlO target In a
tight tl.lm on It January 1972 On
30 November 1973 a MagIC .....as
fired from a M.rage III In an extreme
test of manoeuvrab,ltty IDC was
reached ,n 1975. SInce .....hen pro
dUC:bOn at Salbns has budt up to the
rate of 100 per month Ut'I,1 prICe 's
,n the order 01 S 150(X) and more
than 6.000 rounds have been
delivered

Above ; Magic mounted on the wingtip launcher of a Mirage FloC

of the Armbe de l'Air. Safetypin flags are in English and French .

Right Demonstration flight bV

a prototype Mirage 2000 with
eight bombs. two tanks. and
two short-range Magics.
Below; Manufacturer's cutaway
of R .550 Magic showing the
disposition of main elements.
The umbilical feeds liquid
nitrogen to cool the seeker.

Umb

,)1

<ll n

'P'

lead "9 edge

'-__1--;;::'''''"'''''''.' ~,'" I

Gu,da~

M"

36

1,01 suo faces

".

~c

,I

AIR TO AIR

Mica
Origin : SA Matra France
Dat a : Not vel available
MICa (Miss-Ie ,ntermed-atdecombat

aefle" I

IS

a French government

funded develOpment WIth the Ob

Jecllve of stretChing the MagIC a'f
frame to accommodate a lOnger
burning molor to ach>eve so called

mtermed.ate range Ibut not'" the

sameclassasAmraaml It may have
a chOICe 01 guidance methods
because according to unoffICial
reports one verSion \'YIII have a
Thomson CSF ac\Jve radar ThIs may
be the last genera\Jon of alrlaunched
miSSIles developed In France In pre
lererce loa COIIaboratJ\oe prlJQrarTVTle

MLMS (Air-Launched Stinger)

Origin : General DynamICs Pomona
DIVISion. USA

Propulsion ; Tandem AtlantIC

Research solid moiors. h'gh thrust
launch motor and longer burn flight
motor

Dimensions : length 60n

(1524mml. body diameter 2751n
[6985mm J. span (fIns extended I
3&n1914mml
Weight : AI launch 22 31b 110 1kg).
WIth launcher 34 51b 115 6kg). com
plele twin launch ,nstallatlon WIth
electronICS and cooling system 99lb
145kg)
Performance : Speed. supersonIC.
range up to 3 miles (4 Skml

Warhead : Plcallnny Arsenal Irag

mentatJOn. 6 61b 13kgl
Users: US Armv ,n,bally
From the wei-known Stmger Infantry
SAM, GO Pomona IS develOPIng a
range of other weapons mch.ldlng
the MLMS (multipurpose l,ghtvYelght
mlSSlle system) and also ADSM
(p 66) MLMS uses either the stan
dard Stinger. as now widely used by
US troops. or the much more ellec
tlve Slinger POST (paSSlve optical
seeker techn.que' which replaces
the Slmple IR homing by an advanced
two colour (lR and UV) guidance
uSlng the latest IRCCM logIC Clrcu.ts
and WIth a unique rosette scan whICh
Significantly enhances larget delec
t.on MLMS .s.ntended lor all bailie
field helICopters. and Slnce early
1982 studies have also .ncluded the
A lOA and Alpha Jel fixed ..... ,ng
aircraft A f.reand forget weapon
Stinger IS ISSued as a certified round
.n Its sealed launch tube and reQUIres
no attention between delivery and

38

launch The baSIC launcher houses

the seeker coolant reseNOlr and
modular electrOniCS and can be
stacked three or four deep. gll/lng a
tOlalof 16 rounds For high speed
aircra ft a lalred launcher IS avaIlable.
enclOSing tl1e twin miSSIle tubes The
pilot has a retICle Slgh \ or HUD.
control panel and a selecVuncage
I,re control on hIS cyclIC stick. launch

being made when the acqUlSI{ton

tone IS heard In hIS headset Ongmalty
acompanYlnrtJa\JVE!. MlMS received
000 funding Irom 1981 . never
theless. deSpile the clear (Indeed
urgenU need for MLMS. and Interest
trom many quarters. the US Army
had failed to approve the ROC
(required operatIonal capabilityl by
October 1982

Above : Mock-up of the quad

launche r for MLMS. which
itself houses the system
efKtronic cards and seeker
refrigeration.
Below ; Mock-up of twin launch
insta llation on a Westland Lynx
3. which also has a quad group
of anti-tank Hellfire s.

AlA TO AlA

Phoenix
Origin : Hughes Aircraft USA
Propulsion : Aero~t IAT$C I Mk 60
or Aocketdvne FIeKadvne 'viI<. 47
long burn SOIod motOfs
Dimensions' Length 157 a.n
40lm body diameter ISin
380mm I span 36 4,n 1925mm I
Weight : 9851b 1447kgl
Performanee : Speed Mach 5 plus
range over 124 miles (200kml
Warhe.d : Continuous rod 1321b
OOkgl with prOl(lmltv and Impact
fuzes
Users : USA (Navyl Iran 1484 Sup
plied remainder possibly In
storage I

Bv lar Ihe mOSI sophisticated and

cosllV AAM In the world, thiS missile
pro\lldes air delence over an area
exceeding 12.000 square mIles
f31.CXXlkml) from near sea level to
the limits Of altitude attained by
aircraft or tact>eal mlss.les But.t can
be fired only from the F 14 Tomcat
and costs nearly half a m, IOn
dollars
Following the ClaSSIC aen:Xlynamcs
of the FalCon family Phoenix ....as
onglnallv AAM N 11 and Hughes
A,rcraft began development ,n 1960
to replace the AIM 47Aancf Ea9~as
partner to the AWG 9 for the F
11 IB thiS advanced fire conlrol
system was the most capable ever
attempted and ,ncludes a very ad
vanced radar Iderlved Irom the
ASG 18 camed ,n the YF 12A1 of
h'gh power PO type With the largest
Circular aenal 101 planar typel ever
carned bya f'ghter Ithaslook down
capability out to ranges exceed,ng
150 ml~s (241kml. and IS backed
up by an IR tracker toasSlsl POSitive
target Idenhflcatlon and dlscn
mlnabon AWG 9 has TWScapab,htv
and an F l11B .... ,Ih the mal(lmum
load of SlI( Phoenix mlss,les could
engage and attack SIX alfcralt at
mal(,mum range slmultaneouslv
..-...ealher concl,tlonsand targel aspect
beIng of I,ttle consequence ,ndeed
the baSIC mtercePtion mode assumed
's head on, whICh,s one 01 the most
d,fflCult at extreme range
PropulSIon IS by a lOng burn
Ing Aockeldvne ,Flexctdyne Mk 47
or Aerqel MkOO motor giving a

!';peed to burn()ut 01 Mach 38

Comb ned .... ,th low nduced drag
and Ihe power 01 the large hvdrau
IlCa V dfl\ln ta I conlrols IhlS gives
susta,ned manoeuvrab ,Iv O\i'r a
range nOI e\i'n approached bv any
other AAM. deSPite the large load Of
electrICal battery electflcal con
II'8fSlon unit. aulopilot e ectronlCS
urnt transmotter receiver and planar
array seeker head Iall part 01 the
OSO 26 on board gu,dance I as well
as the 1321b l60kg' annular blast
fragmentatlOfl warhead With Downev
Mk 334 prOI(!m,(y luze Bendl)( IA
fuze and OA luze
Hughes began fhght test at PMTC
In 1965, uSIng a OA 3B Skvwarnor
ach,evlng an Interception In Sep
tember 1966 In March 1969 an
FIIIS sLlCcessfully engaged two
drones. and subseQuently Phoenll(
broke VlrtualiV all AAM records
,ncludlng four k,lls In one oass loul
of a SlI( on SIX test there be,ng one
no test and one miSS). a k!1I on a
BOM 34A Simulating a cruise mISSl~
at 501t (15m!. and a kill on a
BOM 34E hYing at Mach 1 5 tracked
from 153mIIeSf246km\ IhePl'\oenlx
launched at 127 ml~S ,2Q4km\ and
.mpact,ng 83 5 m,~s f 134<ml from
the launch peont The flTst AWG 9
systemf()( theF 14A Tomcat. whICh
replaced the F 111B. wasdehvered
,n February 1970 Produchon of
PhoeniX AIM 54A at Tucson began
,n 1973 SInce when output averaged
about 40 per month By the third
Quarter of 1978 output had passed
2,500 It then slowed sharplv and
ended ,n 1980

Above: Launch of third AIM54C

from PM TC YF14A No 157990.
Since late 1977 prCXIucbon m,s
Slies were of the AIM 54B type With
sheet metal .... ,ngs and fons onstead
of honeycomb structure non I Quid
hydraulIC and therma' condltlon,ng
systems and 5Imphlled engIneering
In 1977 Hughes began a maJOf
eltor! to produce an updated Phoemli
tomeelthe needsofthe 1990s Th,s
miSSIle, AIM 54C has totallv new
all d'gltal electronICS. more rellClble
and flex,ble .n use than the analog
unit WIth a SOItd state radar rep:acong
tne Pfev,OuS klvstron tube model

Accuracv IS ,mproved by a new

stralXfown !nertlal reference un.t
from Nortromcs. and ECCM capa
bll,ty IS greatlv enhanced Another
Improvement IS a new pro_"m'N
IUledevelop!!d by the Naval Weapons
Center Hughes de l\Ired 15 en
g,neenng models from summer
1980, thf' j,rst flflng Ihead on agaInst
a OF 4 Ihe miSSile beln~ In the semI
active mode throughOull being sue
cesslulon 2 June 1980 Then 101
)wed 30 p.lot prCXIuetlon rOunds In
the second ha f of 1981 With full
pt"oducnon 10000VVlrtg trom ml(I 1982
Thell!l$apo5SJb tyAIM 54AmSSlIe$
may be ~pdaled

Below; This cutaway shows

AIM54A : AIM-54C differs
only in the miniaturized digital
eviontc section and radar.
Phoenix is the only activeradar AAM in the West.

Pro~'m.(v IU~fI

Motor

!llmal

Planar array radar scann.et"

Radomfl

tor pr.. "tv

noute

Fuz,ng un,1

Ale moun! ng lug

COfllrOi 1 ns

"""'g5

Ta

"

II

q
AlA TO AlA

Piranha
Origin : eTA Instltuto de A tlVldades
Espaclals. Brazil
Propulsion : Solid motor
Dimensions : length 105m
(2 67mL booy diameter 610
(152mmj, lin span 25 710 (652mm)
Weight : At launch 1901b (86k:g)
Periormance:Range37mlles(6k:mj
Warhead : HE 26 51b (12k:g)
User : Braz!1

The Brazilian Air Force has been

develoPIng thiS AAM Since 1979
Its homing head has a cooled IR
detector. and the autoPIlot uses
proportional naVIgation apphed VIa
canard controls The warhead has
DA and proXlmlty fuzes

Python 3
Origin : Rafael Armament DevelOP
menl AuthOrity Israel
Propulsion : Rafael sohd motor
Dimensions: NOI released
Weight : NOI released
Performance : C~lmed superior m
speed turn radiUS and range to
AIM 9l Sidewmder
Warhead : Conventional roo type.
at least 241b (11k:g)
User : Israel

Above : This gaily painted Python 3 shows the way in which the
four slipstreamdriven rollerons are freely pivoted to the four
filled tailfins, Their gyroscopic eHect prevents the missile from
rolling, thus easing guidance problems,

FIrst exhibited at the 1981 Parrs

alrShow. thiS AAM IS being developed
as a successor to Shafm II and IS
claimed to surpass liS predecessor
In all respects Rafael IS responSible
for most parts of Python 3 mcludlng

the new IR seeker cell (housed In a

slightly tapenng forebooyl. which IS
Claimed 10 have exceptional senSlbVlty
af"ld a WIder IOOIe: angle than thai of
most Olher IRhomlng missiles The
delta canard contrOlS are large. as

are the fixed !allhns whICh are sharply

swept on both leading af"ld trailing
edges. and whICh carry roll control
aerooynamlC surfaces and slipstream
dnven rallerons Dellvenes for sef'VICe
use are el!p&cted 10 19834

R.S30
Origin : SA Matra. France
Propulsion : Hotchklss-Brand V
SNPE AntOinette motor WIth Plas
targol fllhng 118.7 401b. 8500kg
boost lor 2 7 sec followed by 6 5
sec sustain) or SNPE Madeleine
WIth lsolane propellant giVIng higher
performance
Dimensions: length IradarJ 129 3m
(3284mmJ. (( RI 125 9n (3198mml.
body d.ameter 10 35m (263mml.
span 43 43m t 1103mm)
Weight: AI launch. tradarl 423 31b
(192kg), URI 426 61b ( 193 5kg)
Performance : Speed Mach 27
range 11 miles I 18km}
Warhead : Hotchklss-Braf"ld\' two
types each 01 60Ib (27kg). either
prefragmented or contmuous roo
both proximity af"ld DA fuzed
Users : Argentma. Australia. BraZil.
Colomb.a. France, Iraq Israel.
lebanon, Pakistan. South Africa
Spain. Venezuela (Many no longer
aCI1'"e)
By 1957 Matra had become the
most expenenced AAM company In
Europe. and worle: began on thiS
comple tely new vveapon which has "
Right : A frame from a hig ....speed
cine film showing an R.530
being launched from an underwing pylon of a Mirage Fl .C.

42

43

AlA TO AlA
.. en,oyed a lung and succeSSful I IE'
AbandOflIng t...... st and Stl>.Cf ther.om
pany re~fted tu cr,J(: form delta
w,ngs and ta cont/ols. 1..... 0 01 tl1e
Vo.iIngs navong a IeronslOf reu contr
HaVIng elfpenence of \lar ous gLJ
dance s-r.;tems lhe A r M,,"uSlry and
Malra Slo I cOuld not make up the.r
m,nds and at f'rst conducted tnal
I,r,ngs w,th ether SAAH or IA
hom,ng BOlh types became esta
bllstled In Pfoduct,on and to thIs day
A 530 s norma Iy carroed n pa,s

one miSSIle being a heal homer and

the Olher a radar homer
Propu~n sbya dual Ihrusl solid
motor The two honMg heads. whICh
can II necessary be exchanged by a
user SQuadrOfl to su,t Circumstances
on operatIons are the SAT Iype
AO 350 I IA seeker claimed to have
an aspect capability ,ncludmg head
on. and the EMD type AD 26
matched to the Cyrano Ib,s or II Of
Mirage !II Interceptors or the Cyrano
tV of the M,rage F I A !,l'ghtly
d'fferent recel~r .s used by the
Aeronavale lor m'SSlles carroed by
lhe F 8EfFN Crusader. w,lh APO
94 radar
Though an 'nd'fferent performer
woth an u"'mPfesSl~ record 01 I",ng
Iroals. A 530 had no eVIdent roval
and cleaned up a 14 nat,on market
w,th some 4 4()() rounds sold al a
typocal pr :e of :;44 000

Super530
Origin : SA Matra. France
Propulsion : SNPE Angele Butalane
hIgh ,mpulse fcompoSlte CTPSI SOlid
motor 2 sec boost and <1 sec
sustaIn
Dimension&: length 139 41n
(3 54ml. body diameter 10351"
/263mmL span IVo.iIng125 2",
164Omm) Ita,ll 3543,,, 19CX>mml
Weight : At launch 55 lib I 2501r.gl
earty production 5291b 124Okg'
Per1ormanc e ; S~ Mach 46
rangE' learly Pfoducl onl 22 miles
351cml 153OF1 se..-eraldo/enkm
Warhead : Thomson Brandt
fragmentatIOn eve. 66lb '301<g'
Users : Not a Inr ,-,oced but P)(POrI
Ofders lrom I(
,ntroes

44

QI Ih,S rrllS$! e started Mltra ....as a

mat",re AAM prClducer able 10 take a
stud,ed ook al thereQulrementsand
secure I' Ihp knowledge !hat A 530
would ~obably rema n In prodVC\1Ofl
a most a further decadp ThOUgh 10
a sl'ght degree based on !he R 53V
as refleC led n t/1e deSIgnatIon Ih 5 5
,n lact a totally new mlS$li'! marlung
ver.,. large advances n f 'gh[ per
formance and ollenng dol.bled acQUI
511'On d,stance and effect,ve rangp
and a so ,ntrodUClng snap UP capa
bIIotv 01 250001t 76QOm\ since
,ncreased to 29.5OOit t9OOOrn1
be ,eYed to exceed that 0' any othpr
AAM other than Phoen,)! F~om lhe
start only one method ot guodance
has been associated Wlth Super 530
SAAH ThiS uses the EMD Super
AD 26 matched With the Cyrano IV
radar 01 the MIrage F' E!ectroc
power comes from a ;,I\lerlltnc
bauer.,. Vo.iIth 6O-sec operatOn Thorn
son Brandt developed ttle Angele
propulSIOn malar w,th Butalane "

Above : This picture of R.S30

on the centreline rack of an
early Mirage IIIC was taken in
the early 1960s. This Mirage
hIlS no SEP.844 booster rocket .

Below: Two Super 530 missi les

carried by the second prototype Mirage 2000. The contrast
with the R.530 is lIS great lIS
between the 2000 and the IIIC.

AlA TOAIA
.. compoSite propellant 01 much higher
SpecifIC Impulse than that of earloer
French motors This can accelerate
the miSSile raPIdly to Mach 4 6
thereafter sustaining approximately
thiS speed to sustalner burnout
Wings are not necessary at thiS
speed_ but Super 530 does have
lour wmgs of very low aspect rallO
manoeuvnng by the crucll()l"m 01 tal
fms whICh havean unusual Shape It
can pul! 20g up to 56.OOOIt r 17kml
and 6g at 82.OOOIt (25kml The
homing head was test lIown m SeP
tember 1972. and an Inert miSSile
'Jorlrame was air launched In July
1973 FIring trials from a Canberra
01 the CEV began In 1974 pro
gresslng to tnals With gUidance In
1975 FlfIng tnals from a Mirage
F 1 C began at Cazaux In 1976_ and
evaluation flnng at CEAM has been
In progress Since 1975. targets In
1978 Including the superSOniC Beech
AOM37 It. f()l" whICh Matra has coo
eluded a lICenSing markellng agree
men! Super 53OF, the YerSiOO for
the Mirage F 1 entered selVlCe In
December 1979. and ,more than
2.000 rounds had been delivered by
mid 1982 In 1984 productIOn Will
begin on the Super 5300 10 10f
doppler! matched 10 the AOI radar
of the Mirage 2000 ThiS verSioo Will
have good snap-down perlormance
Above: An early Super 530 test
firing from a Mirage Fl .C trials
prototype. The earliest tests were
undertaken from Mirages and
a Canberra of the CEV at Cazaux
in 1974 (inset Supor 530 on
Canberra wing pylon). Today
the Supor 530 is the standard
medium-range AAM of the
Armlte de rAir Mirage Fl .C
squadrons. The first Supor
530$ were received by EC121the
12th fighter wing) at Cambrai
in December 1979, and soon
confirmed its ability to accelerate
rapidly to Mach 3 and climb o r
dive to hit targets 10km
(33,OOOft) higher or lower than
the faunch aircraft.

Right: Supor 530s and Magics

carried by an Fl .C of EC.12.
For some time Matrll has been
working on ways of improving
this rIIdar-homing weapon .

46

47

AlA TO AIR

RBS70
Ori g in : Saab Bnfors M
)1 po
ration S ...... eden
Propulsion: Botors solid boost
motor IMI UK) sohd suSIa ne
Dimensions : length 52 n 1 32m
bodydlClmett: 4 17,n 1000n! span
{f,nsextended' 12 60n 320mm
Weight : At laul"ICh lbare m,SSlle,
331b 15kg, (w,thlaunch tube
48 51b '22k9
Performance: Speed supersonIC
range 3 m,IeS (5kml
W arhead : Pre fragmented. 221b
lkgl wlthopu,a1proxm,tyandDA
fUle'
User Not 'tel available
ABS 70 was produced by AB Bofors
(then. ,n 197478, not aSSOCl1lted
with Saabl as a SAM for use by
,nfantry. w,lh several "g",,"c8nt ad
vantages over earlier man portable
aporos In \tIlS class The mlssle 'S

popped oul 01 ,IS tube by a short

burn motor wh,ch drops off Just
beyond Ihe mouth of Ihf tube F-,ns
and mlClpos,tlon ......'ngs Jntold and
Ihe susta,ner !nen acceerates the
ruund to well beyond Mach 1
GulClance IS by ndlog a aser beam
~Id Oft Ihe target any devlat,on
from :I'e beam ,5 sensed and pro
cessed bv an on board computer
whICh sends s'gnals 10 !he control
t,ns Bv 19BOABS70.wtlOst!~
menl was part funded by SWII
lerland was ,n the hand; of Ir~ps
,n Sweden and S....... Izer1and and Saab
Botors was Study'"g othH verSIons
Atlhe 1981 Pansa,rshow8 port,on
ot lyn .. helICopter wa~ exh,b,ted
carrymg on a lelt SIde pylon a lour
round launcher (anolher would be
mounted on the nght sdel for an
AAM vl':!rSlon The system would
,nclude a Saab HellOS rocl mounted

SIght WIth auto-handover after launch

of the chosen round(s) WIth the
helICopter hull down. onty the Slghl
be.ng ViSible to the enemy. the control
unll boreSlghts the VIdeo tracker \0
the target aorcralt so that the laser
can designate the target through

Above : RBS 70 quad installation

for trials on lynx AH .1.

early as 1958 an Amercan pvbh

catron reponed that "Red Top has
a 681b convenuonal warhead and a
range of 14.(X)() vards With
a
cOOled lead telluride cell recetlllng ,n
a 4 to 5 mICro range Though
slIghtly garbled. th,s diSClOsed valu
able mtormatlon whICh al the t,me
was h'ghly ClaSSIfied, and even tooav
no deta,ls of the seeker- may be
given In the course of development
the mISSile was redeSIgned v.,th an
untapered torebody to accommodate
a larger warhead The Improved

motor gave a speed 01 Just ovel;.

Mach 3 at burnout. while the nose
was redeSIgned as a full-diameter
glass hemisphere Wings and tall
controls were complelely redeSigned
With greater area and With planlorm
and section profile matched 10 Mach
3_ greater altitudes and much grealer
lateral acceleration The powerful
warhead_ of a new type had a later
IR fuzmg system In advance of any
other AAM system 01 the late 19505
11 was POSittoned as a SIngle pack.age
ahead 01 the Wings wh,1e the contrOl
group was relocated next to the
contrOl Ims Development was rapid
and successful. and by late 1964 a

few Red Tops were berog ISSued to

74 SQn. whose Llghtnrngs were
being upgraded to F 3 (later F 6)
standard WIth a larger vertICal tall to
counter the shghtly larger SIde area
of Ihe new m'SSlIe At the same time
Red Top was ISSued to Ihe f,rSI RN
SQuadron eQUiPped With the Sea
Vixen FAW 2. No 899 replacing
Flreslreak on four Wing pylons Red
Top was SUbsequently Improved In
small details and rema,ns In servICe
WIth Llgt'ltnlngs 01 the RAF. and
Saudi Araboa (mostly In Storage 1

RedTop
Ortgin : Ha ""'ker Sldc!! y mow Bntosh
Aerospace! Dynamoes UK
Propulsion ; S,ngle stage solid
mOlor
Di mensions: length 130 60n
[332m) body d,ameter 8 7510
122225mm span 35 7510
t908mmJ
Weight : AI\aunch 3301b 15Okg!
Performance : Speed at burnout
Mach 3 2 range up to 7 5 m,les
( 12km)
Warhead : Conventr')nal fragmen
tatlon. 68 31b 131kgl
Users: Saud, Arab'a UK lRAFI
Orlg'nally caned F,restreak Mk. IV
th,s was a rallona"sed F,restreak
w,th Ihe components reassembled
to a more logICal arrangement and
WIth a complete V new seeker head
motor and warhead to g've very
much greater lethality The baSIC
reQu,rement of late 1956 was to
produce a mlss,le not contlned to
Ihe:!" 15 5quontangle of forst gene
raloOfllA seekers. and by devetopng
a seeker able to home on the target S
,et Itse t or otner hoI parts. attack
successfu y from any d roct on As

48

...

the same opt,cal WindOW Alter

natIvely. targel deSignation can be
from a remote fnendly laser the
hehcopter remarnmg paSSIve

Below: Red Tops on unpainted

lightning F.6 of RAF No 23 Sqn.

AIR TO AIR

Called Gra,1 by NATO the SA 7 was

ong,nallVa SAM for use by ,nfantry

A rudimentary weapon. " has IR
hom,ng whICh cannot be rel.ed upon
to ach,eve lock on to an approach,ng
a,rcraft. though the seeker has been
progres5tvelyomprO\led Over 50.0:::0
rounds have been export~ to at
least 22 countnes, and ,tl$a favoured
terrOrist weapon As 10 other coun
tnes the SoVIet Union has used th,s
SAM as a sell defence weapon fOf"

hellcOfJters, tINIn and four barrel pods

havrng been seen s'nce 1981
mounted on vanous types of Mt 24
(Hmd I No deta,lsare yet ava,lable of
the way targets are aCQUired, but
ani, armour MI 24 verSions are well
eQu,pped WIth Sighting and weapon
cue,ng systems The seeker of land
based SA 7 miSSiles,s uncooied. so
a,rcraft Installation problems should
be m,nlmal

respects overtaken the JS misSile

Many deta,ls are stili ClaSSIfted but It
IS clear that all models have a
Cassegraln optICal system behind a
large hem,sphencal nose, pneumatIC
control flOs. and fIxed Wings Indexed
In line and contaIning recessed rol
!erons Similar to those of SIdeWinder
The most fundamental difference
Introduced WIth the Israeli weapon
IS a substantial ulCrease In bOOy
dl3metef. wtllch must greatly Iffiprove
many aspects of deSIgn and lethality
SimplICity was the keynote through
out. and a pnce of 520.000 has
beenQuoted Mk 1 did not complete
development but Mk 2 mtered Che!
HaAvrr sel"VlCe In 1969. and In
subsequent lighting IS credited With
the destructlOfl of over 200 a,rcraft
Of these more than half were des
(royed dUring the bnef Yom Kippur
war In October 1973, Claimed to
IndICa Ie an SSKPol 60 percent Mk

2 IS carned on a pylon adapter

whICh can also carry alternatIve
weapons Ifohten the seeker Iockson
the pilot IS Informed both vrsually
and aurally The Mk 2 homes by
leadco/llSlQn usmg proporbonal navr
gatlon ThIS model IS used by the
Chel Ha Alllr on Mirages and Kllrs
and also by several export customers

Above: Compared with Sid.

winder. Shatrir has a body of
larger diameter (160 against
127mm). This is on a Kfir pyton .

SA-7
Origin: So\llet Un,on
Propulsion : Dual thrust boost
susta.n solid motor
Dimensions: length 53 25,"
(135Ommt body dlCimeter 275,n
OOmml. fin span 7 91n 12OOmm)
Weight : At launch. 20 3Ib (9 2kgl
Performence : Speed Mach 1 5.

range 0 5 3 miles (0 8 Ekml

Warhead : ConventIonal fragmen
tat,on. 5 51b 12 5kgl, graze and OA
fuzes
Users : In AAM role beheved only
SoVIet Umon

Shafrir
Origin : Rafael Armament Develop
menl AuthOrity, Israel
Propulsion : Solid motor
Dimensions : length 971n
(247Qmm). body diameter 6 31n
(16Omm l. span 20 Sin 1520mml
Weight : A t launch IMk 2) 205lb
(93kg)
Performence : Speed supersonIC.
range 3 1 miles (Skml
Warhead : Conventional 24 31b
(1Ikg) containing 8 BIb (4kgJ ex
plOSIve plus pl'"e fragmented bOO,es.
With rowol IR fuze WindOWS around
nose and also OA fuze
Users : Ch,le. Israel. South Afflca
and TaIwan and from lour to ten
other (undisclosed) countnes
Development of thiS wholly Israeli
AAM. denved by Rafael Armament
Development Authonty Irom early
$odeWinders was started In 1961.
and by 1965 Shalnr had In many

Below : Drawn for this book.

this cutaway shows the
disposition of major elements
in Shafrir 2 . The pneumatically
driven canards pivot in pairs. as
seen in the photograph above.

Motor

Mk 3 has been under test tor several

years and has a later guidance and
contrOl sectIon. Ithasbeen renamed
Python 3 {see p 421

G,"',". electronICS

Go"

Wilr~

Crosssec;:tooo 01 Ofooelanl

50

51

AIR TO AIR

Sidewinder, AIM-9
Origin : DngmaldeSign by US Naval
Weapons Cenler. Ch,na Lake com
merCla1 productIon by Phllco (now
Ford Aerospace) and later GE. today
shared by Ford Aerospace ~most
verSIons. currently 9L and 9P) and
Raytheon (9L and 9M)
Propulsion : Sohd motor (variOus.
by Rockwell. AerOjet or Thlokol.
WIth AerOjet Mk 17 quahhed on
9B,'E/J,N'P and Th.okol Mk 36 or
reduced smoke TX 683 qualified on
9L1M)
Dimensions : See variants table
Weight : See var.ants table
Performence : See variants table
Warhead : (B/E/J/N/P) 101b (4 5kg)
blast/fragmentation WIth paSSIve IR
prOK!mlty fuze (from 1982 being
refitted Wllh Hughes DSU 21/B
actIve laser fuze). (D/G/H) 2241b
(10 2kg) continuous rod WIth IR or
HF prOKlmlty fuze. (LIM) 251b
(11 4kgl advanced annular blast/
fragmentation WIth actIve laser IR
prOXImIty luze
Users: (all verSIons) Argentina
Austral.a BelgIum. BrazIl. Canada
CMe. Denmark, West Germany,
Greece. Iran. Israel. Italy. Japan
South Korea. Kuwait. MalaySIa
Morocco. Nethel1ands. Norway. Palo
stan. Phlhpp.nes Portugal. Saudi
Arab.a, Singapore. Spam. SW'eden
TaJwan. Tunl$18 Turkey. UK IRAF.
RNI. USA (all sel"VlCes)

One 01 the most Influential miSSIles

In h,story. th,s shmAAM was almost
un American m development lor .t
was created out 01 nothng by a very
small team at NOTS China Lake
operating on the proverbial shoe
stnng budget Led by Doctor
McLean. thIS team was the ',rst In
the WOfId to attack the problem of
paSSM:IIR hOffilng guldarce. In 1949
and the often Intractable dlfflCulbes
were compounded by the chOICe 01
an a,rlrame 01 only 5," (127mml
diameter. which In the days of
vacuum tubeelectronlCswasa major
challenge In 1951 Ph,lco was
awarded a contract lor a homing
head based on Ihe NOTS research
and today. 28 years la ler. the gUld
anee team at Newport BeaCh. now
called Ford Aerospace and Com
munlCatlons. IS Stili In production
WIth homing heads for later Side
Winders Tne first XAAM N7gUlded
round was successfully fIred on 11
September 1953 The first pro
.ductlOn miSSIles. called N 7 by the
Navy. GAR8 by the USAF and
SW 1 by the development team
reached IDC In May 1956
These early SIdeWinders were
made of sections of alum,n,um tube
WIth the seeker head and control
fins at the Iront and four flKed ta,1
fins contaIning patented rollerons
at the back The roDeron IS SImIlar to

an a,r dflven gyro wheel. and one IS

mounted In the trpol each fin SO that
.t IS spun at hIgh speed by the
slipstream The orIginal solid motor
was made by Hunter Douglas. Her
cules and Norns Thermaclor. to Naval
Propellant Planl deSIgn. and ft accele
rated the miSSIle to Mach 2 5 In 2 2

sec
The beauty of thiS mISSIle was ItS
SImplICIty. whICh meant low cost.
easy compatibility WIth manya,rcraft
and, In theory. hIgh re!.abl~ty In
harsh enVIronments II was said to
have less than 24 moving parts
and fewer electronIC components

lhan the average rad,o" At the same

t,me. though the guidance method
meant that SideWInder could be
earned by any "ghter. With or Without
radar. It was erratIC In use and
restncted to close stem engagements
at high altItude In good VlSlb'hty The
uncooled PbS seeker gave an SSKP
of about 70 per cent In !deal con
dltlonS. but eKtremefy poor results In
bad VISIbility. cloud or ra,n. or at low
levels. and showed a tendency to
tockoo to Ihe Sun. or bnght sky or
reflectIons from lakes Or flvetS
The p.lot energJsed hiS miSSile
homing head and hstene<! lor 115 flo-

SIdewinder Guidance Sections

Below: Live AIM-9M (improved 9l) Sidewinders need careful

handling and a powered loader is being used here.

52

53

... Signals In hiS headset ltwould gIVe a

growl when It acqUired a target. and
I1II was nICely POSltJOned aslern of a
hot ,etPlpe the growl would become
a Ilerce strident Singing lhal would
nse In In tenSity unbt Ihe Pilot let the
miSSile go There were plenty of OF
80, Flrebee and other targets that
had early SIdewinders up their JE!!pIpe
In the 1950s. but unfortunatefy real
hfe engagements lended to have the
wrong target or the wrong aspect.
or the Vlll'ong fA emJtllng background
In October 1958. hOW'e\ler. large
numbers of SIdeWinders were fired
by NatIOnalist Chinese F 86s against
Chinese MIG 17s and 14 of the
laner were Claimed In one day This
was the firs t wartime use 01 AAMs
The staggenng total of nearly
81.0ClQ 01 the onglnal miSSile '<Vera
budt In threeatmost idenllCal \lerS!OOs
whICh In the new 1962 scheme
were deSignated AIM 9. 9A and 98
Nearly all were of Ihe 98 lorm
roughly half produced by Phllco
(Ford) and half by Raytheon A
further 15.0ClQ were delivered by a
European consortium headed by
BGT. which In the late 1960s ga\le
each European missile a new seeker

head of BGT deSIgn known as FGW

Mod 2 This has a nose dome of
Silicon Instead of glass. a cooled
seeker and semi-conductor elec
tronlCS. and translormed the miSSIle's
reliability and ability to tock-on In
adverse condi tions
By 1962SW lCwaSlnuselntWQ
verSions. AIMOC by Motorola and
9D by Ford This senes Introduced
the Rocketdyne Mk 36 solid molor
giVing much greater range. a new
airframe With tapered nose long
chord controls and more swept
leading edges on the tall fins. and
completely new guodance Motorola
produced the OC for the F B Cru
sader. giVing It SARH guidance
matched to the Magnavox APO 94
radar but for vanous reasons thiS
odd man 01,11 was unretl8ble In per
formance and was Withdrawn In
contrast. 9D was so successful II
formed the baSIS of many subsequent
YerSlOflS. as vvetl as MIM-72C Chapar
ral The new guidance section Inlro
duced a dome of magnesllJrn fluonde
a nitrogen cooled seeker. smaller
field 01 VIeW. and Increased relocle
speed and tracking speed The control
section Inlroouced larger Iins. WhICh

Above : Early pro duction F-16A

with two 9L (tips). two 9J. two
Mk 84 (2.000lb) bombs. two
tanks and an ALG-119 ECM pod.
were detachable. and high power
actuators fed by a longer burning
gas generator Theold IOtb(4 54kg)
warhead With pasSivelR luze was
replaced bya 22 41b{1O 2kglannular
blast fragmentation head of the
contonuousrod type. fired by either
an lA or HF prOXimity fuze
'
AIM 9E was lilted With a greatly
Improved Ford seeker head With
Peiller IthermoelectncJ cOOilng
further Increased tracking speed and
new electroncs and WIfIng harnesses.
QMflQlncreasedengagementbounda
tieS especiCllMV allow level AIM9G
has socalled SEAM (SIdeWInder
Expanded AcqulSl\Jon Mode). an
Improved 9D seeker head. but was
overtaken by 9H The latter mtro
duced solid state electronICS. even
faster tracking speed and double
delta controls WIth Increased actuator
power. giVing grea ter manoeuvr
ability than any preVIOus SIdeWinder
as well as limited all weather capa
blh\y AIM 9J IS a rebUilt 98 or 9E

With part solid stale electronICS. de

tachable double delta controls Wllh
greater pewer. and long burning gas
generator Range IS sacn!Jced lor
high ac:celerabon tocalCh fast targets
There are J t and J 3 Improved or
all new variants A matQr advance
came With Sde...... nder 9l. With wn.ch
NWC (as NOTS now IS) .11 last
r~ 10 the prolonged demands
of customers and the proven accom
plishments of BGT The latters out
standing seeker head developed for
Viper was 'Irst fllted to AIM 9l to
give A1asca fAll Aspect CapabllJly).
a great miSSile Ihat was merely used
by Germany asa poSSible faU back In
case 9L failed to mature AIM 9L
Itsell. In lull producbon Irom 1977.
has long span pointed delta fins. a
totally new gUidance system (see
table). and an annular blast frag
mentation warhead sheathed m a
skin of preformed rods. tnggered by
a new prO)l)lmlly fuze In whICh a nng
of eight GaAs laser diodes emit and a
ring of SilICon photodlodes recel\le
About 16.0ClQ of the 9l serles
weree)l)pected to be made by 1983
andat least a further9.000arehkely
to be made by a new BGTIed
Europeanconsorttum whICh this lime
Includes BAe DynamICS and com
parues In Norway and Italy Pilot
producllon dehvenesbegan In 1981
and BAe received liS fltst production
contract (for t40 mtlllOflJln February
1982 No European miSSiles had
reached Bntlsh squadrons m Apnl
1982 and lOOAJM 9l were supplied
for use by HarrlE!rs and Sea Harners
In the South AtlanbC from US stOCkS.
gal",ng 25 known VICtories
AIM 9M IS a reVised l 9N IS the
new deSignatIOn of J I (all are 9B or
9E rebUilds) 9P are rebUilds of
9B/E/J. and addlllOl"lal 9P miSSIles
are being made from new

The Sidewinder Family

AlM98
98FGW2
AlM9C

"'MOO
AlM-9
AlM9G
AlM9H
AlM9J
AlM9L

"'M,..
"'M '"

A1M-9P

Guldanc:.
tJncoo*I PbS 25" look 70 M, ,..ode , l"IMC lrlK:kong
Co. cooIong. MIl ... d..d ___ ...tuo;ed 10 5"
MOioroi. SARM
N,cooIIdPbS 40" look 125H, tode. 12"'MCIr-clung
Pwh . . ~ PbS 40" look 100 HI 'lI!1oc1e '65"1-= 1.-c1ung
"-90 pluto SEAM
"- 9G p.u....Cod Rata 2O",MC Ir-ckong
"- 9 ....
A.-go)n~ InSb luI..eocle. 1JII~ ","'or S'ISt...,
.... -9L !Hon.. motor _ CCM
.... 9 plus parl..oloc!-R....
"- 9N ...... ,........,.,. _ _ 1J

pa<1..ak1......

L...g th
l' , 4", r283Ornrn)
t t4 Son (2908mm/
, '3 0In (287Omml
11301n4287OmrnI
'18 '''13OOOm",1
'13 Oon C287(lm1rot
113 0In t287o...ml
'209on\307Omml
1122.. (28SOrnrnl
112 2n/28SOrnml
120 9m /307o...rnl
1209<II1307o...ml

COnlrol
fin .pan
22 0In (SS9m"'1
22 0In (559mtn1
24 Bon (63Omrn)
24 Bon (63Omm1
22 0In (SS9rnml
24 Bon 163Omm1
24 Bon 163Omm]
22 0In IS59mm1
24 Bon (63Orno-n1
24 Bon (63Orno-n1
22 Oon /Y.i9rnm1
22 0In tSS9m",)

M inion

L.unch wi

'5511 (70 4klll

'6711 (75 8kgl
185a1 (84 OIo.gI
195a1 (88 5kgl
lMIb (74 5kgl
1911b (86 Skgl
1861b (84 5kg)
17211(7801<gl
1881b t85 3klll
191;1186 Okg]
1721b 178 Oklll
'72t1(78Okgl

Ii ....

'0_

"'"'"'"'"'~
60_
60_
60_

60_

"'"'-

R.nv-

ProdUC:ltOn

2 ........32kml
23 ....... (31km)
"",_(117k"'1
'1 ",,,,(177k"'1
26 ....... 142kml
11 ....... (177km]
11 ...... (171 ...... )
9 ..... (145 ...... '
1' ...... (177 ...... 1
11 ....... 1177km)
9"""(14 S ""'I
" ...... 11 7 ...... 1
'

00.900
'5.000

""'"

>'000

5000 ... 981

2_120
7.720
10000 1e_981
11.100~

3500-

7000
"000

55

AlA TO AlA

Sky Flash
Origin: Bntlsh Aerospace DynamICS

UK
Propu lsion: AerOjet or Aockwell
Mk 52 PSi AP sohd motor
Dimensions : Length 145m
1368O'nml. body diameter 8m
{203mm}, span 4Q.n 1102Omm}
Weight: At launch 4251b t 193kg}
Pertonnance : Speed Mach 4 range
31 miles 150kmJ
W arhead : Sparrow 7E type 661b
13Okg)contmuous,rod pattern. WIth
proXImIty and DA fuzes
User .: Sweden. UK IAAF. posSIbly
AN later)
WhIle the US Industry develops ItS
own monopulse seeker for Sparro.....
the UK mdustry began such work In
1969. leading to a brilliant senes of
test flrmgs In November 1975 and
production delivery to the RAF by
BAe DynamiCS m 1978 Ongmally
XJ 521. and later named Sky Flash.
thiS rTlISSlIe IS a 7E2 WIth a completely
new MSOS homing head operating
In I band WIth Inverse procesSing by
aU-solid state mICroelectronICs The
warm-up time has been reduced
fromabOlJt 15sec to less than 2 sec
The short range of the baSIC 7E2 IS
considered acceptable for European
condllions_ though the 7F motor
could be fitted If needed The trlBls

programme from Pomt Mugu IS

Judged the most successful 01 any
AAM In h,story_ more than half
actually struck the target. often In
extremelydliflCult conditions of glint
or evasIVe manoeuvres_ while the
miss-distance of the remamder aver
aged about one tenth that of most
radar'gU1dedAAMs Moreover the
warhead IS Inggered by a deadly
EMI actrve-radar fuze placed behind
the seeker, the warhead being behind
the WIngs Sweden has adopted Sky
Flash as RB 71 lor the JA 37
Viggen Sky Flash IS earned by RAF
Phantoms In the InterceptIon role
and IS matched WIth Foxhunter radar
on the Tornado F 2 Interceptor Sky
Flash Mk 2 .....as unfortunately aban
doned by the Bntlsh government at
an advanced stage In early 1981
neatly destrOYing work whIch had
put the 8Ae/ MSDS team ahead of
the world Instead the Amencan
AMRAAM WIll be purchased
Selow: First test firing of a live
Slty Flash. from an F-4J Phantom
" of the US Navy at Point Mugu
in November 1975. Though
averything possible was done
t o confuse the missiles on test
the trials programme went
brilliantly.

Above : Two RB 71 Sky Flash '

AAMs can be seen on this
unpainted prototype S.ab
JA 37 Viggen. as well as two
RB 24 Sidewinder close-range
missiles. The Swedish
government has placed two
major Sky Flash contracts.

Below: To accommOdata two

pairs of Sky Flash missiles
nose-to-tail the fuselage of the
AOV Tomado i nterceptor was
lengthened by 4ft (1 .2m).
which in tum enabled internal
fuel capacity to be increased
for 4)S:-hour patrol missions.

57

AIR TO AIR
Mov'l'Igwmgs

Sparrow, AIM-7

':.0:" .,C0I11 1I'1uOU$rod

Race_ lor CW SARH

Origin : (AIM7E. 7F. 7MI Raytheon

Company. USA. With secood source
production (7F. M I by GO Pomona
and lIc:encemanulacture OF) by Mit
sub Ish.. Japan
Propulsion: (7E)Aerotetor Rock'M!l
Mk 52 Mod 2 PBIAP sohd motor.
t7F. MJ Hercules or Aerotet Mk 58
h,gh"mpulse sohel motor
Dimensions : Length IE. F) 144,n
(366Omm). 1M) 1451n (368Omml.
body diameter 81n (203mm). span
401n II O2OmmJ
Weight: At launch IE) 4521b
(205kg), IF. M) 5031b (228kg)
Perlormance : Speed (both) about
Mach 4. range (E) 28 mllesl44km)
IF. M) 62 miles I lOOkm)
Warhead : (E) 661b (30kg) con
MuOUS rod warhead. IF. M) 88lb
14Okg) Mk 71 advanced continuous
rod warhead. In each case With
prO)(lmlty and DA fuzes
Usen: IAAM use only) West Ger
many. Greece. Iran. Israel. Italy.
Japan. South Korea, Spam. Turkey,
UK (RAF). USA (AF. Navy, Mannes)
ConSIderably larger than other con
temporary Amencan AAMs, thiS
miSSIle ~t only progressed through
three lundamentallydilierent lamolles
each With a dliferent pnme con
tractor. but late In hie mushroomed
Into totany new verSions lor qUlte
new mlS$l()(lS as an A$M (Shnke
p (34)andaSAMltwQtypesolSea
Sparrow)
Sperry Gyroscope began the pro
gramme as PrOject Hot Shot In
1946. under US Navy 8uAer con
trac t By 1951 Sperry had a contract
lor full englneenng development 01
XAAMN 2 Sparrow I, and the suiflIC
I was added because by thaI time
there was already a Sparrow II The
first representatJve guided flight tests
took place m 1953 This miSSile was
a beam nder, WIth flush dipole aenals

around the body whICh pocked up

the SIgnals from the fIghter radar
beam (assumed to be locked on 10
the target) and drove the crUCiform
delta Wings to keep the miSSIle aligned
In the centre 01 the beam At the tall
were four flICed fins. Indexed m hne
With the Wings PropulSion was by
an AerOjet sobel moter. and misSIle
assembly took place at the Sperry
Farragut OIVlSlon whICh operated a
Naval Industnal Reserve plant at
Bristol. Tennessee
IOC was reached m July 1956.
and Sparrow I was soon serving In
the AtlantiC and PaCifIC Fleets. and
With the Manne Corps
In 1955 Douglas obtamed limited
funding for Sparrow II. as main
armament for the proposed F5D 1
Skylancer AmaZingly. however. the
company dod not SWitch to SAAH
guidance but to fully active radar
and thiS was tough In a miSSIle of 80n
t203mm) d.ameter. a figure common
to all Sparrows In mid 1956 the
Navy decided to terminate Sparrow
It. but It was snapped up by the
Royal Canadian Air Force as anna
ment for the Arrow supersornc Inter
ceptor After severe diffICulties
Premoer DlE!lenbaker
cancelled
Sparrow It on 23 September 1958.
and the Arrow ltsell the 100IoWing
February
Three years preVIOUSly Raytheon
had begun to work on Sparrow III
taklt'lg over the 8nsl0l plant In 1956
Sparrow III uses almost the same
airframe as Sparrow II but With
SARH guidance By the mlCl 19505
Raytheon had become one 01 the
most capable miSSile companies ..

Aulopolol

Ravlheofl doppler radar

Front closure 01 motor

Compact soIIdstate
ele<::trol1lCs

Hercull!$/AerOjeI Mk 56
hlgh"mpulse 50hd motor

IRe'~.~. aerial
Alloal Instrumentation funnel
881b {4Ol<g) Mk 71
contlnuousrod warhead

Increased-po'M:!!" hydraulIC servo controls

Above : Comp.rative cutaway. of AIM -7E (top) and AIM7FI7M ,

showi ng how i n today. Sparrow more compact guidance has
enabled the warhead to be moved ahead of the w i ngs. making
room for a new motor.

Right: Test firing of 8n AIM7F

Sparrow AAM from the seventh
development prototype FI A-18A
Hornet. whjch carries two on
the flanks of the mid-fuselage.

The Sparrow Family

AAMN-2 $pr-ow I

.......

A,AM-N-;J SpoorreM"

II

AAM-N-6 Sc>reM" III

A,AM N-6A/AIM 101

58

AIM-7A
AIM 78

AIM 7C

AIM 70

AIM 7E
AIM 7F

II1M7M

R.aar *'-'" no:Iong

I\ct_ radar homong
SARHCW
SAAHCW
SAAHCW
SAAH ON lOIod-scete
SARH ON soiod Slate

14OorI!356tn1
144on!366m}
144on(36&n1
144on1366m}
14.... !36&n1
144on!366m1
14!ow1 t3 &amI

'''.to

390ft 99m)
39m 10 99m)

4O!nll02... )
4O!n t1 02ml
lOon II 02"'1
4O!n t1 02 ... )
40m t1 Olml

Launch wI
31011j1 41k lll
42011 t191k1lJ
~P72k1l1

44C*1 (2OOk1l1
4521b 12O!>k1l1
5031> 12281<111
503Ib 122Skgl

R ~. .

,5 ..... 18 kml
25 ..... {40 kml
25 ..... 140 ...... 1
2S ..... (44 kml
62 ..... Cl00 kml

62 ..... ll00k ... 1

0;2.000

"00

'000

'.500

25000

,""".

3000

59

AlA TOAtA
.. posSIbly because Its background was
electroniCS rather than airframes It
bUltl up a miSSile engmeenng centre
at Bedford. Massachusetts. With a
test base al Oxnard ~not far from
Pomt Mugu ). California. production
of Sparrows was finally shared bet
ween Bnstol and a plant at South
lowell. near Bedford
Most of the airframe IS preciSion
cast light alloy Early Sparrow 111
misSiles had an AerOJet solid motor.
not cast Integral With the case. and
mtroduced CW gUidance AIM7C.
as It became. reached IOC In 195B
...... th Demons of the AtlantIC and
Pacific fleets AIM7D Introduced
the Thlokol ~ prevlously Reaction
Motors} prepackaged liQuid motor.
and was also adopted by the Air
Force m 1960 as AtMl0 l to arm

the FIla (later F-4CI Phantom All

fighter Phantoms can carry four
Sparrows recessed Into the underSIde
of the fuselage. With target IlIuml
nation by the APO-72, APO-loo.
APO 109. APQ 120, or APG59
~part of AWG 10 or III radar In
the Italian F-l04S Starflghter the
radar IS the Rockwell A21 G/H. and
In the F-1 4 Tomcat the povverful
Hughes AWG9 The AIM 7D was
also the baSIS for PDMS Sea
Sparrow
AIM 7E. the next verSIon (also
used m the NATO Sea Sparrow
system). uses the Aocketdyne free
standing sohd motor With Flexadyne
propellant (Mk 38). whICh glYeS a
slightly Increased burnout speed of
Mach 3 7 The warhead IS of the
conllnuousrod type. the exploSive

charge being wrapped In a tight

drum made from a continuous rod
of stainless steel which shatters Into
about 2.600 le thal fragments DA
and proximity fuzes are fitted Many
thousands of 7E miSSiles were used
In Vietnam by F4s. but. o'N,lng to
the polillCal constraints Imposed on
the Amencan fighters. were seldom
able 10 be 'Ired Accordmgly AIM
7E2 was developed With shorter
minimum range Increased power of
manoeuvre and plug In aerodynamIC
surfaces reqUlnng no lools The
AIM 7C. Dand E accounted for over
34.000 miSSIles
Introduced In 1977. AIM 7F has
allsoIld state gUidance. making room
for a more powerful motor_ the
Hercules Mk 5B. gl\llng further
enhanced flight speed and range. as

well asa larger (881b. 4Okg) warhead

Claimed to lock on reasonably well
against clutter up to 10 db. 7F IS
compatible With CW PO radars land
thus With the F 15 and F 18). and
has a conical-scan seeker head In
1977 GO Pomona was brought In
as second-source supplier and With
Raytheon IS expected to deltver about
19.000 miSSIles by 1985 split
roughly equally between the Navy
and Air Force, plus hoped for
exports
In 1982 both contractors SWitched
toAIM 7M. developed by Raytheon
ThiS hasan Inverse-processed digital
monopulse seeker generally Similar
to Sky Flash In gIVIng greatly 1m
proved results In adverse conditions
GOs first contract was for 690.
follOWing 3.000 of the 7F type

SRAAM
Origin ; Bntlsh Aerospace DynamICS.

UK
Propulsion ; Advaf"ICed solid motor
by IMI Summerfield ...... th control
actuation lsee text) by Sperry Gyro
scope Inow part of BAe)
Dimensions: 107 25m (2724mm).
body dlClmeter 6 51n (165mm)
Weight : Not published
Performance : TYPICal of lA-homing
dogfight miSSiles
Warh.ad : Not publiShed
User : Probably A&D only
Expel IE!lICe In Vl6tnam rammed home
the urgent need for close-range air
combat weapons HSD (now BAe
DynamiCs Group) put company
money Into a study of close-range
AAMs By 1970 the miSSile. named
Talldog. had been completely designed other than details of the
solid motor and IA seeker Later m
that year a small MoD contract was
recerved and development proceeded
under the name SRAAM (shortrange AAM ) The contract was ter
mmated In 1974. and replaced by a
lowkey technology-demonstratJon
programme to be undertaken With
out urgency and InvolVing merely
eight flnngs. from ground launchers
and a Hunter fighter The first shot
With guidance In April 1977 passed
Within lethal range of a difficult

60

target. tnggerlng the novel BAe

fuze Subsequent hnngs proved
SAAAMs unparalleled manoeuvra
blhty. which can Include a 90 turn
rmmedlately on ~aVlng the launcher
The objective of the deSigners.
abundantly achl6Ved. was to produce
a Simple AAM system. of low COSt.
that could be attached to any aircraft
Without needing mexMlCabOn of ElIther
the aircraft or launcher. to give the
pilot unprecedented SSKP In a
dogfight. while greatly reduCing hiS
workload. and to offer high snapshot lethality against targets In
prevK)us/y Imposstble SltuabQnS such
as crossing at minimum range
SRAAM IS Instantly available and
fired automallcally as soon as the
seeker acquires a target coming
Into view ahead It IS Wingless. and
carned In a lightweight tWin-tube
launcher whose adapter Shoe houses
the flre-control system The chosen
miSSile tube flicks open ItS nose
doors. fires the round. and closes
the doors to reduce drag The paSSIve
IA seeker commands the miSSile by
motor TVC In August 1977, when
A1M9L (p 52) was chosen for Bntl$h
use It was stated that SAAAM
would be kept alive to provide a
coherent deSign base An outstand
mgly successful Interception took
place on 1B August 1980. uSing

Above; BAe SRAAM test missile

as seen from trials Hunter.

V3Kukri

SWNelnozzle TVC and With four

motor-bleed tangential Jels for roll
control Much SAAAM knowledge
IS expected to go mto Asraam

Origin ; Armscor. South Afnca

Propulsion : 2-stage sollC! motor
Dimensions : length 115 751n
/2 94m). body diameter 51n
(127mm)
Weight : (at launch) 1621b 173kg)
Performance ; Speed Mach 2+.
range 1CXX)ft2 5 mlles(300-4OOOm1
Warhead : Fragmentation

Tirailleur
Dornler GmbH. West Germany
worked on thiS advanced dogfight
miSSile In 197780 Like BAes
SAAAM It featured body hft and In
one form motor TVe steenng Both
IR and miniature radar guidance
were Investigated

ThiS IR dogftght miSSile entered pro

ductJon In 1981 to arm SAAF
Mlragesand Impalas It has honzontal tandem canard controlsand single
delta canards In the vertical plane.
but no tall rollerons

61

Air-to-Surface
ASMs are the most d iverse of all classes o f missile.

ASMs used in the role of a deterrent to war . Just

The first in this catego r y. in World War 1. were

which of the West's or Warsaw Pact's ASMs are

steered by remote control aga inst enemy ships.

targeted on cities is classified. but this appears to be

which were attacked either by the missile's own

a task best left to ICBMs and SLBMs (submarine
warhead or by its release of a torpedo. In World War
launched BMs). Cities are neither transient nor
2 ASMs proliferated in size. warhead. guidance and
mobile and thus form an ideal target for such globalfunction. so that by the 19505 the diversity was
scale weapons. The ASM is almost always used for
already astonishing . Some were almost pilotless
more difficult targets such as bridges. rail or road
aeroplanes. laden with thermonuclear warheads
junctions. or an army on the march. In the West
that could destroy cities. Few of these are left.
great effort has also been made to plan ASMs for
though the USAF's cruise missile is at present
use against airfields. though airfields are as fixed in
judged capable of penetrating likely defences and
position as cities. and form an ideal sitting duck for
put a nuclear warhead on a particular chosen ICBM
quite simple nuclear missiles.
(intercontinental ballistic missile) silo. The Soviet
The author has never had the slightest doubt that.
Union still has a few large ASMs used in the longshould the Soviet leaders wish to take over Western
range anti-ship role.
Europe. their first move would be to eliminate
Far more numerous are the sea-skimmers. These
(totally) NATO airpower with a rain of nuclear
are missiles used only against surface ships. and
missiles on its airfields. NATO planning appears to
designed to fly just above the ocean surface to make
ignore this. and its own efforts against WP airfields
them more difficult to detect and shoot down (and
are centred around the difficult task of dropping
with the extra advantage that their guidance need
small bombs and mines on runways. taxi tracks and
steer them in one plane only. the up/down plane
hardened aircraft shelters. This is quite a challenge
often being ignored). Most sea skimmers can be
even on a fine day with no opposition. and to do it
fired from ships or submarines as well as from
for real is demanding much thought among ASM
aircraft. and they could have been separated in this
designers. who are offering such contrasting weapons
book into a chapter of their own were it not for the
as Durandal. JP.233 and MRASM.
fact that some also exist in other forms tailored to
MRASM. incidentally. is a new version of a cruise
land targets.
missile which in earlier models had a nuclear warhead.
Land targets come in many forms. The largest are
If NATO (but not the WP forces) choose to renounce
Fc"it::ie::S::'c.w.::..:h:.:i::C"hc.C::8:::.:
"-:b::e:...:t::8::.'.!!9::e::.te::::d-:b:.Y!...:.I:::.:
O "~9'--':.:.::":.:9!!::e-.:".::u=-C=-I::e::a::'_ _--r_ _"::..:u.::c.::le:::.::':....:w:e::.:p!:.::o.::"::s::.'-=.::s:....::th~e;y appear to be doing. they"
Target vessel
lockheed P3C launch illrCllIlt

.1

Seeker lock-on

Left : The flight profile of the

US Navy AGM--84A Harpoon is
typical of all air-launched antiship missiles. Turbojet propulsion
gives long range. enabling the
launch aircraft to stay out of
SAM range; next--generation
ASMs will have supersonic
ramjet engines.

r:==-:;::=::;;;::;;;~;:;:==~~Below:
Bttg,n I()w.leveI crUise

Harpoon on P-3C.

/
Ac:IMlte term,nal
radar seeker

62

63

II>

can hardly expect to win . MRASM, if put into

service. will have somehow to be carried into the air
from an airbase that has been converted into a
charred ruin by a nuclear missile. It must then fly
several hundred miles, close to the ground and considerably slower than defending fighters. and finally
fly with great precision down the centreline of a
runway whilst ejecting small bomblets, to cause a
row of craters. Does this make sense to a single
reader?
In contrast. an army on the march changes in
character and position continuously. and fixed
targeting is seldom worth while . No modern army is
going to offer juicy targets such as an entire
armoured division encamped at one place. or even
strung along a single road . The defending air force
has to maintain constant surveillance. enjoy the best
electronic-warlare capabilrty (in all respects. communi cations, radars. countermeasures. position-fixing.
decoys. spoof. IFF. signal intelligence. the lot) that
money can buy. and have weapons that can fly by
themselves not just on enemy targets but on the
selected enemy targets that matter most.
We in the West are a long way from having this
capability. Most of our weapons are plain 'iron
bombs' and unguided rockets. A few are ASMs with
some form of command steering. A much smaller
number have automatic homing on to target IR.
while if the target can be illuminated by a friendly

laser (aimed by a defending soldier or aircraft) it can

attract a so-called smart bomb which flies down to
the source of the light diffused away from the
target. But future battlefields are no place for
aircraft. ASM designers have for years tried to
create fire-and-forget '(oI'eapons which. once launched.
find their own way to the target while the aircraft
tries to return to its (nuclear blasted?) base.
Much of the effort on SOMs (stand-off missiles)
has gone into guidance systems for steering towards
a fixed target. Among the methods being used are
pure inertial navigation. active mapping by radar or
TV. terrain-comparison (called terrain-profile matching
or terrain-contour matching). IIR (imaging IR) and
digital scene-matching area-correlation which is a
computerized way of comparing the scene viewed
by the missile with 'scenes' stored in the ASM
computer . None is the slightest use against an
armoured division . Anti-tank missiles are covered in
a separate chapter. but most of those weapons are
fired by helicopters or slow aeroplanes and fly to
their targets over substantially horizontal line-ofsight trajectories. ASMs also exist which pick out
vehicles, especially tanks. from overhead. Vet other
anti-armour. or anti-army, weapons are fired from
defending ground launchers (including artillery) and
home on targets iIIuminatitd or 'designated' oy laser
light or radar waves aimed by friendly aircraft
which do not themselves carry weapons .

Below: Maverick has been produced in mo re versions and

greater quantity than any other tactical ASM . Here an early test
AGM-66A with sUlta iner burning impacts an obsolete AFV target.

Below: An active-radar ASM

has itl own guid ance radar with
which it homes on its target.

/
, ."
.
.' .'

........
.......

<.:n0li!l1i!!'~i>~"'''
Below: Smart weapons home on
laser light from a target
designated by a laser aimed by
ground forces or other aircraft.

Abo ve: Radio-co mma nd ASM s

are s teered by a human operator
using a variety of method s.

.........
..
... ..

~:"-"-'; '--'---9"L3~
65

fR TO SURFACE

ADSM
Origin : GO Pomona USA
Propulsio n : Similar to. or denved
from. that of Stinger high thrust
launch motor and main body sustain
motor lsee MlMS P 38)
Dimensions : Not defined but rather
longer and heallier than Stinger
POST isee MlMS p 38,
Weight: At launch. about 30Jb
(136kg)
Performance: Not defined
Warhead : Modlhed from that of
8GT Viper
U..r s : Expected eventuallV to m
elude most NATO countrieS
AOSM ia.r-defence suppres5lOn
mlSSllel. IS a further vaflant of the
Infantrv fored Stinger SAM. and uses
the same helicopter or fixed wing
launch mstallalJOn as MlMS The
miSSile Itself differs In ha\llng an
extended nose guidance secloon With
the POST (paSSIve optICal seeker
technique) modified to use two

colour IA plus broadband RF aerials

In two prOjectong probes eJo.tendlng
well ahead of the glass seeker cover
The RF target deSignation system
prolfldes radar warnmg to the pilot
of hOstile radiating targets and cues
the paSSIve miSSile guidance on to
that target Thecompletedual mode
seeker had been fuftV tested bV mid
1982. but furxllng for full develop
men! was stili being sought ADSM
coukl be carned In groups of four bV
all tactICal aircraft a normal load
being eight or 16
Right upper : Hughes 500MD
anti-tank Defender with mastmounted sight. Black Hole
Ocarina IR-suppressing jetpipes
and ADSM boxes in place of antiarmour weapons.
Right : ADSM has a dualguidance head and the Viper
warhead .

Alarm
Among many other POsSlb'llltes
wtllCh Include RPVs used In !he
harassmenl role. 8 nbsh Aerospace
DynaflllCsand MSDS(MarcOfll5pace
and Defence Systems) are attemptmg
to develop the Alarm (air launched
anll rad~bon mISSl~). Inillaliv to meet
8nllsh AI( Staff Target 1228 Sky
Flash prO\llng fract,onallv too small
to use as a baSiS. a sl,ghtlv larger
miSSIle has been deSigned. but Sb
conSlderablV lighter than the US
Harm. and thus capable of being
C8rned In multiple bV tactICal aircraft
In addition to a normal InterdIC tion
paVload (for example three rounds
on each outboard pylon 01 Tornado)
Configura bon appears 10 resemble
that of Sky Flash but With a larger
body and conSlderablv smaller 'Mngs
and tall (because lIIoIent manoeuvres
are not requoredl It has been reparted
that the weapon IS fired as the
aircraft approaches defended air
space. looms up under the power of
Its two stage solid motor to 4(l(l(X)lt
f 12 2km) and then pitches over to
POInt nose down the whOle lime

66

under Simple Slrapdown lI"lertlal

guidance It then fallsslowlv under a
drogue parachute whilSt searching
a large area for hOSll1e emillers The
long search time ensures that every
defence system In the area WIll be

detected The advanced micro

processor analyses the received
Slgnalsand selects the most Important
target. the parachute IS then Jet..
soned. the WIngs and tall flICk open
and the mlSSlIe homes at high speed
on to the selected radar There are
several features In whICh Alarm IS
ahead of all compelJng sYStems. but

deSPite ItS very large export potenbal

the Bri tish MoD IS also studvlng the
US Harm system and IS expected to
choosebetweenthembyApnl1983
Below: BAe mock-up of Alarm
with Martel, Sea Eagle, Sky
Flash and SRAAM . Note
comparative dimensions.

AIR TO SURF-ACE

ALCM, AGM-86B
Origin : BoeIng Aerospace Co USA
Propulsion : One Wllhams Fl07
101 turbofan Wlth sea level ratIng
of 600b 1272kg' stat.c thrust
Di mensions: With wings lallplane
extended. length 20ft 91n 16 32m)
bodydlametef 24 5tnI62Omml. span
12ft ,366m1
Weight: At laurch 28251b I I 282kgl
Perlormaoce: CrlM5e speed 5CX)nph
805kmJh) range. varoesw.th prof,1e
up to 1.500 miles (25(X}1(m)
Warhead : WOO thermonuclear as
orlg,nally developed for SRAM B
User: USA tA,r Force!
Today potentJally one of the most
Important weapons In the Wests
Inventory. AlCM fAir Launched
CrUIse MIsSIle) was presented by
PreSident Carter asa new Idea when
he term,nated 8 I as a bomber. he
ellen said B 1 had been developed
In absence of the cruise miSSIle
factor whose presence In 1976
made the bomber unnecessary ThiS
IS SImply not true The cruIse mISSIle
never ceased to be studied from
1943. and -apart from such USAF
examples as Mace and Snark It
was crUise m'SSlle Studies In 1963
66 that led to AGM 86 SCAD (Sub
sonIC CruISe Armed Decoy) approved
by DoD In July 1970 ThIS was to
be a miniature a.rcraft powered by a
Wllhams WR 19 turbofan, Launched
by a 8 52 when some hundredS of
miles short of maiO( targets Like
QuaIl. SCAO was to confuse and
dIlute hostIle defences but the fact
that some or all would carry nuclear
warheads-by 1963 small enough
to such ~1C1es - meant that SCAD
could do far beuer than Oua,1 No
longer could the enemy Ignore the
decoys lind w811 and see whICh were
the bombers E\lefy SCAD had to be
engaged. thus reveahng the loca\Jons
and operating frequencIes of the
defence Sites whoet"l could be hit by
surw/lng SCADs SRAMs or ARMs
SCAD was to be InstallallOf"la Iy ,nler
changeable With SRAM. With a maXI
mum fange of around 750 mIles
I 1207kml SCAD ran ,nto tough
Congressional OppoSItion but the
USAF knew what ,t was about and In
1972 recaSI Ihe protect as ALCM

retalnmg the deSlgnatJon AGM eGA

SCAD had had only a secondary
attack function. but ALCM IS totally
a nuclear delivery vehICle. and hke
SRAM has the abIlity to multiply
each bombers targets and Increase
defence problems by approaching
from any dlrecbon along any kmd of
prof,le Compared WIth SRAM It IS
much eaSIer to Intercept. beIng Larger
and much slower. but It has con
Siderably greater range and allows
the bomber 10 stand off at distances
of at least 1.000 miles (l609km)
The angInal AGM 8GA ALCM was
rnterchangeable WIth SRAM. so that
a B 52G or H could carry eight on
the Inlernal rotary launcher plus 12
externally. and an FB lilA four
externally plus two mternally (though
the Laner aIrcraft has ne .....r been
named as an AlCM carner) nils
Influenced the shape. though not to
the mlssrles detnment. and neces
Sltate(l folding or retractmg Wings.
tall and eng,"e air Inlet duct 806,"g
who won SCAD and earned across
toALCM Witnou t furthercompetJtJOn.
based AlCM .....ry closely on SCAD
but Increased the fuel capacity and ..
Below: AGM-86B No 10 (the last
of the ten launched in the 1979
fly-off).

Abo ..... : Before building production ALCMs Boeing Aarospace had

to make 20 perfect dummy AGM-86Bs. with correct mass
distribution. to establish compatibility with the 8 -52G.

f,'

68

63

.. the sophiStiCation of the gUidance.

With a LlIlon Inertial platform UonaUy
chosen as the P 1000) and computer
14516C). up::iated progresSl~ly when
over hostile territory by McDonnell
Douglas Ten:om (DPW 23) In 1976
the deciSion was taken to aim at
maXimum commonahty with AGM
109 Tomahawk. but the gUidance
packagesarenotldentJCal Theengone
on both miSSIles IS the Williams F 107
of approximately 600Ib 1272kgl
thrust. but In totaAydlfferent vef$lOl'lS
the AlCM eng'l'Ie 15 the F 107 10 1.
With accessones underneath and
different starling system from the
Dash 4OO0iAGM 109 Thewarhead
IS WOO. Irom SRAM B
AGMB6A f,rsl flew at WSMR on
5 March 1976 Many of the early
fbghts failed one undershot ,ts target
by a mile because ,ts tankage had
been underfllled l _. but by the Sixth
shot most objectives had been attained
and 1977 was spent ch'efly In
ImpfOVlng commonality With Navy
AGM 109. In pt'eparatlon for some
thing unloreseen untJl that year a
!lyoff aga,nSIAGM 109 Tomahawk
In 1979 10 decide whICh to buy for
the B 52 force II was commonly
said Boeing were tOld to make
AGM 86A short on range to allOtd
compellng With the B' In fact no
more fuel could be accommodated
and sllll reta,n compatlb,lIty With
SRAM launchers and '1'1 1976
Boeing pt"oposed an underbellyauXi
hary fuel tank for m'SSlles earned
externally
A beller answer was to throw
away dimenSIOnal compatlb,hty With
SRAM and develop a conSiderably
stretched m'SSlle, called AGM 868
ThiS has a luselage more than 30 per
cent longer. hOUSing luellor double
the range Wllh a given warhead
Other changes Include wing sweep
reduced to 25 thermal batlerf6S
IOf on board electncal power. all
welded sealed tankage. Improved
aVioniCS coohng and 10 year shell
I"e PreSIdent Carter S dec'Slon to
cancel the 8 'In June 1977 opened
the way for Boeong 10 promote Ih,s
longer miSSile. whICh ccold SI,1I be
earned externally under the w'ngs
of a B 52 but would not have Iitled
mlotheweaponbaysofaB 1 From
July 1979 Boe,ng 5 AGM B68 was
engaged tn ally 011 aga,nst GO's

AGM 109 ReSUlts were hardly ,m

preSSlVE!, each m'SSI e los,ng four out
01 ten .n crashes QUite apart Irom
olher mISSlonre~ted laolures. but
after a long delay Ihe USAF an
nounced choICe 01 8oe,ng on 25
March 1980 A month later ,t was
announced that the USAF Navy jOint
managemenl was d'ssolved and that
the USAF Systems Command would
solely manage 19 follow on test
fI'ghts '" 1980 and subsequent
pt'oduct,on 01 3,4 18 miSSiles by
1987 The f,rst two rounds aSSIgned
to SAC JOined the 416th BW at
GnffissAF8 In January 1981 Since
then about hall the 169 operational
B 52G bombersha~beenconverled
to carry up 10 12 rounds each. In
IWO tandem triplets. and In 1982
PreSident Reagan Increased the buy
to 3.780 miSSIles by 1990 to permit
96 B 52H bombers to be eQUIPped
also From 1986 the Internal bomb
bays are to be rebUilt by Boeing
WlCh,la 10 permit each aorcraft to
carry a further eight rounds on an
Internal rotary launcher Each 8
52. alter converSIOn. Will have a
permanendy attached wIng rool
strakelet ViSible In satellite piCtures
as demaflded by SALT II prOVISIonS
The pre loaded Wing pylons WID be
earned only In Irme of emergency
The prodUCl1Ofl BIB Will carry
the same eoght barrel rotary launcher
as the rebu"t 8 52. afld except fex
the I.rst few a'rcralt w.1I also carry a

Above : Test launch of a live AGM -86B from a B-62G of SAC. The
missile is just unfolding its wings after dropping from the pylon
under the left wing of the bomber (no right pylon fitted) .
lurlher 14 on e'ght external racks
making a tOlal of 22 1115 unhkely on
present planning that any other
alrcrall In any NATO air lorce WI!'
carry the ALCM lhough there Y"l'()!Jid
be no technical d,lloeulty

~
bom~::nd 1,~:nCh'''_'~'"<":d:";'}'S\I,)J.~~'

Below: AGM -86B showing the

large internal fuel capacity which
unfortunately destroyed
compatibility with existing B-52

deckmg
UmbnlCal receptaCle

,,'

, ...... e

""

de. ~~"' ~E:~'~

__

0/

. ~tJ

::)4\
W

"'\;:l:::;;;:,T"ermal
f
banerl8S

AlA TO SUAFACI

ANS
shows, It w,11 have ramjet propulSion
to proVIde the four times hogher thrust
needed to cru.se at wave top heIght
at tWIce the speed of say EI(ocet
MBB may manage the Ol(vgen lean
luel graIn contaonlng boron The
radar WIll have a digital processor

Above; Proposed ANS configuration; the four air intakes are to

ensure a symmetrical flow to the ramjet's combustion chamber.

more advanced aeroplane conflgu

ratIOn than the precedIng -and
now obsolete -AS I and IS con
Slderablylarger, theTu 16BadgerC
C8JTy1f'1g one fTWSSIle on the centreline
recessed Into the weapon bay Pro
pulSIOn IS by a turbolet. posSIbly a
Lyulka AL 5 In a short pod under
slung 8t the rear In appearance thiS
mISSIle family resembles Hound Dog
but IS utterly dlfferef'l\ In miSSIOn It
being Intended to attack mOVIng
targets with large radar SIgnatures
GUIdance probably duplicates that
of AS I the new miSSile merely
IncreaSing thght performance al'ld
payload Thus It IS beheved to have
srnp!e autopilot I1'IId course gUIdance
1..11"1111 when m lone at SIght distance

01 a shIp (posSlbty other) target It

could home by Its own actIVe radar'
The warhead IS conventIonal and
very large CruIsIng speed has
generally been estimated at Mach
1 2, at hIgh altitude

Above: One of the fey.t available

illustrations showing the large
cruise missile known to NATO
as AS2 Kipper. It has just
started its turbojet engine. Final
dive will be at Mach 2 +.

long Instrument boom at the bottom

01 the nose, Idenbcal aerodynamoe
controls and the same fuselage
structure, and the ventral lIn at the
rear resembles that 01 the earlier
Mlkoyan Ve 50 prototype The tIPS
of the ta,lplane have anti flutter pods
SImilar to those flown on the MIG 19
fighter but not fitted to Ve 2 AS 31s
commonly descnbed as 'operatIOnal
Since 1960' but was not seen In

sefVICe until 1963 The main puzzle

IS how It steers Itself to ItS target
because though ,t IS easy to see how
radIO command/autoPilot guidance
could carry rt up to lBOmtles (29Okml
from the launch aircraft despite
cruiSing al Mach 2 WIth lull aher
burner. the ult.mate range IS put by
the 000 at 350n m . or 404 m.les
1650kml beyond the Visual hanlon
A nuclear warhead IS assamed and
thiS suggests Inertial or prepro
grammed gUIdance against CIIieS
ports and Slm.lar large ftl(ed targets

The Anti Nall!re SuperSOf'loQue ISUper

sonIC anI. warshIp ) 's a new lO,nl
programme bv Aerospatlale and
MBB .n 1982 the french al'ld
Wesl German governmen~s were
prepanng an agreement IOf full
scale development As the draw,ng

AS-2Kipper
Origin : SoVIet Unoon
Propulsion : One turbojet. believed
to be a Lyul ka AL 5F rated at about
12.CXXlIb 15450kgl
Dimensions : Length about 31ft
t9 5m!. bodydlCln'leter 354m 109m)
span 161tl4 88m!
Weight: At launch, about 10.OOOIb
14500kg)
Performance: $peed. generally con
sldered to be marg,nally supersonoe
IMach 1 21. range est,mated from
132 to 350 mIles 1200560kml
Warhud : Generally believed to be
convenbonal. c 2,2001b IleX>Okgi
User: SoVIet Unoon
First seen at the 1961 SoVIE!tAVI8toon
Day display, thiS large ASM has a

AS-3 Kangaroo
Origin : SoViet Unoan
Prepubian: One aiterburnong turbo
j6t. poSSIbly a Tumanskll R II or
R 13 rated at about 15.OOOIb
,68<XlkgJ

Dimensions: length about 481t lion

149m!, body d,ameter 72 Sn
11 85m). span 3Of1{9 14ml
Weight : At launch. about 220001b
110000kgl
Performance : Speed about Mach
1 8 range est.mated at 400 m.les
t650kml
Warhead : Thermonuclear. nuclear
or {unllkelyl very large conventIonal
5,07Qlb (2300kgl
User : SoViet UnIon
ThIS mISSile was also d,sclosed at the
1961 Sovoet AViation Dav d,splay
when one was carr,ed Iowovtlrhead
by a Tu20 lTu 951 Bear bomber

72

ThIs partoeular Installat,on was prab

ably a lull scale model to prove
alrcralt compatlblhly. the vehicle
lacked many features seen In the
actual rT'llSSlie, and a streamlined whote
nose appeared to be a temporary
fairing torm,ng part at the a.rcraft
Th.s lalrong IS absent trom some of
the so called Bear Band C camer
aircraft, many, II not all, 01 whIch
belong to the AV MF the SoViet
Naval Air force The miSSile IS aero
dynamcaUy SimIlar to Mach 21.ghters
01 the m,d 19505 and could well
have been based on the Ye 2A
faceplate by the Mlkovan bureau
ThIS was powered by a Tumanskll
R 11 two shalt alterburnlng lurt>o,el
rated at 112441b t5100kg). al'ld
thIS I,ts the m'SSIIe perfectly AS 3
has el(8ctly the same wtng Circular
nose In!at. small conoeal centrebody.

Below: AS-3 Kangaroo is released

from a BearB.

73

AlA TO SURFACE

AS-4 Kitchen
Origin : SoVIet Union
Propulsion : Rocket_ believed to be
liquid propellant
Dimensions: Length. about 37ft
," 3m1. bodydrameler35 4.n 109m)
span about 9ft 1()n 13m)
Weight: At launch. about 13.(XX)Ib
159OCl1tgi
Performance : Speed up to Mach
3 5 at high altitude. range varl8ble up
to 286 m,les (46Okm) on all high
altitude profile
Warhe.d : Nuclear 350 kilOton or
large conventional. 2200b
, 10000g)
User : SovIet Urnon
Yet another disclosure at the 1961
SoVlet AWltlon Day fly past was thiS
much more advanced and highly
supersonIC ASM . earned recessed
under the fuselage of one of the ten
Tu 22 Bbnder SUpersonIC bomber!
recOOl"l1l1ssancealrcraft that took part

This a'rcraft dubbed Blinder B by

NATO. had a larger nose radome.
and other changes. as have several
other Tu22s seen In released photo
graphs Most a,rcraft of th.s sub type
have the outl,ne of the AS 4 rntSSoIe
.... soble on the,r multi-foldIng weapon
bay doors. but the mISSIle appears
seldom to be earned today and In any
ease most remalnmg Tu22s are of
other verSiOOS, selVlng With the ADO
and AV MF The miSSIle Itself has
slender delta Wings. a crUCiform tall
and. almost certanv. a liquid propellant
rocket Prolonged dlscuS$lOfl In the
West has faded to arrrve at any
degree of certainty concernmg the
guidance. though the general con
sensus IS tha t It must be merbal
possibly With mid course updatmQ by
a Tu95 or other platform A hOnM9
system IS obviously needed for rTlCMng
targets SUCh as stups Both verSions
of the SW1ng Wing Tu22M Backf,re

Below: An excellent Swedish photograph of a Backfire-B (which

deliberately posed for the purpose) carrying an A5-4 Kitchen .

multi-role platform are believed to

have earned this m'SSlIe. probably In
AV MF sefVICe SurprlSingly_ AS 4
has been seen on these new bombers
frequently_ whereas the later AS 6
has been seen more often on aged
Tu 16 Badgers

Above : Looking up at the AS-4

Kitchen recessed into the
weapon bay of a Backfire.
There are several types of this
minile; this one is carried
further forward than the
different species seen below.

AIR TO SURFACE

AS-5 Kelt
Origin: SoViet Unton
Propulsion : Single stage hQuld
propellant rocket With pump feed
Dimensions: length about 281t3n
i8 6m). body dtameter 35 41f1 109m!.
span 15ft (4 57ml
Weight : At launch, about 6,6CX)Ib
l3000kg)
Performance : Speed Mach 1 2 al
h'gh altltude IsubsonIC at low level).
range up to 143 miles 1230kml at
high altltude f112 miles, 180km, at
low altitude)
W.rhead : Convenllonal 2,200b
11000kg)
Users: Egypt Sovtet Union

paSSive IR homing, haVlngcruosed to

the VlClnoty of the target on autoplOt.
With rn'tl8l radio-command corree
tlons By the early 1970s deliveries
are thought to have eeeded I.oex).
all 01 Ihem carned by the soealled
Badger G This launch platform has
the same pylons as the Badger B
and a nose nalllgatOf compartment

In the earlv 1970s about 35 of

these aircraft. plus missiles. >Nere
supploed to the EgyptJ<ln air force
poss-bly With 5ov1et crews and
specialist tradesmen In the Yom
KIppur war In October 1973 about
25 missiles were launched as!8,nst
Israeli targets According to the
Israelis 20 were shot down en
rou te, at least one by an F 4 five
penetrated the defences A supply
dump was one of the targets hit

but at least two AS 5s homed auto

matlcally on to the emiSSions Irom
Israeh radar StationS All the miSSiles
were released at medium height 01
some 29.5OOIt (9(X)Qm). reaching
a speed of about Mach 0 95. ,n the
denser air at low level speed fell to
about 085
Below: Ageing Tu-165 of the
Egyptian air force continue to
tote their A5-S Kelt ASMs.

--~----------------~

Frrst seen In a released phOtograph

01 September 1968. shOWing one 01
these miSSiles under Ihe Wing of a
Tu 16. AS51s based on the airframe
of AS 1 and some may even be
rebUilds In place of Ihe turboletand
nose to tall duct there IS a rocket
With extensIVe ~Quldpropellanl tank
age In the nose '5 a large radome
SuperfICl8l1y the nose and under
body falnng appear to be Ident.calto
those 01 the shiP launched SS N 2
Styx and ASS thus IS credited With
the same chotce of actlve radar Of

AS-6 Kingfish
Origin : SoVIet UnIon
Propulsion : Rockel motor said by
US 000 to be SOlid propellant
Dimensions: length about 33ft
(1C>n). bodydoameter 35 4,n I09nl)
span about 98rn (25m)
Weight: At launch. about II ,()()QIb
(5OCX)kg)
Performance : Speed IDoOesllmate).
Mach 3 at high attItude. range 1000)
155350 miles 1250 560km)
Warhead : Nuclear 350 kilotons or
22051b 11CXX)kg) convenllonal
User: SoViet Ur1Jon
At f.rst thought to bea development
of AS 4 thiS completely new miSSIle
gradually was reassessed as Ihe I"st
SoVIet ASM publICly known that
oilers precISIon guidance over long
ranges It '5 51111 largely an enigma In
the West but has a very large

76

fuselage With pernted nose. low

aspect ralJo delta Wings and Qu.te
sma. aircraft type tall controls The
fin ,sabove the body. whereasrnAS
4 It 's on the underSIde PropulSIOn rs
by an advanced rocket. and key
features of AS6 are much higher
fI,ght performance and dramatICally
better accuracy than any preVIous
SoVIet ASM It clearly reflects vast
advances In mertlal gUIdance and
nuclear warhead deSIgn, and II IS
generally believed to possess lenrunal
hommg According to the 000 one
verSion has an actlve radar, while

another homes on enemy radar

Signals Area correlat,on has been
suggested as a third lunconhrmed)
posSibility Development appears to
have been protracted and though
rePOl""ted prior to 1972 AS 6 was
stili not.n Wide servtCe In 1975 By
1977 It was earned under the wmgs
of both the Tu 16 BadgerG and

Tu 22M Backfire User serw:es car

lamty Include the AV MF and
possibly the ADD launched at about
36.((X)It 110973m) the mI$$lle cImbs
raPIdly to about 59,{)(X)ftI17 9831'n)
for cruise at about Mach 3 It finally
dives on Its target. Of ,t can approach
Just abOve the sea Of surface of the
land

-'

Right: It is curious that most

of the A5-6 Kingfish so far
seen have been carried not by
Backfires but by Badgers. This
Badger-G was photographed
by a Japanese F-86 in 19n.
7

AIR TO SURFACE

AS-7 Keny
Origin : SoVIet Union
Propulaion : Rocket. said by Doi) to
be SIngle stage sohel propellant
Dimensions : No est mates yet
published
Weight: At launch (DoD est,matel
2,6451b f1200kg\
Perfonnance: Speed. Mach 1 range
up to 6 8 miles (11km)
WerhNd : (DoO)conwntlOl'lCll. 220b
( l00kg)
UHr : SoVIet Union. probably other
countries soon
Though the SoVIet Uno()(l has clearly

been testing tactical ASMs for at

least 20 years. not one IS known to
have entered sel'VlCe until the late
1970s. a very strange lact AS7
was stili almost completely unknown
In the West In 1983. though for
almosta decade It has been reported
to be carned by the Su 24 Fencer
and It IS probably part 01 the armament
of the MIG 27 and several other FA
(Frontal AVIation) types Guodance
was oroglnally thought to be radio
cammaro, an outdated method whICh
normaly requITes the directing aircraft
to lOiter In the VICinity of the target
In 1982 the DoD Opinion was that
AS 7 IS a beam rider, though whether
the beam IS radar or laser has not
been divulged The traditional form
01 beam-ndlng guidance IS a most
odd chOice fOf a miSSile Inlended to
attack battlefield targets
As thiS book goes to press II
appears safer to regard the question
of guidance as unknown According
10 some reports It IS carned by the
Yak 36MP Forger. ,1'1 thiS case pre
sumably against shiP targets

AS-8
Origin : SoVIet Umon
Data : Not available
As yel not pubhdyassocl3ted With a
NATO reporMg name, thiS 's said to
be afire and lorgel miSSile to be
earned by aU SovIet al~k helcopters
such as the socal!ed Hind 0 version
of M,24 and the A 10' gunship
Descnbed as Similar to the Amencan
Hellfire .t IS reported to have a SOld

78

AS-X-'O
rocket motOf. paSSJVerad.a\l()(l seeker
(Hellfire hasa seeker thai homes on
laser radlallon) and range of 56'.
miles (8 lOkm) at a Ihght Mach
number of 0 5 0 8 ICC was ap
parently achieved In 1977 'Nhen AS
8 m<SSlles began to appear on M, 24
units In East Germany

AS-X-9
Origin : SoViet Umon
Data : Not available
Onglnally reported asan ARM lantl
radar miSSile) With a rocket motor
for use from the Su 24 and Similar
FA tactICal aircraft. AS X 9 (called
AS 9.n some 1982Amencan reports.
IndICating that It IS now Judged to be
In combat serVICe) IS now known to
be a large cruise type weapon earned
by the Tu 22 Bbnder and Tu 16
Badger and almost certainly by lhe
Tu 22M Backfire Recent DoD assess
mentsdescnbe Itasa Winged we31XlO
Wlth air breathing (probably turbojet)
propulSion. With a range 01 62 miles
1 lQ()km)at Mach 0 8and carrymg a
3301b ( 15Okg) warhead Olher re
ports give It an even greater range of
124 miles l2CX)km). whICh probably
Implies autopilot or strapdown Inertial
mid COUf!II! gudano::e before the seeker
head locks on to a SUitable emitting
target

Origin : Soveet Union

Oete : Not available
Another of the Virtually ut\known
ASMs which have prOliferated ,1'1 US
reports In the past few years_ thiS IS
said to be an EO homing (semi
active laser) preciSIOn miSSile. With a
length of IOfI (3m!. and a range of
62 m<les( 10km)at Mach 0 80n the
thrust of a solid rocket motor Such
a low speed seems odd fora weapon
With such gUidance Intended to
penetrate targets whICh are likely 10
be defended by modern weapons.
and like the rest 01 the 'data should
be Viewed With suspoclon Carner
aircraft are said to Include the MIG
27, Su-17 and Su 24

AS-U,

-'2

These are reported by the US DoD

to be Improved verSions 01 AS 9. an
ARM. With dillerent homing heaqs
and ,"creased llight performance

AS-X?
Origin : SoVIet Union
oete : NOI available
Also called ATASM. for Advanced
Tac\JCal ASM, thiS weapon IS said to
be a larger version of AS X 10 With
lnerbal Of command mid course guld

ance and EO homing over the last

pari 0 1 ItS miSSIon 01 up 10 25 miles
140km) at high subsonIC speed Pre
sumably It Will become AS XII to
the 000 and receive a NATO name

AS-X?
Origin : SoViel Union
Data : Not available
ThiS crUise miSSIle With a range of
500 miles (800km) at Mach 35
Iclearly lnchcallve of air breathing
propuJSIOI'I) IS sad to be m advanced
developnlent as a replacement IOf
AS 6 Klngf.sh

AS-X?
Origin : SoVleI Un,on
Data : Not available
POSSibly the result of lI'ldeclSion over
the true range of It}e preceding
weapon. thiS air brealhmg crUise
miSSile IS said to have a range 01745
miles (1200km) and to be Intended
fOf the earners of DA ILong Range
AViation) such as the Bear and
Backfire
Balow: Though not positively
identified as A5-7 Kerry. the
missikt on the glove pylon of
this Su-17 is probably it.

AIR TO SURFACE

AS.2L
Origin : SNI Aerospatlale. France
Propulsion : SNPE solid motor (modi
fled Roubalx or Lampyre) WIthout
boost charge
Dimensions : Length 94 51n (24m).
body diameter 6 310 (l64mm). span
(Wings) 196910 (5CXJmm)
Weight : ApprQx 1321b 16Okg)

Performance : Speed about Mach

I 6, range vanable to about 4 miles
(65kmj
Warhead: Not announced (different
from Roland)
User : Not yet marke ted
ThiS proposed miSSile IS based on

the Roland SAM, but may eventually

dIVerge trom Roland In many respects
Though the Roland IS a product 01
Aerospali<lle and MBB It IS purely a
French prOject The deSignation.
somellmeswnltenAS LL.lsfromAlrl
Sol Leger Laser (air tosurlace light
weight laser). but from 1981 was
seldom used. because shortage of
funds IS keeping the programme In
a study phase The gUidance IS

closely Similar to thaI of AS 30Land

variOus French 'smart bombs' wllh
the ThomsonCSF Anel seeker head
Compared WIth Roland, AS 2L would
have a different airframe with fixed
wings and fms. no boost motor, and
completely different gUidance By
mid 1982 alter SiX years 01 study
there was no commitment from
either government and the prag
ramme seems 10 be monbund

AS."
Origin : SNf Aerospatiaie. France
Propulsion : SNPE boost/sustain
solid motor
Dimensions: Length 47 6m
(121Omml. body diameter 631n
(164mmL span 19 691n (5OOmm)
Weight :Atlaunch 65 91b (29 9kg)
Performance : Speed 360mph
(580km/h). range 1.640-10.OOOIt
(0 53km)
Warhead : ChOICe of Type 14QO.P02
detonates 5 721b{2 6kg)chargealter
penelrallllg 4m (IOmm) armour
14OAC. hQllowcharge whICh PIerces
24rn(6IQmm)armour,or 14QO.P59
contact fuzed fragmentatIon
Users: Have Included France. UK.
USA (deSignation AGM 22A) and
26 other countries

tflals 01 an alrlaunched verSion

were undertaken In France WIth
AlOuette 115 and In Bntam USing
TWIn Ptoneers.ln 1958 Theweapoo
system IS SImilar to thatol the SS I I
but needs a stabiliZed slghl and
prelerably an Image IntenSifier or
olher magllllYlng all weather vIsion
system CarneralfcraftlncludemOSI
verSions 01 Alouelle and Gazelle. the
Bntlsh Army Scout Navy/Mannes
Wessex and vanous STOL aeroplanes
Though now obsolescent. AS 1 1
has been l!fed In at least 12 wars' or
other local conflicts. poSSIbly a record
for anyASM

Above: Demonstration launch of AS.11 from an Alouette III. In

this view the helicopter's roof-mounted stabilized sight can be seen.

Derived from Ihe SS II army antI

tank miSSile. AS II IS one of the
oldest miSSIles stili In operation
Onglnallydeveloped by NOfdAVI8I!On
10 19535asType5210.lthasbeen
slightly Impmved over the years.
notably by the IIltroductlon 01 the
AS I IB 1 With tranSlstonzedClfcults
and optional TCA semlautomatlC
IA based gUidance. In 1962. and It
stayed In production at AElrospallale
(Into which Nord was merged) until
late 1980 WIth dellvefles exceedmg
179.000 of all verSions The first
Right : An informative picture
of the missile installation of an
Alouette III light helicopter of
the French ALAT (army light
aviation) . There are 4 launch
units. AS 11 missiles being
loaded on the outer pair. The
replacement is the Hot missile
which is launched from an
Aero spatiele Gazelle.

80

81

AIR TO SUAFACE

AS 2
Origin : SNI Aerospat,ale. France
Propulsion: SNPE boosVsusta,n SOld
moto<
Dimensions : Length 73 g,n
(187OmmJ, body diameter (max at
warhead) S 251n 121Omm), span
25 61n (65Omm)
Weight : At launch 168lb i16k.g~
Perform.nce : Speed 210mph
(338k.m/hJ. range max Imeasured
relative to Earth) 5 m,les (Skm)
W.rheed: Usually OP. 3C, explodes
63b (28 4kg)charge after penetratmg
I 571n (4Omm) armour alternative
hollow-(:harge AP or fragmentation
ant,personnellypes
Users: Include Abu Dhabi. Argenllna
BraZIl. BrunEll. France. West Ger-rnany
Iraq. Iran. Italy. Ivory Coast. libya
Netherlands. South AfrICa Spain.
Turkey. UK IAAF. AN). and len other
countries

Tnals began 10 1958. and production

of surface launched SS 12 started
,nlate 1959. With AS 12follow,ngln
1960, the onglnal planned carner
a,rcraft be,ng the French Navy Eten
dard and Super Frelon AS 12 can

be used With the APX 260 (Bew) or

SFIM 334 gyrOSlab,hzed Sight and
With IA night VISIon equipment. but
!he WIre transmitted guidance system
's the baSIC CLOS type With opt,cal
(flare I trackrng lhe TCA semi
automallC IR command gu.tJance
system IS not avarlable With AS 12
MaXimum airspeed at launch IS 230

mph (37Ocm hi AOOut 8100rTllSSlles

had been produced by 1982. With

delrvem!s then completed AS 12
has been earned by Ihe Allze P 2
Neptune. AtlantIC. NImrod. Aiouette
Wasp Wessex. Gazelle and lynx
Several were f!fed by bolh SIdes rn
the Falklands war, one cnpplrng an
Argentine submanne al Grytvlken

Developed In 19557 by Nord

Av.atlOn. th,s m,sslle was a natural
extrapolation of the ongmal SS 10
and 1 1 system to a bigger weapon.
With a warhead welgh,ng roughly
four limes as much and sUitable for
use aga,nst fonlhcatlons or $h,ps
Right: An AS. 12 used by
Nord-Aviation for display
purposes in the 196Os, shown
mounted on the launcher of
an Alouatte III of Sud-Aviation.

AS.20
Origin : SNI AerospatJale. France
Propulsion: SNPE boosVsustatn ~
motor
Dimensions: Length 102410 (26m!.
bodyd18meler9 84m 125Omm!. span
31 50n IBOOmml
Weight: At launch 3151b 1143k.gl
Performance: Speed Mach 1 7
range 1 84 m,les 12 9 6 5kml
Warhead :Conventoanal. 731b 1331<gl
In early rounds. later standardized al
661b 1OOkg)
UMrs: France, West Germany. Italy.
South Afnca
Frances Irrst really successful AAMs
were the A 511 and AA 20 INord

82

51031. and the command guidance

of the laller was such thai the
operator In the launch a'rcraftcould
If he was able to hold the larget In
VIew all the way 10 Impact. steer the
m'SSIIe Justas wvell toa surface target
as Into a hosllle arrcraft Trl8ls at
Cazaux In 1958conf,rrned Ih,s hope
and Nord accordingly developed the
Type511OmlSSlIe.adopledasAS 20.
specl8lly configured for ASM use
One of the main changes was to
remove the prOXimity luze and hI a
Simple Impact luze and any of four
larger warheads DeIa,ls of the rest
of the system are generally as for
AA 20 I now obsolete!. WIth guidance

by radIO command. aSSIsted by flares

on the miSSile, and jettleflectlon
steenng Over 8.CXXl AS 20 miSSIles
were delivered. and thiS miSSIle was
the f!fst ASM used by European
NATO a,r forces In 196 1 Many

rema,n In use as tralmng rounds

rntegrated With the AS 30 system
and. With an adapter, f!fed from
alrcrafl norma1ly armed With AS 30
The radar guided AS 25 did not
progress beyOnd develOpment

Below: A standard production AS.20, many hundreds of which

were firad in training missions from such aircraft as the GS1, F84.
F-104 and AquHon. Nord made 5.737 and MBB about 2,500.

83

AIR TO SURFACE

AS.jSTT
Origin : SNI AerospatlBle France
Propulsion : SNPE Anubis. N,tram'te
solid motor, smokeless. 452 sec
burn t,me
Dimenaions: Length 85 ()4.n!2 6m1
body dIameter 72Sn 1185mml
span 22 2211'1 !564mml
Weight: At launch 2201b llOOkgl
Parformanc. : Speed over 628mpn
flO IOkmfhl. range over 93 mIles
115kml
Warhead : Denved from AS 12.
convenbonat 661b (3OII:gl
Users : SaudlB Arabia other
counlnes negotJatlng In 1982
Though Lasso lAM 101 meels the
reqUirements of tile French Navy. II
IS right on the limits of what can be
accomplished With Wire gUidance
and could lose export sales to the
Bntlsh Sea Skua To rival the BritIsh
miSSIle Aerospallale IS developIng
AS 15, In at least two verSIons.
uSIng the same warhead as AM 10

but WIth radiO command guidance

The baSIC AS 15 has much ,n common
w>lh AM 10 but tile body IS sJ>mmer
and there are fhpout rear fIns It can
be launched from elustlng AS 12
InstallatIOns provided they have been
updaled to AM 10 standard With a
stabIliZed SIght and, preferably. Fhr
or Imaging IA like other Aeraspall8le
tactICal mISSl~S of thIS senes the
baSIC AS 15 has to be steered allihe
way to the target by the operator
AS 15TI IToos Temps. ali weather I.
on the other hand. IS a substantially
dillerent mISSIle. though aga>ncarryll'lg
the standard warhead IllS not roll
Stabilized and IS gUided semi
automatICally The baSIC system de
Below: The AS.1STT missiles
on this AS.366F Dauphin
helicopter are mock-ups, but a
genuine live firing guided by
the Agrion radar took place in
late October 1982.

Above: Manufacturer'S drawing of AS.1STT with two (now four)

wingtip radar receiver pods. Development of this missile has
been funded by the massive Sawari contract with Saudi Arabia .
pends on Thomson CSF Agnon 15
radar (denved Irom the Iguane de
..-eloped as a retrolll to the AI,ze
a,rcraft), W'1th pulseCompres5lOfl and
frequency aglbty to IITlpr~ beha-..,our
In the presence of ECM ThIs radar
conbnuouSly compares the Slghthnes
to the target and miSSile. and a
digital radIO link driveS the dIfference
to zero Aller a programmed descent
10 sea sklmm,ng he'ght on the radIO
altlmeler the miSSIle runs 10 WithIn

1.(X)()I113OOm) of the target and IS

then commanded to Sink to 1m
medlCltely above the sea surface 10
be sure 01 hltbng tile target AS 15TI
has been Inlegrated With two Aero
spa llale hehcopters. Dauptun 365N
and the Super Puma Both thus
aCQuIre a long range surveillance
capablhty With auto dlgilallink to the
miSSiles or surface vessels The flfsl
complete a,r Ilrlng test took place '1'1
Oclober 1982

AIR TO SURFACE

A5.30/30L
Origin: SNI Aerospattale France
Propulsion : SNPE sohd wIth com
POSite boost and COB sustalner (max
tm\e 21 sec)
Dimensions: Length (X 12 warhead)
15hn 13839mml. IX35, 153.n
13885mm). !AS 3Ql) 143m
(365OmmL body diameter 135m
(34cmm). span 39 4,n (1m)
Weight : At launch I. 1461b
152Okg)
Perform.nee : Speed Mach I 5
range up to 7 mIles III 25km)
W.rhe.d : ConventIonal 5291b
(24Okg). With optional Impact or
delay fuzes
Users : (AS 30) France. West
Germany. India Peru. South Alnca
SWitzerland. UK (RAF). (30L) France
and several (unannounced) export
nations
A logICal scale up of AS 20. thiS
hard hltllng miSSile hasa higher Wing
loadIng yet can be launched at Mach
numbers down to 045 compared
With Ihe lower l,mit of 0 7 for the
earlier m'SSile DflQlnally the Nord
5401. rt was developed rn 1958and
dIsclosed on the Mirage III and
Northrop N 156F In 1960 AS 30
was produced tomeeta French OTE
reqUirement lor an ASM With range
of al!east 6 2 miles ( IOkm) Wlthoot
the launch aIrcraft haVing to come
Wlttlln I 86 miles (3km) of the target
(today unacceptably close) CEP
W8S to be 33ft (1()n)or less andal1
these demands were exceeded Early
AS 30 1'T'IIS:9les. tested from canberras
and Vautours al Colomb Beehar and

86

Cazaux. were aerodynamICally SI""lar

to AS 20 The mISSIle IS not roll
StabIlized and the sustalner motor IS
eqUIPped WIth two nozzles. one on
each SIde The operator keeps trackmg
flares on the miSSIle aligned With the
target by a radIO hnk which sends
sIgnals 10 bias two Vlbratmg spotlers
that Interm,ttently Interrupt the ,ets
'rom the nozzles The autopilot Inter
preIs the command to Interrupt the
correct 18t to steer lefvnght or
upldown In 1964 an Improved
AS 30 was pnXluced With four IIlp
out lall Iins mdexed In line With the
Wings. and Without SPOIlers on the
sustamer nozzles At the same time
the lCA semi automatIC gUidance
system was Introduced. Wllhan SAT
tracker In the aircraft continuously
monltormg an IR tlare on the mIss-ie
and the Pilot keePing the target
centred In his attack Sight an on
board computer zerOing any dlt
terence between the two s-ghtllnes
W1thout the need 10 work a PilCh/yaw
JOysock controj About 3B70 AS 30
miSSIles ...vere delivered. most of
them exported only the Armee de
I A.r used the lCA guidance
As a company venture. Thomson
CSF and Aerospatlale began towork
on a laserguded AS 30 In 1974
(Ferranti In Bntaln pt"oposed thIS
With company hardware armost a
decade earlier) USIng Martin Manena
lICensed technology ThomsonCSF
Below: An AS.30L. with sustainer
burning. immediately before
hitting a target at Cazaux.

Above: The original AS.30 was

a standard weapon of RAF
Canberra squadrons. This
AS .30 was carried by a B.6 at
Akrotiri in the 1960s.
c:te-...eIoped theA s(automallC tracking

laser .lIum.nabon system) target

deSlgnanon pcxt and a complementary

Anel seeker head able to fll any

mISSIle of 3 94ln II()()TIml or greater
dl8meter Aerospatl8le produced the
AS 30L lAS 30 Laser) to make use
01 ttvs more modem gudance system
In late 1977 an Armee de I'A,r
Jaguar A tested an Atlts 1 pod at
Below : This Jaguar A of
f'Armee de f'Air was used for
AS .30L trials with Allis II .

Cazaux, In the course 01 whICh

unguided AS 30L protOtype miSSIles
...vere fired These had rOll stabl~zaoon
and ...vere programmed to fly on a
gyro reference In a pre guidance
phase prq to ptCklf"lQ up'the radiation
Iromthetarget In 19BOtrlaisbegan
USIng pre proouctJon mISSIles hOmIng
on radJilllon from targets IllumInated
by theCIiaS IlAY 71laser In IheAths
2 pod whICh also Includes a TV
target tracker to aSSist accurate
deSIgnation In 1981 Aerospatlale
ClaImed the system. Imked With the
Jaguar, was the only one m the
world to allow aulonomous I.nng
With laser guidance from Single seat
alrcralt Dehverles began In 1983
Imtlally on 300 miSSiles to arm the
last 30 ArrT~ de fAir Jaguars

AIR TO SURFACE

Asalm
Origin : No contractor selected

USA
The US AIr Force has lor almost a
decade recognised the Size of the
performance gap between eXIsting
strategIC air launched miSSileS and
What rs becOfTung poSSIble. and m
1976 rsSUBd an AFPfor theAdvanced

StrategIC Afr launched MISSIle Genet"

ally wntten Asalm. pronounced as a
word all the submISSIons leatured
ram rocket propulslcn ('"\egal rocket"
ram,et I g""ng a CfUSlng Mach number
rn the region of 3 5 <1 5 Th.s rs last
enough for body 11ft to support the
m,sSlIe and give adequate manoeU\l
rab.l.ty so Asalm Will probably have

no aerodynamIC surfaces except

cruCiform ta,1 controls Vanous ar
rangements 01 .nlet and duct are
proposed. a tavoured ,nlet bemg In
Ihe chm poS.t.on w.th a retractable
or blow all falflng to streamhne the
mISSIle dunng the rocket Ixlost phase
In m.d 1978 the .ndustrral teams
most I.kely to develop Asalm were
Marton Mar.etta With Marquardt pro
pulSlQn and McDonnell Douglas With
CSD IUTC) propulsIOn Rockwell

ASM-j
Origin : Mllsublshl Hea\IY IndUSlrres
Japan
Propulsion: Nlssan Motors Single
stage sohd rocket
OirnensfonS: length 157 51n (4 ()nL
body diameter 137510 (35OmmL
span 47 25m 11 2ml
Weight: At launch l.3451b
1610kg)
Performance: Speed Mach 09
range. maXImum 56 m,les f90kml
Warhead : Conventional anti ship,
4401b 12OOkg)
User: Japan
Mrtsub.shl was selected as prime
contractor for th.s large anI. ship
miSSile In 1973, and alter successlul

and Raytheon are among prob

able gu.dance contractors With a
range of several hundred miles
llown In about 10 m.nutes, Asalm IS
to be effective aga.nst all forms of
surface target Includ.ng those 01
the h.ghest degree of hardening ,t
IS also 10 be able to destroy Awacs
type a.rcraft In late 1979 CSD ran
a Simulated m,$SIOO rest 01 the Asalm
combustor and Silica iphenolc nozzle
lack 01 fund,ng 's a problem

_-

..... ....

development the baSIC alrlaunched

verSion was accepted by the Defence
Agency In December 1980 WOfk
has also begun on other YerSions
Including a surface launched variant
With a tandem boost motor and an
extended range model With turbo,et
propulSion The baSIC ASM 1 has
mod course gUldance pro\llded by a
Japan AIIIo3I1Of1 ElectronICS strapdown
Inert",' system. With a TAT radiO

altimeter whICh holds alt. tude Just

abolle the tops of the largest waves
Near the target the Mllsublshl Elec
trOl"llCsactJ-..e radar seeker IS SWItched
on to home on to the largest reflectrve,
target Guodance tests were flown
With a Cl transport.n 1977. and ,n
December that year unguided rounds
were fired from an F lover Waseka
Bay Guoded lI.ght tnals began .n
July 1978, at whICh tune a US

strateg.c. and the French are not

sure themselYeS Though It has a
fair range, fOf the IRlMls Slgnrfy
Air/Sol Moyenne Portee. rt Will halle
a nuclear warhead ASMP was 101
llated In 1971 to arm whatever
emerged as the nexl generation
Armee de I'Alr deep penetration
aircraft succeSSively the Mrrage G
ACF fAllion de Combat Futur) and
Super Mirage Cancellation 01 the
lalter rn 1976 reduced the pace 01
de-..eloprnent. and nodeep- penelrallOfl
platform .s now In prospect DeOJelop
ment was .n.\laDy competJlNe between
Matra With turbo,et propulSion. and
Aerospilllale wrth a ram rocket or
ramjet In March 19781hego ahead
was glVefl to AerospanaJe w.th lIQUId
fuel ramjet propulSIOn Tooay an
,ntegrated hybrod syslem has been

chosen. France has only limited

expeflence With such propulSion.
and may lICence technology from
eso. Vought. Marquardt MBB or
other company Range specified for
the orrgorlar (January 1974) ASMP
was 50 93 miles rOO 150kml This
has Since been more than doubled
because 01 the short range of the
only available carner a,rcraft I M,rage
JVA 2000and Super Etendardl and
the ch.ef puzzle now .s how the

Above : ASM -' is a sea-skimmer

with active radar homing, for
use by the F-l aircraft .
report gave the estimated un.t prICe
as S38t\()(X) Productron'was n\lated
.n late 1979 and from 1982 about
30 rounds per year are being cIeWered
to F 1 squadrons Other poSSIble
carner a,rcraft Include the P 2J and
P 3C patrol a.rcraft

ASMP
Origin : SNI Aerospallale France
Propulsion : Jntegrated rocket"
ramjet, probably usmg SNPE rocket
With Statohte smokeless f.lI.ng and
Aerospatlale advanced kerosene
fuelled ramjet
Dimension. : length abOut 16ft5rn
15m!. body d.ameter about 165m
142Omml. WIdth across ,nlet ducts
about 32 2,0 1820mml
Weight: AI launch about 2,OOOIb
1900kgl
Performance : Speed about Mach
4, range var.able up to 186 miles
I 300km I
Warhead : CEA nuclear 150 k.1O
tonne
User : France
It rs diffICult to know whether to
class th.s weapon as tactICal or

88

Abo\l8: ASMP mockup on

loading trolley. Note inlet duct.
Ant.lope 5 radar can aCQuire targets

al over 186 m,1es (3OOkm) Mid

course guidance IS pre programmed
With Sagem playrng a majOl' rOle In
the ma.n InertJaJ guidance About
FF4 000 m.u.on rs to be $pent on
100 miSSIles whICh ,n'IIaIty WlR be
carned by MIrage IVA bombers from
1985

89

AIR TO SURFACE

AST.1228
Origin : Nocontractor selected UK
A,r Stall Target 1228 outlines a
defence suppressIon weapon to be
carried by all aircraft called upon to
penetrate heaVily defended aIrspace
No Inchcabon has been gIven 01 the
form of weapon suggested and
there has been speculatIon It could

be a packaged harassment drone

IRPV\ whICh coukj confuse and dilute
the hostIle defence elf Or! belore
fInally hOrTllng Q(l one of the defenSIve
systems Clearly_ AST 1228 demands
a vehICle of min,mum Size, able to be
carned poss.bie,nmulbplel WIthout
seriously reducing other el(ternal
pylon payloads

"I

Beluga
Origin : SA Matra. France
Propulsion : None
Dimensions : Length 130n 133m!
body diameter 228m (58()nm)
Weight : 6391b (29O<.g)
This weapon lust Qua.f.es lor InciuSlOf't
despite ItS Lack 01 propulSion and
gUIdance because 0 1 ItS general level
01 sophlsbcatJan A braked bomb
type container. released at up to
800'nph I 129Okm/h) at heights as
low as 200ft C9Om). Beluga IS a
battlefield d,sperSlon cluster package

Right : Belugas on Jaguar A .

Each has 151 bomb let .
containing Thomson Brandt grenade
type submul1!tlons Three types 01
submunltlon can be fitted anti
armour, general purpose or area
saturatJoo. and the area covered
may be ElJther 54OOO1t1 f5OOOm 1 )
or 108.000ft1 (10 000m2) The
selectIOn of area may be made by the
Pliotlmmedlately pnor to release In
all cases the Impact traJElCtory IS very
rearty \oe1lca4 to QI'o'EI maxmLm a~

penetraboO The Armee de rAj( haV\

ordered an IM.aI 1,500 Belugas to(
Jaguar and Mirage F 1 the weapon

has been cleared lor F 5 and Alpha

Jet and the MIrage 2060 ....,n carry
fIve or seven

Bullpup
Origin : Marlin Manetta USA (also
Mal(son and Kongsberg)
Propulsion : Prepackaged storable
hQuld rocket
DimensionI: (AGM 12Bllength 101t
610 132m) body diameter 12,n
I305mm). span 371n 1940mml
Weight : At launch fBI 5711b
12591c.9)
Performance : (B) Speed Mach 2 4
range 7 mIles, 1 1 3km)
Warhead : ConventIonal 2501b
( 113kgl GP bomb
Users : Australia, Denmark. Norway
Turkey UK, USA
Dunng the Korean War the US Navy
urgently needed a preciSion ASM
capable of being launched by carner
based a.rcrall. and RFPs were Issued
In 1953 Marbn Orlando DIVISIons
offering was chosen In May 1954
and subseQuently was developed as
ASM N 7 Bullpup It comprised a
2501b 11131(91 bomb InSide a roll

90

stablhzed aIrframe With AerOlet

General sohd matOf'. "lied rear WIngs
four pneumatICally actuated nose
control fIns and tWIn rear trackmg
flares The operator In the launch
aircraft acquIred the target Visually
fIred the mISSile and used a radIO
command JOyslICk to Impart IefVnght
and up/cIoYvn dlreclJOrtSwhllst keelJlllQ
the flares lIned up With the target as
seen through h,s gun5lght It became
operallonal m Apnl 1959
The e)(lstence of thIS pnmltlve
weapon at a pnce near S5.000
resulted In very WIde acceptance In
1960 It was replaced '" production
by N 7 A With Thlokol prepackaged
LR5S aCid/amIne motor. e)(tended ..
Right : AGM12B Bullpups on
prototype Skyhawk II (A-4H
for IsraelI : all A-4 versions
from tha B of 1956 have had
Bullpup capabi lity (aircraft
list, see text) .

91

AIR TO SURFACE
.. range Control and a new warhead
Restyled AGM 12B In 1962. 1was
put mto second source productIon
by W l MaJlson. Since 1963 US
pnme supplier for mISSIles, terlTllMllng
at 22,100 rounds If'! 1970 Over
8.000 were bUIlt under Itcence by a
European consortium headed by
Kongsberg of Norway Present carner
aircraft Include the USN/USMC
A4, A 6. F 4, and P 3, and In Europe
the F 4, F5. F 100, F-l04and P 3
In 1959 Martin Orlando developed
an .mproved verSion for the Air
Force WIth radIO guidance that freed
the operator from the need to align
the target WIth hIS Sight al10Wtng
guidance from an offset POSITIon
ThIS was produced as GAM 83A
and used by TAC At the same t.me
Martm developed two new verSions
For the Navy ASM N 7B (AGM
12C). BuUpup B. wasa larger mISSile
WIth UXX)b (454kgl warhead, WIngs
greatly extended In chord and ThlOkof
lR62 liquId motor. 4.600 were
delivered The A,r Force adopted
GAM 83B fAGM 1201 uSing an a,r
frame closer to the ongmal but WIth
an IncreaseddlClmeter centre secllQtl
able to house eIther a conventional
or nuclear warhead The TGAM B3
fATM 12A/B/O) Bullpup TraIner de
veIoped by Martins Balllmore DMSIOI'I
was later replaced by 'Iflng surplus
AGM 1285 WIth mert warheads The
Imal model was AGM-12E. bnellv
(B40 rOUnds! bUIll lor the AIr Force
bV MarM, WIth an anti personnel
fragmentation warhead
There ..-..ere several derived mISSIles
Intended to supplement or replace

92

Above : An earlv trials firing

from an F-l00D soon after
USAF adoption of Bullpup.

Below: Four major production variants : from the rear, AGM -~2C
Bullpup B; AGM -12B Bullpup A ; AGM -12D .Inuete,ar .warhead If'!
fat section); and the ATM12A Bullpup Trainer miSSIle.

the estabkshed models TeJl8s Instru

r(l8nts worked on Bulldog WIth EO
(laser) gUIdance MartJn'sAGM 79A
Blue Eve competed WIth Chrvsler's
AGM BOA VIper, the former haVIng
a scene correlatIon TV scanmng
system and Viper a strapdown Inertial
platform. both WIth warhead deto
rl8ted by radiO altimeter before
Impact

Below: Firing an AGM -12B

from an outboard wing pylon
of a US Navy P-3B Orion,

93

AIR TO SURFACE

Carcara, MAS-i

CWS

Origin: AVlbras IndUStria Aerospacel

Brazi

Origin : Messerschm!lt Bolkow

Blohm. West Germanv
Propulsion : <when f,tted, one SOlid
rocket mOIQ(
Dimensions : Length 154,n
13910mml IWllh rocket, 1634,n
14150mml body w,dth 28 71n
'728mml bOdy depth 165m
142Omml. span Iwhen f,tted
7874,n ,2m,
Weight: At launch. (captrYe d,spenser)
2205lb 11Q()()kgl.ljetllsonI2,4251b
(1100kg). Istand-olll 2.646lb
(12OOkgl. fstandoff. powered)
33071b (15OO1<g)
Perfonnance: Speed. hlgh-subsoruc
range (stand 011) up to 124 m,les
(20kml
Werhe.d : Dispenses SUbmunltlOnS
User : Nol yet marketed

Since 1973 there have been repeated

bnef reports of thiS m'S$lie said (0

have TV command gUIdance and

capable of being carned bv I'ght
attack a,rcraft such as the AT 26
Xavante None has been seen ,n
",<voce

csw
Origin : No contractor vet selected

USA
The proposed Conventional Stand
oil Weapon IS seen bv many In the
USAF as one of the best. If not the
best. ways to destroy hostile ant,
a,rcraft defences and armour moving
forward behind the FLOT (forward
line of troops. pre""<>VSIy called FEBAI
CSW IS planned to be Integrated
WI th the Pave Mover synthetic
aperture SLAR (SIde Iook,ng a,rborne
radar) as now on evaluatIOn In
Flll a,rcraft (competing radars
are by Grumman/ Norden and
Hughes). and the PLSS (preciSIOn
IocabOn slnke systemllsalsoava,lable
as an already deployed alternatIve

carned In the TR 1 a,rcrah In late

19B2 there was stIli much argument
over how best to engage d,stant
armour one 01 the major technICal
problems being how 10 give a radar
such as Pave Mover the ability to
dlscnmlnatebetween tanks and low
value trucks Q( even mobile decoys
No conltgura tlon lor CSW has been
announced. and the USArmv IS said
to be undecided about oHeflng partl
clpa!Jon or suppor! The USAF.
however. sees CSW asa smaller and
much cheaper back up 10 MRASM
tMedoum Range A.SM. see page 118,
WIth especial value ,n defence
suppreSSIOn. and was hOPIng to
Inillate compelltlve development
befQ(e 30 June 1983

The Contau"\6r Weapon System looks

set to sell m large numbers as a
purpose deSigned system for diS
penSing bomblets lor use against

armour or other surface targets

M,n,mum cost and max,mum versa
t,),ty are assured by the modular
concept the one unvar'(lng central
featurebeng the 'VII3rhead compns.ng
a conta,ner WIth 42 ejection tubes
fired by an Intervalomeler The
submun't,ons are 01 the same types
as preVIOusly jl(oduced lor MBBs
MW I Simple dispenser used by
German Tornados To the central
box may be added an upper hardback
adapter flllmg the NATO 30m
(762mm) stQ(e StallOn_ Of" the same
adapter Iitted With WIngs lor stand
011 use On the nose goes a fa.nng
or a !alflng containing an autopilot
and heigh t sensor (set to 164 or
328ft. 50 or 100m). or containing
these plusa 5.' lQk.m Inertial platfQ(m.
or these three uni ts plus a computer
On Ihe back goes a !alflng wh'ch can
have finS. Q( two powered control
'ins. or four (two a)(ls) controilins
or two a)(]s control plus the rocket

cws: Modular Units

C}

~B

r=3t

Warhead w, ttl

IntervaJometer

A Aerodynamic fairing only

B Fairing + altimeter

C Altimeter + computer +
inertial
D As C + long-range (12.4
mile/ 20km) inertial

A_bov. : Moc~ -up of ~WS . whose variations ara portrayed in the

diagram at right which shows the customer options for nose and
tail while preserving the standard 42-tube central container.

94

Aerodynamic fairing +
stabilizing fins
Power supply + two rudder
actuators
Power supply + four
rudder units
As C + solid rocket

<?EJc

<22]0

A
B

C
D

\\

AIR TO SURFACE

Durandal
Origin : SA Matra. France
Propulsion : SNPE Hector solid
IEp!Ctete fined) smokeless motor
Di mensions: length 106 3n
t27()()nm!. body dIameter 878n
1223mml. span 16 91n 1430mml
Weight : At launch 430b [195kg'
Performance : Normally released
at down to 185ft 156m) at up to
685mph 11100km/hl
Warhead : ConventIonal. 220b
1100kgl. 1 sec delay fuze of 331b
11511:g I TNT charge
Users: France and 1 1 other
countnes

tIlted nose down before the molor

f,res Acce~ratlon IS extremely high
ground Impact takIng It through
re.nfOfCedcoocrete 15 75tn14OO'nm1
thICk before detonatoon of the war
head Standard runway damage area
IS 2. 153ft} 12OOm 1 1 A Single run by
two a,rcraft IS cLa,med to neutralize
runway, taJOWaY. mal1CleU\'f1flg aprons
and numerous shelters Delayed
actoon fUZing 's an opt,on By late
1982 well over 6.cx:xJ rounds had
been sold, and Durandal was the
\Mnner of a long competitIVe eva!uanon
by the USAF

Onglnally gaining notoriety In 1969

as the 'concrete d,bber' used by
Israel. Durandal was developed ,n
collaborallOn WIth SAMP asa weapon
ta,lored to the task 01 cauSing maxI
mum damage to concrete pavements
and other hard targets such as
concrete a'rcralt shelters It IS a
SImple tube whICh tachcal a.rcraft
can carry In multiple 116 on the
Mirage 20(0) After release It IS
braked by Matra s standard parachute

Right: Matra trials photograph

showing a shower of Durandal
pavement-penetrators in
various stages ot carriage,
release, braking, nose-down
pitch and motor ignition.

brak,ng kit 145.cx:xJ debvered)

96

Below : Frame from 8 film

taken during an early (c1972J
trial with Durandals tired f rom
a Mirage IIIR reconnaissanc e
aircraft. No special aircraft

..,_l:::::::

a:nd~.g~.~.:,~;.~nee
::d:ed
:.~_ _..,._ _ _

97

AlA TO SURFACE

Exocet AM. 39
Origin : SNI Aerospatlale. France
Propulsion : CondO!" 2 sec booSt
motor and SNPE HellOS solid (Nltra
mite filled) smokeless 150 sec burn
sustalner
D imensions : Length 15ft 4'11n
f4600'nmJ. body diameter 13 751n
f35Omm). span 43 31n fIlm)
Weight : At launch 1,4441b
f655kgl
Performence : Speed high sub
SOfllC, range 31 43 5 miles (50
70kml dependIng 01"1 launch
altitude
Warhead : Serat hexollte/steel block
364lb f 165kg), penetrates armour
at contact angles to 70 . prOl(lmlty
and delay fuzes
Users: Franceand $IX other countrIeS
(not announced)

I, tWO miSSiles\' followed by PakistanI

Sea Kmgs The Super Etendard
followed In mid 1978 'Mth e<ther
one or two on underwmg pylons
and AM 39s fired from such aIrcraft
of the Argentine navy ga,ned world
wide notonety In the FalklandsconlllCt
(the rTUSSIIe whIch h,t HMS Shefflllld
fa,led to explode the shIp be,ng losl
due to a fife started by (he stIli
burnIng SUStit,nerl The successes
nave boOSted an already good order
book. and new verSions are under
development Aerospatlale claIms
AM 39 to be the only long range
miSSile In the West that can be
launched from helicopters (the latest
platform IS the Super Puma) A one
second delay allows the miSSile 10
drop clear before boost motor
Ignll,on

Above: Super Frelon helicopters of the French A6ronavale ca n

carry two Exocets as alternative to fDur ho m ing torped oes.
Designated SA.321G. they equip Flotille 3 2F at Lenv' o cPou lmic .

Exocet was designed as a shiP

launched sea skimming misSile. fed
WIth target data before launch and
prOVIded WIth mert<al mid course
guidance lIymg at Mach 093 at a
heIght of about 8ft 125m). and
finally SWItching on the EMO Adac
X band monopulse active radar
seeker to home 01"1 the shiP target
Exocet was obVIously it potennal
ASM and Inert rounds 'Nefe dropped
by an Aeronavale Super Frelon In
Apnl 1973, followed by cutgram
powered launches In June of that
year In May 1974 thedeclSlon was
taken to put the aIr launched Exocet
Into producbon for the Aeronavale.
and Since then Aerospabaie has sold
this misSile to an increaSing "st of
export customers Originally almost
identical to MM 38, and deSignated
AM 38. the ASM developed Into
AM 39 'Mth a new propulSlOrl system
(see data) and reduced overall miSSile
length and weight gIVIng Increased
performance The wings and fmsare
reproflled to facliltale carnage at
supersonIc speeds and because of
the greater range and flight time the
Adac seeker radar operates over a
grelttefangular scan AM 3gentered
Aeronavaie serVICe In July 1977
carned aboard the Super Frelon
Right: The sixth Super Etendard
on carder trails with an A M .39
Exocet under the right wing.

98

99

AIR TO SURFACE

French LGBs
Origin : $AMP and SA Matra
France
Propulsion : Nooe
Dimensions: Similar to PavewaV
weapons
Weight : Two proouctlOn types have
2.2051b (I()()()kg) warheads. others
being smaHer
Performance : TVPlCal effectJVe
range up to 6 miles (lQkm)
Werhead : Usual SIzes 551 882
and 2.205tb 1250. 4QOand

1()()()c. 9 I
Usars : France and probably e)(port
customers

Since the late 19705 $AMP and

Matra. aSSisted by Thomson CSF
and other companies lor guidance.
have created French counterparts
to the AmerICan Pavewav senes 01
LGBs lIaserguided bombs) All are
matched to the Adls II laser Illuminator
pod. and other lasers have been
evaluated Includ,ng types by Ferranti
and Hughes Seekers packaged Into
the w'ndvane tVpe nose guidance
unit based dlrecdy on the Pave
way weapons. Include the Thomson
CSF Ebhs and a Rockwell pattern
Bv 1981 large numbers 01 LGBshad

been produced In France and pro

ductlon dellvenes had begun In all
cases Ihe Ironl guidance kit and flip
out rear wmgs can be adapted to
standard bombs Improved tracking

results In mlssd,slances of 3ft 11m)

Above : GBU- 16 on F-4 with

Tiseo EO sensor above pylon .

of the target. while the carner alreralt

gets away at very low level It IS
steered bV a data hnk bv the operator
In the aircraft who has a dlsplaV
shOWing the scene In Ihe seeker In
the nose of the miSSile (TV IS the
usual method) The mISSile climbs
until It can acqUIre the target. and
then pushes over Into a dive The
operator has the chOICe of steenng
the mISSile all the way to the target
or locking on the homing head
E)(tenSlvetnalsfromF4 Fl11and
B 52 alrcrall are complete and sub
slant>al dellvenes had been made bV
earlv 1983

Above : A 500kg (l ,102Ib) LGB

on wing pylon of a Mirage Fl .C
for export customer.

Gabriel III A/S GBU-iS, CWW

Origin : Israel Aircraft Industnes
loo. Israel
Propulsion : BoosVsustaln sohd
rocket motor
Dimensions : length 1511n
(384m), bodydlClmeter 13m
(33Omml. WIng span 43/0 \1 lml
Weight : c 1.3221b (6CX>kgl
Performence : Speed. transonIC.
range over 37 miles (6Okml
Werheed : Blast/lrag 3311b
(l5Okg). delay action fuze
UMr : Israel

Origin : Rock\M!lllnternatlOnal. USA

Propulsion : None
[);mensions : length 154ln (3 91ml
bodVdlameter 18m (457mmJ. span
5g.n (1499mmJ
Weight: At launch 2,450b
J l111kgJ
Pstrformance : $peed subsonIC
range tyPICally 5 miles l8km) but
hlghlV vanable With launch height
and speed
Warhead : Mk 84 bomb, 2.CXXlIb
1907kg)
Users: USA IAF) Imtlallv

The anginal famllV of Gabnel shiP

launched miSSIles stemmed from
vanous earlier \M!apons whICh ,n
cluded an alrlaunchecl verSion. and
the wheel has now turned full Circle
With the perfecnon of Gabnel III
AiS fa,r/wrtace) Autonomousafter
launch. It can be carned bV F4
F16 or A 4 alreraft. and launched
In either a Ilreand forget or a lire
and update mode In the latter the
pre programmed point In the sea
skimming run a t whICh the Inertial
gUidance IS replaced bv active radar
homing IS delayed to a POInt nearer
the target. SO the aClive seareh
covers a smaller geographICal sect()(
and operates for a shoner lime IAI
emphasue the el<Celient ECCM
capab,\.ty of Gabnel III and ItS
el<Ceplionaliv low crUise height whICh
IS set prelaunch according to sea
state Release lor service could take
place In 19B3

The CWoN (cruof()(mw.ng weapon)

IS the modern succeSSOl" to the
Vlelnamera Pave Strike Hobos
(homIng bomb system). of whICh
GBU B (gUIded bomb UOlt) was the
chlElf production e)0mpie lIke GBU
8. GBU 15 IS a modular system
compnSing standard GP (general
purpose) bombs to whICh a target
detecllng deVIce and trajec tory
control fins are added The lull
deSIgnation of Ihe baSIC productIon
miSSIle IsGBU15IVl/B. and It IS also
called a modular gUided glide bomb
(MGGBI or modular gUIded weapon
system Though lhe paylOad and
structural baSIS may be the CBU 75
cluster munllion the normal baSiS IS
the Mk 84 2.c:xxJb 1907kgl bomb
To the front are added an FMU 124
luze. a tubular adapter and either 01
two target detectong deVices. TV or
IIR (Imaging Infra red) At the rear

1('0

are added an autopilot. displacement

gyro. pnmarv banery. control module
and data~nk module, and the weapon
IS completed bvatlachlng lour canard
fins and lour large rear Wings With
powered conlrol surfaces on Ihe
tralbrlg edges IAn alternalive PVrJW
planar wing weapon. by Hughes. IS
nolongeractrvel GBU 151slaunched
at medium toextremelV Iowahlludes
In the lormer case IllS gUided over a
direct hne of Sight to the target In
the latter IllS launched ,n the d,rectlOfl

101

AIR TO SURFACE

Harm, AGM-88A
Origin : Texas Instruments Inc. USA
Propulsion : Thl()kol smgle grain
12801b
127kg. 1IIIIng of non
.Iummlzed HTPB) reduced smoke
boosVsuS\aln motor
Dimensions: length 13ft 8"",ln
(4 17m). body diameter lOin
(254mml. span 44m (1118mml
Weight : At launch 796lb 1361kg)
Perform.nce : Speed over Mach 2
range/height variable With aircraft
to about II 5 miles t 18 5km)
Wame.d: FragmentatIOn \NIth prOll;!
mlty fuze system
U"rs : USA and UK. With several
NATO countnes In negotJallon

tractor as~sted by Hughes. Oalmo

VICtor. 11ek and SRI (Stanford Re
search Institute! The shm AGM
88A mISSIle has dovble delta mOVIng
wings and a small fixed tall The TI
seeker has a Simple fD(ed aerl(ll
(antenna) yet gives broadband cover
age. a low cost autoPIlot IS fitted
and MotorOla supply an optICal targe t
detector lormlng part 01 the luzmg
lor the large advanced deSIgn war
head Carner aircraft Include the
Navy/Mannes A6E. A7E and F/A
18 and the Air Force A PR 38 Wild
Weasel F 4G and EF IliA. Wi th

Itek sALR 45 radar warning rf!Cf!IVf!r

and Calma VICtor s DSA 20N ~gnal
analyser both Interlaced Proposed
earners Include the 8 52. F 16 and
Tornado Harm can be used In three
modes The baSIC use IS Sell protect
the ALR 45 detecting threats. the
launch computer sorting the data to
give priorities and pass to the miSSile
a complete set of digital mstructlons
m milliseconds whereupon the
mISsile can be '"ed In the Target 01
Opportunity mode the very senSItIve
seeker lockS on to certaln para
meters 01 operation and also tfans
missions aSSOCl(lted \NIth o ther parts
of a radar Installallon whICh could
not be detected by Shnke or Standard

ARM In the Pre bneled mode Harm

IS fired blind In the dlfect,on 01
known emlllers. II the talter are
~ient the miSSIle sell destructs. but II
one of them radiates. Harm at once
homes on to It Test flights began m
1976. redeSIgn followed and 101
lOWing prolonged further tests de
livery to user units began In early
1983
Below : A production Harm on
a USAF F-4G (with Ad .... nced
Wild Weasel badge also in
picture) . Harm is now
operational on the F-4G EW and
anti-SAM platform. with good
results so far.

Neither Shrike nor Standard ARM IS

an Ideal air launched ARM and In
1972 the Naval Weapons Center
began R&D and also f unded IndUStry
studies lor a Hlghspeed Anti
Radl(ltlon Mls~1e (Harm) Among
the ob~tJves were much higher
I~t speed. to Iockon and hit targets
belore they could be SWitChed off or
take other action. and to combine
the Iowcosland versallhtyol $hnke.
the senSItiVIty and large launch en
velope of Standard ARM. and com
pletely new paSSive homing u~ng
the latest mICroelectronIC dlgstal tech
ntQues and In terlacing WIth new
aircraft systems In 1974 TI was
selected as system mtegratJon con
B.low General Dynamics put
together these parts to cr.at.
a propo ..d new Wild W .... t
platform ; F16B two-s. . ter;
ALO-13l ; lanks; two Harms:
two Shrikes: and. on the tips.
two self-defence Sidewinders.

102

103

AIR TO SURFACE

Harpoon, AGM-84A
Origin: McDonne Douglas Astra
naubCS. uSA
Propulsion : One Teledyne CAE
J402 400 turbOjet. sea ~veI thrust
66Hb [3OCl<.gl

Dimensions : length 12it 71n

13 84mJ. body diameter 135rn
1343rnml span 30n 1762mml
Weight : At launch 1.160b
1526kg)
Performance : Speed Mach 075
range over 57 mIles 192kmJ
Warh.ad : NWC 500lb 1227kgl
penetration, blast WIth ImpacVdelay
and proximity luzlng
Users : USA IAF. Navy. Manne
Corps). surface launched and sub
manne verSions wrdely exported.
but no foreign sales announced lor
AGM 84A
Tlus potenbally Important weapon
system began as an ASM In 1968
but ttaree years later was combined
Wltta a proposal for a ship and
submanne-Iaunched miSSile system
McDonnell Douglas AstronautICs
IMDAC) was selected as pnrne con
tractor '" June 1971 The main
development COfltract followed In
July 1973 and of 40 prototype
weapon systems 34 were launched
Flat plate

~mcal

scanner

In 19745. 15 being the RGM 84A

fired from ships (Incluclong tne PHM
High f'o,nt whilst lorlbornel and three
from submannes_ me otl'ler 16 bemg
air launched At f.rst almost whOlly
trouble free. testrng suffered random
fa'iures from late 1975. and the
clearance for full scale production
was delayed temporanly Producoon
of all verSIons amounted to 315 In
1976. and about 2. 100 by early
1983
Target data whICh can be OTH II
supplred from a SUitable platform.
are fed belore launch to the lear
Siegler or Northrop strapdown In
ert131 platform whICh can steer the
missile even If launched at up to goo
off the deSired heading F~ght control
IS by crUCiform rear fins A radar

Right top: The first air-launched

AGM-84A hung under a Navy
P-3B Orion in May 1972. The
p-3e still carries Harpoon.
Right : Four Harpoons. two
Sidewinders and Oust visible
under the inlets) two Sparrows
form a useful anti-ship mission
load for the F/A-18A Hornet
seen at the St Louis piant.
ElectrochemICal pressuresens'"g
u!&-andarm mechanosm

PyrotechnIC start,ng and IgnitlOrl

freQuency-agile. actlVfl radar

turbo,et 8flQ,ne

Fuzong contaCI

(VI-,th

Short pulse r&dar a !,me!er

mecnanlCal contrOl

derayl

actuat~

I'Ked ,,,.\

Penelral.ng biasl-lVpe warhead

M.oc.ourse gu,dance uM

three al< S 5trapd"""" atl,tuoe

reference assemblv general purOQ5e

d'g,taI comPUter-

104

Above : A McDonnell Douglas

drawing showing salient features
of AGM84A air-launched
Harpoon. No parts of the missile
have to unfold after release.

Among the air~unch kit

features are quick attltCk wings
and fin fore and aft launch lug
warhead arming lanyard . and
engine i nlet duct and exit covers .

AIR TO SURFACE
Right: ATM -84A is t he airlaunc hed training m issile, seen
on a win g pylo n of a P-3C
Update II of VP-2 3 squadro n .
.. altimeter holds the desired sea
skimming height. and no link Wlth
the aircraft IS reqUired Neanng
the target the leKSs Instruments
PR 53/050 58 active radar seeker
searches. locks-on and fmally com
mands a sudden pull-up and swoop
on the target from above The Naval
Weapons Center and MOAC are
also studymg possible verSions Wlth
supersoOiC speed. torpedo carrYing
payload.lmagmg IR homing, paSSive
radiation hommg. nuclear warhead,
vertICal launch. mldCQurse gUidance
updating and other features
MOAC expects to make at least
5,CXX> systems by 1988 deSpite the
delayed start Of these well over
2.CXX> WlII be for the US Navy, for
surface $hIPS. submarines. and P
3C. ABE. S-38. A7E and F/A lSA
aircraft, all ofvlltuch should be cleared
to use Harpoon by the end of 1983
The S-3carnes two miSSiles and the
other types four ProduclJon IS at
the rate of 40 miSSIles per month
Among the aircraft systems IS a
miSSIle 'Iflng Simulator

.'

16 1002
Be low: Frames fro m a fi lm
sh ow ing an AGM-8 4A Har poon
t est again st USS Ingersoll. The
la unc h a ircra ft w as an A-7C (th e
fi rs t of tha t variant) from
China Lake: the sh ip was
m oored off Po in t Mug u.

-~- .

HVM

Indian A$M

Origin : Vought Corporation, USA

Propulsion : Extremely raPId burn
boosVsustaln solid motor
Dimensions: Not disclosed
Weight: Under 50Ib (27kg )
Performance: Speed 5.000fVs
(3.400mph. 5472km/h) WIthin 0 Bs
of launch
Warhead : None
User : Not yet marketed

Origin : A 0 E. India
Propu lsion : MlCroturbo TRI 60
turbo,et. aboul8OOlb {363kg) thrust
It was announced In 1982 that the
Indl8n government IS seekmg funds
to develop thiS longrange cruise
miSSile for use by such aircraft as the
Jaguar and MIG,23 Guidance. and
thus whether targets WIll be on sea
or land. has not yet been hmted at

Though primarily a ground weapon.

the Hyper-Velocity MISSIle could later
be fired from tactICal aircraft. In
eluding helICopters An anti-armour
weapon. It kills purely by kinetIC
energy. the forebody containing a
penetrator deSIgned to pass through
multlplate and other forms of ad
vanced armour The multHube
launcher IS boreSlghted on the target
by an electronICally scanned IIdar
Ilaser radar). and thee)(tremely high
miSSile speed reduces flight time to
below 1 s. mlOlmlZlng errors due to
target mOlion or countermeasures
The system IS aU weather
Ri g ht : Ultr afast camer a
catches 2 in H V M O.Ol s after
launch.

106

107

AIR TO SURFACE

Kormoran
Origin ; MBB. West Germany
Proputsion; SNPE double base soI1d
motors. tWin Prades boost motors
and central EaSe IV sustalner
Dimensions ; length 173 2,n
(4 4ml. body diameter 1339m
C34Omm). span 39 37m 11m)
Weight; At launch 1.3231b (6COc.g'
Performance ; Speed Mach 0 95
range up 10 23 miles (37km)
Warhead ; Advanced MBB type
352!b 11601<g) With 16 radially
mounted prO}eCtllechargesand fuze
delayed for passage through 3 5m
(9OmmJ of steel plate
Users; West Germany. Italy later
probably other countries

The {,rst major postwar missIle

programme In West Germany. thiS
began hie m 1964 to meet a
ManneflJeger (Navy AIr) reqUIrement
lor a large anbsh,p miSSIle
Based Ofl a Nord prOject. the AS 34
uSing the Sfena ,nertJal guidance
planned f()l'" the stIllborn AS 33. It
became a major programme In the
new consortIum MBB. WI th Aero
SJtlale partx:;lpa1lOn The base weapon
exactly follows Nord/AerospatJale
pnnClples but Incorporates more
advanced guidance After release
from the F-l04G or Tornado carner
aircraft the boosl motors give
6.063!b 127501<g) thrust each for

almost 1 sec. when the sustalner

takes over and gIVes 6281b (285kg)
for 100 sec SfenaiBodensee'Nerk
mertoal mid course gUidance IS used
..... ,th a TRT radiO altimeter to hold
less than 98ft 130m) allJlude The
miSSIle then descends as II nears the
pre mserted target POSlt'()(l. fmally
descending 10 wavetop he'ghl as the
Thomson CSF two-aXIs seeker (opera
ling as ei ther an active radar or
paSSIve receover) searches and locks
on Impact should be lUSt above the
waterhne. and the warhead prOjects
liner fragments 'Mth sufhClent velocity
10 penetrate up 10 seven bulkheads
Flighl Iroals from F l04Gs began on
19 March 1970 The first of an
Inliial 350 Kormoran prodUCllon
miSSiles was de1Jvered In December
1977. and by mid 1978 the Manne
fI,eger MFG 2 at Eggbeck was fully
eqUipped The ',rst Tornado Kor
moran ul'1ll was MFG I al SchlesMg
Jagelln 1982 It IS also earned by
Jtallan Tornados. and Boeing holds
a US lICence
Below; Kormoran has from the
start been the chief anti-ship
missile of the Marineilieger.
The F 104G seen here. from
MFG 2 at Eggbeck. is being
replaced by Tornado. which
carries four missiles.

Above; Frames from film

taken (from two different
locations) of a trial with live
warhead against a destroyer
target. The sustainer is
burning as the warhead
detonates inside the hull.

Top of the page; The first air

launch from an Italian Tornado
took place over the NATO range
at Decimomannu. Sardinia. in
July 1978. In theory a Tornado
could carry eight Kormoran$.
compared with two for F-104s.

AIR TO SURFACE

JP. 233
Origin : Hunting Englneenng UK
Propulsion : None
Dimensions: Not disclosed
Weight: (largest size) In the region
of 5 long tons (ll.200b. 5080kg)
Performance : Free fall
Warhead : Payload of vanous
bomblets
User : Not yet adopted
Ong!nally known as the tAAAS (low
Alt!tude A.rfleld Attack System).
JP 233 IS a senes of submumbon
dispensers lor parachute retarded
payloads whICh Include pavement
cratenng
bomblets and anti

personnef mines. WIth or WIthout

delayactJQfl fuzing A.rcraft With Wing
pylons can carry either short finned
containers for bomblets or medium
length finned containers for mines
The FIll can carry a pair of each
type. ascan the F 16. but the Jaguar
and Harner can carry only one pair
which must be of the same type The
most Important carner aircraft WIll
be the Tornado tDS. which carnes
both types of payload In a Single
giant tandem pod on the centrelme
(whICh has Slgnlhcantly lower drag
than the German MW 1 dispenser )
Development began In November

Above: J P.233 tandem pod on

a Tornado IDS. Two types of
submunitions are dispensed.
1977 as a 50/50 programme WIth
the USA but the latter pulled out In
1982 Engmeenng development IS

due to be completed In 1984 by

whICh time a deciSion may have
been taken on whICh preciSion nIght
andall weather attack system toadd
to the carner aircraft to ensure
accurate laydown of payloads along
runway centrelmes

Marte
Origin : Sistel - S.steml ElettronlCI
SpA. Italy
Propulsion : SEP 299 sohd boost
motor (9.702Ib. 4400kg. for 1 6s)
and SEP 3CX)soIId sustamer{220 51b.
l00kg. lor 73s)
Dimensions: length 15ft 51n
147m). body diameter 8 llln
(206mm). span 39 37m 11m)
Weight : At launch 6611b (300kg)
Performance : Speed Mach 074.
range over 124 m!les \2Okm)
Warhead : Semlarmour p.erClng.
1541b (70kg) WIth DAand prOXlmlty
fuzes
User: Italy
ThIS ASM system was mmated by
the Itahan Navy m 1967 to give
aTrcrah an all weather attack capa

blltty against surface warships Sea

Killer 2 was selected as the miSSile
part of the system. and SISlel was
appomted prime contractor Major
associates are Agusta. who prOVide
the helicopter platform. and SMA
for the MM/ APQ 706 fire contrOl
radar Sea KIller .s a sea skimmIng
miSSIle With vanous forms of aZimuth
and terminal guidance The usual
carner IS the Agusta bUilt Sikorsky
SH 3D. though Marte has been
studIed lor smaller helICopters. not
ably the Italian Navy's AB212 (Marte
has been tested on AB212s 01 the
Argentine Navy) Smaller helICopters
would carry only one m!sslle and
have no ASW capablhty An SH 3D
carnes two miSSiles and the Marte
system weighs a total of 2.568lb

Above: Marte (Sea Killer 2)

firing from Italian Navy SH3D.

miSSIles. 40C>kg for the launch eqUIp

menl and control console 143kg
for sonar and 22kg for the optical
Sight The standard operational tech

nlQue IS for the radar to aCQuire a

target at maXImum range. the hell
copter then descendmg 10 wave top
heIght and IIYlng towards the target
finally poppmg up to reacQuIre the
target and launch the miSSile. which
takesJustovera minute to reach the
hostIle ship

alrcrah None was used dunng Ihe

FalklandsconlllCtln 1982 The name
means KingfiSher

Above : Martin Pescadoroncarry

triafs with an Aermacchi MB
326GB. 4 Esc. Argentine Navy.

II 165kgl. made upol6Q()kg lor the

Martin Pescador
Origin : CITEFA. Argentina
Propulsion : Single-stage sohd
mOlOr
Dimensions: length 9ft 7 1.,ln
(294m\. body diameter 8 6m
1218 5mm). span 28~m173Omml
Weight : At launch 308lb (1 40kg)
Performance : Speed Mach 23
range 1 555 mIles 12 5 9kml
Warhead : ConvenbOflal B81b 1401<g)
With DA fuze
User : Argentma

110

CIJEFA the armed forces sclent.IIC

and technical research Institute.
claimed to have completed develop
ment 01 thiS tactical ASM m 1979.
and one was diSplayed alongSide an
Agusta A l09hehcopteratthe 1981
PariS alrshow Performance gIven In
the table IS lor launch from fixed
Wing Jet aIrcraft from hovenng
helicopter launch the range IS 2 7
mIles (4 3km) It has Simple hne 01
Sight radfO command from the launch

111

AIR TO SURFACE

Martel
Origin : Jomt programme bv $A
Matra, Frarce. and Bntlsh AerOsp;:tCe
DvnamlCS (preVIously HSD)
Propulsio n : Solid motor. lAS 371
SNPE BaSIle boost 12 4s burn) and
cassandre sustain 122 2sl. bom com
poSlte, tAJ 168) SNPE compoSIte
boost and cast double base
susta,ner
Dimensions : Length lAS 37)
162 21n 14 12m) fAJ 168) 1524,n
387m!. body d,ameter 1575m
'400mm) span 47 25m t1 2m)
Weight : At launch lAS 37' 1.2131b
155Okg).IAJ 168) I 1681b
153Okg)
Performance : Speed. see te)(t
range (treetop height launch I 186
m,les (3Qkm). (hi alt taunch) 37 2
miles (6Qkm)
Warhead : Conventional 3311b
(l5Okg) WIth DA or lAS 37) pro
X1mlty fuze
Users : France lAS 37 onlv). UK
This e)(ceUent weapon grew from
stu(lIes by HSD m Brlta,n and Nord
AvtatJon and Matra In France m
1960-3 In September 1964 the
British and French governments
agreed to de\'eIop the weapon system
JOIntIV. In one of the first examples of
European weapon COilaborat,on In
the event it was Eng,ns Matra thaI
became the French partner res

112

ponsoble for the AS 37 ant, radar

Martel HSD develOped the AJ 168
verSIon w,th TV guidance The name
stems from MISSIle AntI Radar
TEleVlslon
HaVIng a conf,guration SimILar to
the AS 30. Martel has French pro
pulSIon FIoght Mach number IS tvP'
cally about 0 9, though Ihlsdepends
on angle 01 dive Several sources
state that Martel,s supersonIC
The operator 01 AJ 168 stud'es
the target area as seen on hisconlrol
screen In the cockpot 01 the launch
aircraft. fed by the MSDS Vlcflcon
camera In the nose 01 the missile
When he acqUIres a target he manu
aUy dnves a small gratlcule bo)( over
It to lockon the TV seeker before
launch The weapon IS then fired.
holding height constant by a baro
metnc lock. and steered by the
operator'scontrol stICk VI8 a stream
lined underwlng pod whICh also
receives the VIdeo SIgnals from the
miSSile Specl<ll features aSSIst the
operator to steer the miSSIle accu
rately to the target AS 37 has an
EMD AD 37 passrve radl<ltlon seeker
WIth steerable mverseCassegra,n
aenal If the rough locattQn of a
noStlle emitter IS known. but not Its
operating frequency, the seeker sear
ches up and down a preset band of
frequencIeS when It detects the

enemy radiatIOn the aenal sweeps

through 90 0 In aZImuth to pmpolnt
the location When It has locked on
the miSSIle IS launched. thereafter
homing automatICally AlternatIvely.
II Ihe hoshle radl<ltlon IS known
before takeoff the seeker can be
fitted With a matched aenal and
receiver to pmJX)!nt the source AS 31"
continues to home no matter how
the hostile rad.at,on may change
lrequency so long as It rema,ns
WIthin the preset band
Both verSIons of Martel have the
same warhead. AS 37 haVIng a
Thomson CSF prOXImIty fuze AS 37
IS earned by the Mrage III. Jaguar.

Above: AJ.168 'British Martel'

carried by Strike Command
Buccaneer (note AR1.18228 radar
warning pod on leading edge) .
Buccaneer and AtlantIC, AJ 168 IS
used onlV by the RAF Buccaneers
but coukl be made compatible WIth
the Phantom. Tornadoa"nd two seat
Jaguar or Harner. and has been
mentIoned m a weapon Itst for
Nimrod Production terminated In
the late 19705
Below: AS.37 French Marter
carried by Mirage IIlE of the
Armie de l'Air.

113

AIR TO SURFACE

Maverick, AGM-65
Origin : Hughes Aircraft. USA
Propulsion : Thlokot booSVSUSlclin
solld malOf. from 1972 TX 481 and
from 1981 TX 633 ..... ,th reduced
smoke
Dimensions : leflgth 98m
(249Qnm ) bodvd.ameter 12,n
(305mmJ . span 283m r72Omm ,
Weight : At launch IAGM 65A
shaped charge ) 4631b 121Okg ).
(65A. blast Iragl 6351b !2B8kgl
Performance : Speed claSSIfied but
supersonIC. range 06 10 miles (1
16km, at sea level. up to 25 m,les
1401<m' after Mach 1 2 release at
altitude
Warhead : ChOIce of ChamberlaIn
shaped charge 1831b. 37 Skg, charge)
or A~o steel case penetra tor blasV
frag
Users : Include EgVpt. Greece. Iran
Israel, South Korea MOfOCCO. SaudI
Arabia. Sweden. Turkev USA West
GermanV. ItaIV. UK negOIJatlng lor
la ter verSIons
Smallest 01 the fully guided Of self
homIng ASMs fOf US use. AGM 65
Mavenck was appt"oved In 1965
and. followrng compebllOfl With Rock
well. Hughes won the programme In
June 1968 An Inlt.al 17.CX)().mlssde
package was fulfilled In 1975, and
production has conIJnued at reduced
rate on later verSIons The baSIC
mISSIle, usualiV carned In triple clus
ters under the WIngs of the F 4 F
15. F 16. A 7. A 10 and SwedISh
AJ37A Vlggen. and Slng,y by the F 5
and the BGM 34 RPV. has lour
delta WIngs 01 very low aspect ratIo.
lour tall controls Immedlatelv behind
the WIngs, and a dual thrust solid
motor
In mid 1978 Hughes completed
production 01 26.000 AGM 65A
MaverICks and for three years had
no production line The Pilot selects
a miSSIle, causing ItS gyro to run up
to speed and light a COCkPit IndlC8tOf
The PilOt then VlsualiV aCQu.res the
target. depresses hiS uncage SWItch
10 remove the protective cover from
Ihe miSSIle nose and actIVates the
VIdeo CIrCUItry The TV pICture at
once appears on a bnght d,splay m
the cockPit. and the polot then either
slews the VIdeo seeker In the mlS$l~
114

or else Imes up the target In hIS o.....n

gunSight He depresses the track
s..... ,tch , waltsunlJl the cross ha'rson
the TV dlsplav are ahgned on the
target. releases the s...... tch and fires
the round HomIng lSautomatIC. and
lhe launch a.rcraft at once escapes
'rom the area Ung~ed tltghlS began
In September 1969 AGM 65A has
been launched at all heIghts do.....n to
Ireetop level In the 1973 Yom
KIppur war It was used operatIonally.
In favourable conchtlOns It reqUIres
good VISIbility. and Ihe occaSIonal
548.000 A model breaks Its TV lock
and mISses .15 target - fOf example
because of overwater glint
AGM 65B. Scene Magnification
MaverICk. has new OptICS. a stronger
gimbal mount and reVlsed eiectror"HCS
The Pilot need not see the target, but
Instead can search WIth the seeker
and cockPiI d,splav whICh presents
an enlarged and clearer ptCture
Thus he can Identlfv the target lock
on and fIre much qUIcker and from a
greater slant range AGM 65B was
In productIOn lat up to 200 per
monlh I from May 1980 to May
1983 AGM 65C laser MaverICk
was lor close alf support agaInst
IaserdeSlgnaled targets. the lasers
being the Infantry IlSNT200 Of the ..

Above: Maj John Bland of the

US Marine Corps looks at the
first AGM-65E Laser Maverick
to be launched by the corps; it
was also the first firing from
an A-4 (A-4MI and the third of
the laser weapon.

Below: Regular AGM-65A

Maverick has from the start
been cleared for aU TAC
aircraft in the attack mission.
some of the F-16 triafs being
flown with thefint F-168
two-seater shown here.

11

AIR TO SURFACE
~ airborne

Pave Knife Pave Penny.

Pave Spike Pave Tack or non US
systems Flight testing began In
January 1977, usmg the Rockwell
tn ServICe seeker Troop tra,n,ng
as estabhshed the method 01 Ire
quency and pulse cod,ng to lie each
m'SSlIe to only one air Of ground
deSIgnator. so thai many Mavencks
can SImultaneouSly be homed on
many different sources 01 laser
racioatlon AGM 65C was replaced
by AGM 65E With In SerV1Ce laser
tracker and d'gltal proceSSIng whICh
In 1982 was entenng producbon lor
the US Manne Corps With heavy
blast/lrag warhead Westinghouse
tested Pave Spike With the Min
neapolis Hooeywell helmet SIght lor
Single seat aircraft
In May 1977 englneenng develop
ment began on AGM 650 fR
MaverICk. With HughesliA tn ServICe

Above : This c olo urf ul missile

was one o f the ea rly AGM-65A
development r o unds. seen here
under an Air Force A-7D Corsair
II. Aerodynamically Maverick was
derived from the Falcon.

seeker ConSlderablv more expenSive

than other verSIons. the IIR seeker
especoally when Slaved to an a,rcralt
mounted sensor such as FUR a
laser pod or the APA 38 radar
warn,ng system -enables the Mave
nck to Iock-on al at least tw>Ce the
range otherwlse poSSIble 10 north
west Europe In mist. rain or at night
Of course. It also d.stmgUlshes bet
ween 1rve targets and 'hulks USing
the centrOId seeker In place of the
ong,nal edgelock optICs. AGM 650
was tested from an F 4 In Germanv
In poor weather In January March
1978 While Hughes cont,nues to
produce the common centre and aft
miSSile sections. delay With the laser
seeker E verSion means that AGM
65D got Into pilot producllon first
All AGM 65A MaverICks have the
same 130lb 159kg} conICal shaped
charge warhead. but different war

heads are In prospect The Mk 19

2501b I 113kgl blast/fragmentation
head IS preferred by the Navy and
Mannes_ giVIng capability against
small ships as well as hard land
targets and maybefllted toC and 0
verSIOns w,th new IUllng/arrrung
and a 4 In 1102mml 'ncrease In
length Another warhead weighs
JOOb 1 136kgl. wtlle 10 December
1976 the Air Force expressed a
need lor a nuclear warhead
Hughes Tucson. Anzooa plant IS
hkelv to be hard pressed to handle
TOW. Phoenox and residual Aoland
work 00 lop 01 enormously e)(p3nded
MaverICk production BV lar the
largest numbers are expected 10 be
of the itA Mavenck_ AGM 650 of
which well over 30.CXX> rounds are
p"edlCled at a (ale of 500 per month
Prolonged tests have confirmed Ihe
long range, which at last matches

the fhght limitations of the mlssl~

Itself, and AGM 650 IS the standard
miSSile for use WIth the Lanl,rn n.ght
and bad weather sensor system now
be,ng ftlled 10 F 16sand A lOs The
Navy IS expected to procure
AGM 65F. whlchlsalmOSllhesame
miSSile but fltled With the heavy
penetrator warhead of AGM 65E.
and With mexliloed guidance software
exactlv matched to give optimum
hits on surlace warships With thiS
miSSile lamrlv HugheS has acn.eved
a uniQue capablhty WIth vanous
gUIdance systems and warheads
resultmg In ImpresSivelv large
prodUCbon and Interchangeability
Below: Launch of one of a triple
c luster of AGM65As from the
first F16B in July 1979. Dive
attacks are not essential and
the launch aircraft can turn away.

AlA TO SUAFACE

MRASM, AGM-f09
Origin ; General DynamICs Convair
DIVISIon. USA
Propulsion: Mod.fled Teledvne CAE
Jao2 400 turboiel l660b 300kg
sea level thrustl
Dimensions: lenglh IHKI234.n
15 94m). til 1921n (4 88m) body
dlilmeter 211n (533mml. span (wings
extendedll03In(2616ml
Weight : AI launch (HI 2.900lb
'1315kg). 1112.225Ib' l009kgl_ (KI
2.6301b ( , 193kgl
Performance : Speed 55O'nph
(885km/h!. range (sea level. Mach
06) (H) 293 miles (472km). til 350
miles t564km). (K)316 miles
(509km)
Warhead : (H) 58 TAAM bombleV
mine payloads. I,06OIb (48Ikg). (I)
WDU-78 or 18B unitary warhead.
600b 1295kg). (K) WOU 25A/B
unltarv warhead, 9371b t425kg)
User : USA
The General DynamICs AGM 109
was one of the chief verSions of the
Tomahawk strategIC nuclear crUise
miSSIle. first tested In air drops trom
P 3 Onons and A 6 Intruders In
1974 It dIffered trom the $hIP!
$lIbmanne/GlCM \l8fSlQl"lS In haVIng
no rocket boost motor or launch
capsule/boll: Ma,n propulSion. at
first a J402. SWitChed like other
\l8fSlQl"lS toa Wln.amsFI07 turbofan
In compelitlOn With the Boeing
AGM 86B as the AlCM for SAC

I/IIhen the Boelllg miSSIle was chosen.

Tomahawlc was recast In different

rOles. and eventuallv In 1981 the
naval verSIons were all termn,ated
chiefly on cost grounds GlCM
continued as a tacucal weapon of
the Air Force. and a completelv new
verSIOn. MRASM (Medium Range
ASM) was launched In '981 as a
noonuclear cruise miSSile fOf WIde
use bV the AIr Force arming many
types of alrcrall be9,nnlng Wlth the
B 52 and F 16 Though In earlv
1983 stili not gIven a full go ahead
bv Congress. whICh tor two years
has looked al alterna tive dellverv
systems. MRASM has been taken to
3 high PItch of developmentInterestlnglv enough Wlth the original
pure Jet engine. but In a much modi
fled form able to flv 8 hour miSSIons
burning the new JP 10 fuel and
Wi th a p()SIfive 011 stOfage_ retapered
turbine. OJO:Ygen start system and
ZlrCOOlumcoated combustor The
baSIC miSSIle has been developed In
three forms_ differing In payload
and guidance AGM I09H IS the
baseline airfield attack miSSIle. With
OSMAC II (digital scene match.ng
area-()Ol'TelallOrt) guidance and carry
Ing a heavy payload of 58 TAAM
ItactlCal airfield attack mlSSdel bomb
lets or mines. discharged from
upward faCing tubes along the
fuselage ThIs verSIO!"llS In competltl()'1
WIth short range Of free fall anti

alrf.eld weapons. and lustlfies .IS hlgh~

cost bV the fact It IS a launch and
leave miSSIle INhlCh e~ffiJnates the
need for the carner aircraft to come
Within 300 miles (483km1 of the
target AGM 1091 .s a dualrole
weapon proposed to the Navy 'Of
use bv A 6E squadrons It has a large
uMary warhead and both DSMAC II
and IIA (Imag,ng IAI guidance fOf
ethel'" anb- sn,p or land attack ITIISSIOfIS

Below : Speciallv prepared for this book, this cutaway shows the
basic features of AGM -l091 MRASM, which is also known as GO
Tomahawk II. It stemmed from a 1.500-mile strategic AlCM .
Window

Data link

IIR seeker

DSMAC

n~,gal

AGM I09K .s a pure sea-COOlrQl

mISSIle WIth onlV itA guidance the
scene matching and large fuel-cell
power plant are replaced bv an
enlarged warhead GO states thai all
verSlOflS could have IOC In 1985

Tercom software

NozZle

FoItIong hns

we)u,.,' .'''''.''' warhead

on Mlem

Wo,
DSMAC I ilium "CIIOI"

118

Above :General Dynamics makes

both the F-l6B and TomahawtlII
MAASM shown at the AF
Flight Test Center.

Init't duct

Bu et fa .. ,ng

119

AIR TO SURFACE

NATOFALW

Paveway LGBs

In 1982 NAFAG (NATO A,r Force

Armaments Group) was continuIng
d,scuSSlons to try to Increase mulh
natlOl'lal standardlzatl()(l woth a Farruly
of AIr-launched Weapons These
cover variOUS AAMs (IncludIng
Asraam and AMRAAM and ASMs
Including a long range SOM stand
off mISSIle lonly MRASM IS sUItable),
a SRAAM (Shorl Range AAM) for
defence suppresSion over ranges of
some 19 mIles I3Okm) and a Larger
ASM of some 62 mIles (l00km)
range

Origin : Texas Instruments. USA

Propulsion : None
Dimensions: As for onglnal bombs
plus from 6 to 20n 1152 5CX>mml
length and WIth foldIng tallfms
Weight : As for angInal bombs plus
about 3()Ib 113 6kg)
Performance : Speed
free fall
range free fall so vanes WIth release
heIght. speed
Warhead : As In ongmal bombs
Users : Include Austra(1a Canada
Greece, South Korea. Netherlands.
Saudi Arabia Talwan_ Turkey. UK
Navy.
iAAF. AN). USA. (AF
Mannes)

ND-7
Though by lale 19B2 II had nOI
been exhlblled, NO-7 has for at least
two years been a prIvately funded
programme al Northrop for a cruise
mISSIle able to 11'1' launch and leave
anll-alrfleld miSSIons Smaller and
very much cheaper than MRASM
N07 compnsesa streamlined light
welghl contaIner WIth rocket pro
pulSIon and lnertlC'll guidance, almost
certa,nly augmented by some extra
fine tun,ng guidance to allow II to fly
down runwaycentre~nes In the mOSI
adversecondlbons In 19BI MBBol
West Germany was collaborallng
poSSIbly on payload dIspenser
englneenng

P4T
Since 1980 BAa DynamICS has been
studYing thIS long range cruIse mISSile
whICh was InItially derived tram Sea
Eagle fp 128) In ItS baSiC form ,t
would be powered by Ihe same
TAl 60 turbo)6l. bul sInce early 1981
parallel studies have been made of a
supersonIC-cruIse model powered
by the TAl 80 or MlCroturbo!
Turbomeca SS eng,ne tor crUIse at
up 10 Mach 1 8 Guidance would be
by Terprom (terra,n profIle match,ng
Slm,lar In prIncIple to the US Tercoml
WIth I,nal term,nal homIng by any 01
varIOus POSSIble seekers on the deSign
01 whoeh MSOS Ferranti and BAe
Itsell have been workIng VarIOus
unItary and runwaycrater,ng d,s
pensed payloads have been studIed

This code name identIfies the most

diverse programme In hIstory aimed
al increaSIng the accuracy of tactical
a,r to surface weapons This USAF

eflorthnked more lhan 30separalely

named systems lor aIrborne naVl
galton. target >dent,foeat,on and
marking all wealher/nlght VISIon.
weapon guidance and many other
functions. org,nally lor the war In SE
Aw In the course of Ihls wprk the
smart bombs WIth Laser gutdance
managed by the Armament Develop
ment and Test Center at Eglin AFB
from 1965. were developed In partner
shIp WIth TI. uSIng the lallers laser
gUIdance kIt. to form an ,ntegrated
lamlly of sImple precISion weapons
The Ilrst TI guided LGB wasdropped
In Apnl 1965
By 1971 the Paveway I famIly of
gUIdance un,ts had e)(panded 10
eIght. In SIX maIn types of which the
three mO$t Important were the
KMU 388 (basted O'llhe 5COb 227kg
MkB2 bomb). KMU 421 (I.OCXlb
454kg
MkB3) and KMU 351
12.()(X)b 907kg. Mk84'

All Ihese bombs are e)(treme!v

SImple to carry. requITIng no aircraft
modlhcabon orelectncal conneclton
they are treated as a round of ord
nanee and loaded like a free lall
bomb Carner aircraft have Included
the A I. A4 A 6_ A 7. A 10, A 37
F4 F5.F 15.F 16_FiA IB,Fl00
F 105. FII '- AVSA. B 52 and
B 57 Targets can be marked by an
aIrborne laser. In the launch aircraft
or another a,rcraft. or by forward
troops LIke almost all Western
military lasers Ihe matched wave
length IS 1 064 mICrons, the usual
lasers lIn Pave Knife. Pave Tack or
variOUS other airbOrne pods) be'ng
of the Nd/YAG type More race",!y ..
Below: Carry trials of
Paveway II by 8n F5E Tiger II.
On the centreline is a GBU10E/ B. and the wing weapons
are GBU-12D/ B.

AIR TO SURFACE

.. targetlliununabOfl has been prOVIded

by the At~s II . l TDS. TRAM, GlLD.
MULE. l TM. lannrn and 1I's own
FU R/laser deSignator
In all cases the guidance Unit IS the
same. the differences being confined
to attachments and the vanous
enlarged ta,1 f.ns The Silicon detector
array IS diVIded .nto four quadrants
and IS mounted on the nose of a free
universal'JOInted houSing With an
annular nng tall As the bomb falls
thiS al.gns Itself With the airstream.
In other words the d.rectlon of the
bomb's motIOn The guidance com
puler receIVes Signals from the quad
rants and dnves four controll,ns to
equalize the four outputs Thus. the
sensor unit .s kept pointing at the
source of laser light. so that the
bomb WID Impact at the same point
Electnc power '5 proVIded by a
lhermal battery. energised at the
Selow: KMU351 (2,OOOlb
bomb) hitting dummy driver of
target truck in firing trials.

Above: Original Paveway I

British l ,OOOlb bomb on MoO
Irials Buccaneer XW986.
moment of release. and power to
dTi\IE the fins comes from a hOi gas
generator
Users Include the RAF for use on
Mk13.' lB UXXlIb (454kg) bombs
earned by Buccaneers Tornados
and Jaguars Total production of
Paveway guidance Units has been
wry large, In the early 1970s output
was at roughly 20,()()() per year. ata
unlt prICe of some 52.500 Srnce
1980 the Paveway II weapons have
been In productJOn If"Iduding a Simpler
and cheaper seeker section. and a
folding wlf"lg aerotoll group Ports
mouth AVIation has Integrated the
syslem With RAF bombs used from
Harnef$ over the Falklands Paveway
III has floCk oul Irftlng Wings and a
mICroprocessor and can be dropped
al treetop height It IS due to enler
production In 1983 BAe DynamICS
supplies the Dart preciSIOn gyro

Above : Today the production at Tellas Instruments is centred on

the Paveway II family , which feature several important changes
which improve performance and reduce cost. A. the GBU-10E/ B,
based on the 2 ,OOOIb Mk 84 bomb (replaces KMU361AJBI. B, Mk
13/ 18 is frtted to the British 1.000lb GP bomb. C. GBU-16B/ B is
based on the Mk 83 1.000lb GP bomb (replacing KMU421B). 0 ,
GBU12D/ B is based on the Mk 82 GP bomb of nominalSOOlb size.
In turn these will progressively switch to Pav.way III weapons.
Below : Early Paveway" test missiles on YF 16 No 2 in 1974. All
sizes are cleared for use on the production F-16 family.

to. R TO SURFACE

Penguin
Origin : AiS Kongsberg Vapen
fabrlkk. Norway
Propulsion : Rauloss SOlid sustamer
..:tOf'
Dimensions : length 10ft 5'41n
13 lBmI. body diameter 1Itn
128Omml. span 39 37.n 11m!
Weight : At launch 7651b {347kgl
Perform.nce: Speed over Mach
08. range variable With launch
speed/height up to mal< over 25
miles (4Okml
Werh..d :AsBulipuP,250b
f 113kgl bomb. DA fuze
User: Norway
PengutO was developed by Kongs
berg and the NOrNeg~n Defence
Research Establishment as a shiP
to $hIP weapon In the 1960s From
II was denved Penguin Mk 3 for air
launching. With smaller wmgs. no
booSI motOf' and higher !lIght per
fOf'mance It IS baSICally a $jmple

weapon. reacloly adaptable to fighter

type aIrcraft and launched from a
standard Bullpup pylon Mid course
gUIdance IS Inertial followed by
termInal hOmIng by an IR seeker or a
PEAB actlve radar Another verSIOn
IS to home on hostile emlSSlOl'lS
usmg a paSSIve seeker BAe Sperry
Gyroscope produce theeanard actua
tlon system and 5aab 5canla of
Sweden the launcher and system
power unit to be Installed In KNl
(Royal Norwegl3n AF) F 16s whICh
are to become operatIonal With
PengulO31n 1987 AslrutJ8ldevelop
ment was completed In 1974 In
eludIng carry trlClls on F lQ4Gs. thIS
seems a very long timescale, but the
miSSIle Itself has undergone succes
Slve modifICations
Right: Earty Penguin 3 mounted
on KNl F104G for carrytrials
in 1974 (not operational).

Origin : 5aab BoforsM~1e Corpora

tlon. Sweden
Propulsion : Volvo Flygmotor
VR 35 liquid rocket motor. 5.6201b
(255Okgl boost 1,1241b f510kgl
sustain
Dimensions : length lIlt 1010
(3 6m1 . body diameter 11 1310
f3OOmml. span 31 510 (0 8ml
Weight : At launch 672lb 1305kgl
Perform.nee: Speed supersonIC.
range up to 5 6 mIles f9km)
Werhelld : Conventional warhead
by Forenade Fabnksverken prOMI
mlty fuzed
User : Sweden
When the deciSIon was taken to
restrICt what had been the Robot
a...uelrungen fnatJOnal miSSIle d.recto
rate) to A&D only. 5aab was the
natural chOICe 'Of' thiS miSSile, pnme
responSibIlity for whICh was placed
WIth the company m 1960 OngiOally
known as Saab 3OSA. AS OSA IS a
Aight: AB OSA with pylon
adapter for lefthand body fitting
on AJ 37A during 1976 trials.

24

gas pressuflled piston and collap

Sible aluminium bladder to burn
rapidly In a boost phase and slower
In the sustalner mode Motor per
formance IS Independent of mlss>1e
altItude or acreleralton. and there IS
!lO ViSIble smoke The miSSIle rapidly
overtakes the launch a,rcraft and
avtomatJcally centres Itself dead
ahead It IS then steered by a mICro
8

RB05A
SImple command guidance weapon
readily adaptable to many types of
launch aircraft One unusual tealure
IS supersorllC flight perlormance
conferred by advanced aerodynarrncs
and a pre packaged hquld motor fed
With Hldyne and AFNA, pumped by

-have hnk 'rom the Pilots rrflnl3ture

control sock The guidance IS Claimed
to be highly reSIstant to /<Immmg
able to control the miSSIle at low
altJtudesover all klndsof terrain. and
able to attack targets allarge offset
angles AS 05A IS earned by the
AJ37A Viggenandcan becarned by
other Swech$h aircraft Includ,ng the
SK60 tramer

AlA TO SURFACE

==

RB04
Origin : Saab (now Saab Bolors).
Sweden
Propulskm : Solid rocket motor WIth
boosVsuSialn charges fired can
secutlVely
Dimensions : Length 14f17,n
14 45m). body dlCimeter 1971n
15OOmm). span IAB04C. 0)80 3m
12 04ml. lEI 77 5m ( 1 97ml
Weight : At launch (C,D) 1.323rb
(6OQI<.g). lEI 1.3581b (616kgl
Perfonnance: Speed hogh subsonIC
range varlClble WIth laul"ICh height up
to 20 miles 132kml
Warh.ad : Unitary 66l1b (300kgl
conventional. DA and prOXlmlty
fuzes
User : Sweden

aircraft of attack WIngS F 6. 7 14

and 17 In the early 1960s the
Aobotavde/nlngen develoPed a >,@I"SIOfl
.....,th Improved motor and guidance
AS 040. whICh was In production In
the second half of that decade On 1
July 1968 the bureau became pari of
the AIr Matenel department of the
FO(svarets Mateflelverk (Armed
Forces Matenel Adm,n. FMV). and
lhe ult"nate development of th,s
m'SSIIe. AB 04E. was aSSigned to
Saab (now Saab Bofors) Produced
mainly to arm the AJ37 Vlggen.
whICh carnes up to three. AS 04E
has a reduced span. modermsed
structure and more advanced gUld
ance AU verSions have the same
very large fragmentat ion warhead

Above: An RB 04E development missile mounted on the centreline

pvlon of an AJ 37 retained by Saab-Scanie as a trials platform.

This hard hitting ASM has enloyed

one of the longest active programmes

of any guided miSSile. for the reqUire
ment was fmallzed In 1949, and
miSSile hardware was being manu
factured for 28 years (195078)
Planned as a primary vveapon to be
earned by the Saab A32A Lansen.
thiS miSSile was originally deSigned
and developed by the Aobotav
delnlngen (gUIded weapons d,rec
torate) 01 the natIonal defence
ministry. whose first miSSIle, AB302
was fI.ght tested .n 1948 from a
T 188 bomber The 0IlQII"I31 RB (Robot
byran) 04 was made large enough to
earry an active radar seeker. giVing
all weather homing gUIdance earlier
than for any other ASM apart from
Bat The ConflQur3t1or1lS of aeroplane
type. With a rear delta Wing WIth end
fins and four control fins around the
forebody The two stage solid east
DB motor IS by IMI Summerfield
Aesearch Station In Bntaln The radar
IS by PEAB (Swedish Philips) and the
autopilot. ongmally the XAS2. IS a
Saab de9gn With pneumallCaHy dnven
gyros and surface servos The forst
launch took place from a Saab J29
fighter on 11 February 1955. and
folloWIng very successful de'>elop I let It
the first production verS>Ofl. AB 04C.
entered serVICe WIth the Swed,sh AIr
Force In 1958. equIPPing an A32A

Right: RB 04E missiles carried

by an AJ 37 Viggen of Flygvapen
wmg F15 based at SOderhamm .

126

127

AIR TO SURFACE
JAS The 15F has no launch can'ster
or boost motors. but IS carned on
external pylons and launched when
over the horIZon from the target A
I,re and forget vveapon . t has pre
programmed mid course gwdance
and an advanced radar see~er by
PE,dB wah d.g.tal pnx:essmg and
freQuency ag,hty. selectable search
patterns and modes. target choice
logiC 110 piCk the most Important of a

RBS .SF
Origin : Saab Bolors M.SSle Cor)X)(a
lion. Sweden
Propulsion : M.croturbo TAl 60 2
Model 077 turboJet. sealevel thrust
8311b (377kg)
Dimensions : length 171 25m
(4 35m), body diameter 1971n
(5OOmm). span 551n (14m)
Weight : At launch 1.3181b
(598kg)
Performance: Speed high SubsonIC
range. classohed but several tens of
kilometres

Warhe.d : Large FFV blast Irag

mentatIOn w'lh OA and prox,m,ty
IUles
U ..r : Sweden
ABS 15 was desogned as a shiP to
ship weapon for use aboard the
$pica 1/ FPBs In August 1982 Saab
Boforsannounced a Swed,sh delence
matenel admlnlstrallon (FMV) order.
worlh some SK500 m,lIlOn, lor tile
ABS15F a.rlaunched vers,on. lor
use by Viggens and Ihe lorthCorrung

group 01 hostIle sh,ps) and varoable

ECCM facilitoes Saab announced
Res 15"",,1 have qUICk reactoon t,me
hIgh k.o8 probab,.ty am high elflCterlCy
agalnsl all naval targets In any
weather IOC Will probably be ,n
about 1986

Below : OneofthechiefABS 15F

carrier .ircr.ft will be the Saab
39 (JAS). seen with the missile
on its inboard pylon.

Sea Eagle
Origin : Bnnsh Aerospace DynamICS.

UK
Propulsion : MlCroturbo TAl 60 1
Model 067 turbOjet. sea level thrust
7871b t357kg). mainly made In UK
Dimensions : length 13ft 5'Jln
(4 1m). body d,ameter 1575.0
14OOmmJ. span 47 25m '12m)
Weight : Classified but clearly In the
1 200b 155Okg) class
Performance : Speed probablv
about Mach 09 range. claSSIfIed
but several tens of miles
Warhead : ROF product. SUitable to
disable the largest surface warships
U ..r : UK IAAF. AN)
Dn9,nally deSIgnated P3T Sea Eagle
IS an over the hOfllon fife and lorget
miSSIle develOped from Martel by
S'MtduI1gto a,r breathIng propul$lOl'l
and add,ng actove radar and sea
skimmIng capabl~ty launched to
meetAor Stall ReQUirement 1226. II
progressed sWlftlv to the prOject
dehnltJon phase In 1977. and develop
ment has been remarkably trouble

128

free The airframe IS baSIcally that of

Martel. With an underbelly air mlet
Guodance IS I",\!ally on autopolot
With the on board mICroprocessor
stonng !he targets last known po
SltJonand velocity. With heIght main
lalned by a Ptessey radar altimeter
JUS! above the waves for follOWing a
programmed prohieJ The targe! IS
then acQUIred by the very advanced
MSDS active radar seeker ElectrIC
povver comes Irom Europes lorst
productIOn ~thlum battenes Features
Include lull night and all weather
capablhtyagalnst the most povverlul
and electronICally sophiStlCated targets
low lIfecycle costs and -round of
ammunition' storage and main
tenance launch Inals began

on "

Right: Four Sea Eagles on the

trials Buccaneer XK527.
which was uniquely built III an
S . 1 and converted to an S.2.
Note the fairings over the
engine inlet and nozzle to
reduce drag .

129

AIR TO SURFACE
... November 1980. and a lull range
sea skimming flight was made In
April 198 I In early 1982 a 200
million pn:xlucllOl1contract a II)(eeI
pnce Incentive agreement was
announced Sea Eagle WlU enter
servICe In the mid 1980s. Initially 00
AAF 8uccaneers Hoor mlSSlIeSI and
RN Sea Mamers (twol It can be
earned by all other tactICal a,rcralt
and IS almost certa,n to be ISSued to
AAF Tornado GR 1 SQuadrons II IS
also seen as lhe baSiS lor a long
range miSSIle lor use aga,nst high
value land targets PST Isa proposed
shlpllred \lerSion
Lett : An unusual air-t a-air
photograph of the first fully
guided Sea Eagle in the seaskimming mode on its highly
successful flight in autumn
1982. The engine air inlet can
be seen between the lower pair
of wings.
Below: Sea Eagle is well suited
to the Sea Harrier. and to
variants of the AV-8B / Harrier
5 . The latter could carry four.
but two missiles will be a
normal load for Fleet A ir Arm
Sea Harrier FRS.ls.


AIR TO SURFACE

SeaSkua
contrOl equIpment and launchers

Origin : British AerospCtCG Dynamocs

mISSl~S

The weapon system

UK

lor four

Propulsion: BAJ VICkers SOlId boost,

1$

sustalner motors
Dimensions : Length 98 51n (2 5m1

armed frogates and SImilar surface

ships the capablhty to destroy miSSIle
carrYing FPBs. ACVs. PHMs and
SImilar agile small craft at ranges
greater than that at whICh they can
launch their own miSSIles This range
IS also said to be great enough to
prOVide the launch hehcopter With
COflSIderabie stand off protection from
SAMs The Decca Tans naVIgation
system of the Lynx can com~lIne
With ESM crossbearmgs to identify
and fiX the target. backing up the
POSItion on the Seaspray diSplay
The Sea Skua. treated as a round of
ammunition needing only qUick GOI
NO GO checks, IS then launched and
swoops down to one of four pre
selected sea skimming heights. de
pending on wave state, uSIng a BAe
manufactured TAT radiO altimeter
Near the target a pre programmed
or command instruction hfts the
miSSIle to target acqulSltlon height
for the MSDS hom.ng head to lock
on GUided tnals began In 1978and

bodydlameter9 75'" r25Omm1. span

28 50n (72Omml
Weight : AI launch 320b (145kgl
Performance: Speed high subsoruc
range over 9 3 miles (lSkml
Warhead : BlasVfrag, 441b I20kgl
e)(pIoded WIthin ship hull
User: Imbally UK (AN)

Onglnally known by 'IS MoD prOject

number of Cl 834 thiS miss-ie IS
Slgmhcanlly more advanced than
the comparable French mlSSjles being

developed as successors to AS 12
Instead of haVIng WIre or radiO com

mane! guidance Sea Skua IS based

on seml,actlve radar homing. and In
Its first apphcatlon aboard the Lyme
helICopter the target IS Illuminated
by the specially developed Ferranti

Seaspray overwater radar The AN

Lyn)! IS eqUipped WIth this surveil
lancei trackIng radar. as well as "re

,ntended loconfer upon hehcopter

BAe has privately financed studies

matching Sea Skua to other alfcraft
(",eluding fixed Wing) and In coast
defence Installations BAe expect
that thiS miSSIle. roughly one tenth
as heavy as Exocet but able to
cnpple the radars and weapon laun
chers of all known targets. and to~
destroy ships of 1.000 tons With
one shot. Will find very wide use In

ElectronIC pack
Wllrt'lead Witt> OA fuze

Above : Four Sea Skuas carried

by a Lynx HAS.2 . Oevelopment
was speeded to allow operational
deployment over the Falklands.
the Falklands on 2 May 19B2 two
Lynx each npple fired a pair of Sea
Skuas. SInking an 800 tbn warship
and cnpphng another, deSPIte ap
palling weather and heavy seas

Below; Simplified cutaway of

Sea Skua showing the tandem
boost/ sustainer motors.
crucrform guidance wings and
forward warhead and radome.

Sustall'\e.- nozzle

Boost motor
5, Marner motor

132

133

AIR TO SURFACE

Shrike, AGM-45
Origin : Naval Weapons Center
(NWC). WIth productIOn by n USA
Propulaion: RockwelllRocketdynel
Mk 39 Of Aero,et IATSC) Mk 53
(polybutadiene) or Improved Mk 78
(polyurethane. duaHhrust) solid
motor
DimensfonS: Length 12Qn(3 05m1.
body diameter 8m 1203mm). span
36m (914mm)
Weight : At launch lapproxunately
depend.ng on sub type) 39Q1b
II77kgl
Pei to. ....nee: Speed Mach 2. range
1825 miles (29 4Okm)
W.rhead: Blast/lrag. 1451b (66kgl
prOXimity fuze
UHrs : Include Iran. Israel and USA
IAF. Navy. Mannes)
Based In part on the Sparrow AAM
this was the f,rsl anti-radar miSSIle
(ARM)ln the US Since World War 2
Onglnauy called ARM and deSignated
ASM N 10. It was begun asa proteCt
at NOTS llater NWC) In 1961. and
In 1962 became AGM45A Pro
ductlOn by a consorllum headed by

Texas Instruments tTll and $perry

Rand/Univac began In 1963 and
Shrike was In use In SE ASIa three
years later With Wild Weasel F
1000sand EA6As Eartyexpenence
was disapPOinting and there have
since been numerous models. Ident!
lied by suffiX numbers. 10 recMy
faults or tailor the paSSive hommg
head to a new frequency band
Idenllhed m the potential hostile
Invenlory Carned by the US Navyl
Mannes A 4. A-6, A7 and F 4 the
Air FOfce F4. F 105 and EF I 11
and the IStae11 F -'I and Kf,r, Shrike IS
SWitChed Q(l while flYing towards the
target and Ilred as soon as the Tt
radlallon seeker has locked Q(l After
motor cutoff Shnke fhes a ballistiC
path until control system activation
The seeker has a monopulse crystal
IIIdeo rec:eM:!f and conllnualy updates

Above: AGM45A Shrike typical

of the final production series.
the gUidance by determlmng the
direction 01 arrival of the hostile
radiation. ho"ung the missile mto
the enemy radar With ItS crUCiform
centre body Wings driven In bang
bang fashIOn by a hot gas system
There .....-ere at least IB sub-types In
the AGM 45 I to 10 famlltes. With
over 13 dlflerent tailored seeke't
heads, of whICh the USAF bought

Below: An early test launch of a

prototype Shrike on 12 June
1964. the aircraft being an A -4C.
Externally t his r ound looks
much like that shown above.

12863 by 1978 and the Navy a

lurlher 6200 In the yom Kippur
war Israel used Shnke tuned 10
296512990 MHz and 3025/3050
MHz to defeat SA 2 and SA 3 but
was helpless agalnsl SA 6 In 1978
81 additional procurement centred
on the 9and 10fortheUSAFtobe
earned by F 4G and EF IlIA plat
lorms. together With mc)(MlCalion
kits 10 equop eXlstmg rounds to
home on 10 later SAM and other
radars

Ibb

NAVY

134

..

135

..
AIR TO SURFACE

SUM, AGM-69
Origin : Boemg Aerospace. USA
Propulsion : Originally Lockheed
PropulSIon Co two pulse SOlid motor
Thlokol 's In low rate production
With a long Me motor wllh numerous
Improvements
Dimensions: Length IWith laillalnng
forexternalearnage) 19()n14 B3m).
IWithOulfalOngJ 168n14 27m). body
d.ameler 175m 1444 5mm). span
(Ihree I,nsat 120) each tJp IS 151n
(381mm) Irom aXIs of miSSile
Weight : At launch 2_2301b{ IQ12kg)
Performance: Speed Mach 28
32. range (very vanable depending
on launch heigl'll and selecled profile)
35105 miles (56 169kml
Warhead : Nuclear W 69 200 kT.
air burst and OA luzes
User : US IAF )
Throughout the 19505 nuclear war
heads became ever smaller. and by
1960 studies showed that a miSSile
Ihat could be earned by a lighter
could deliver a large nuclear warhead
Irom a range exceeding 100 miles
1161kml In the event Ihe SRAM
I ShOrl Range Attack MIsSIle) has
not been used by fighters. bul by
aircraft of SAC. pnmanly to neutralise
potential hOS1l1e delences such as
radars. SAMs and other AA systems
The adJI!Ctr.<e
range has taken
on a new meal"llng while lhe compact
IIghtwelghl deSIgn 01 Ihls h.gh
performance weapon multJplies In
dramatx:: lastuon the number 01 targets
that one bomber can engage Boemg
the linal pflme contraClor. began
SAAM sludles 10 December 1963.
ahead 01 the drailing of SOA 212m
1964 vvhlCh resulted In the establish
menl 01 WS 140A A keen compe
IllIOn loIlovved.n 1965. Wllh selectIOn
to November 1965 01 Boeing and
Marlin and Imal chOICe 01 Boemg
(now Boeing Aerospace Co) on 31
October 1966 A dummy SRAM
was dropped from a B 52 In De
cember 1967. live flights began In

snort

Right : Despite its range of more

than 100 miles 1161kml SRAM is
a modest weapon, because of
d i minution i n size of warheads.
Here 4 test missiles are on the
external pylons of an FBl11A.

136

1969. and IDC was reached In early

1972 Production of 1.500 AGM
69A miSSIles was completed In July
1975. the miSSIle then equlppmg 18
SAC bases operating Ihe B 52Gand
Hand FB IlIA
Ong1na1ly there VJefe to bedlfferent
guidance systems_ Sylvan", supplYing
a radar homIng verSion and an IR
homer also being reqUired These
were not procured and AGM 69A
has only IOerlial guidance by Smger
KeaMott. With a Delco on board
computer to command very vaned
flight prohles Four baSIC trajeCtories
are sem, ballistIC. terralnlolloWlng
pull-up Irom 'under the radar
follo'Mld by If'lertIaldr.oe. and cornboned
mertlal and terralnlollowlng The
small. almost perfectly streamlined
miSSile IS said 10 have a radar cross
section about as large as a bullet ...

Above; USAF 60-0062 was the Boeing B62H that was used for
SRAM compatibility testing during the missile' s evaluation. Here
the four externa l trip~ts are clearly visible .

AIR TO SURFACE

... The 8 52can carry eight ona rotary

launcher reminiscent of a revolver
cylinder In the aft bomb bay lex
ceptlonally. and at the expense of
other loads. It can carry three such
launchers Ifltemally). plus two tandem
tnplets on each lormer Hound Dog
pyk)n, modified lor SRAM com
pa tlb,l,ty, a total of 20 miSSIles The
F8 IlIA can carry up 10 Silt. four on
SWivelling wing pylons and two
Internally The bombardier selects
each miSSile In lurn, checks the
updabngof the KT 761nertJalglGnce
and lets It drop The motor accelerates
It to about Mach 3, fast enough to fly
and steer With booy 1III and three I(II!
fms (there are no Wings) Neanng
the target the second propulSion
stage IS Ignlled
About 1,300 miSSiles rema,n ave,,1
able to SACs dWIndling forces
AGM 698. an Improved miSSile WIth
nuclear hardening thrOughout. the
WBQ warhead, a completely new

Above : FBlllA with weaponbay open showing SRAM on left.

Thlokol HTP8 propellant mOlor and
grea tty Increased computeT' mernctr(.
was almost ready lor proouctlon lor
the 8 I, whICh can carry 32
AGM 698 was cancelled In 1977
lollowmg discontinuance 01 the
prOOUCI,on programme for 8 I The
remaining A senes mISSiles must
ho.....-ever, be fllted WIth the new
Thlokol motor, because of ageing
problems. and computei" memory and
nuclear hardening ImprO'olefT'lents are
also profElCted There IS no money
lor productton 01 nevv rTIIssles. desp-te
attractIons of large carner atrcrah
such as the 747 200f whICh could
carry 72 Internally Onglnally Ihe
Size of SRAM dICtated the dtmenSlOflS
01 ALCM Ip 68 1 but the latter IS
now much longer There IS no
annotJl'"Ced Ifltentton to produce extra
SRAMs lor the 818

left: A B-52G-l00 of SAC (ship

0-58-204) with production
AGM-69As carried extemally.
Each has an aerodynamic tail
fairing , and aircraft drag and
range are not much affected .

Above : Eight rounds loaded on

the rotary launcher installed
in the aft bomb bay of II SAC
B-52G . AlCM (AGM-86B ) was
meant to fit this launcher. but
it grew much too long .

139

AIR TO SURFACE

Standard ARM, AGM-78

Origin : General DynamICS Pomona
DI\IISlon. USA
Propulsion ; AerOjet (ATSCI Mk 27
Mod 4 boosVsusta,n solid motor
Dimensions: Length lOOn f4 57ml
bodydlClmetef 13 5In{343mm!. span
(rear f,ns. greater than strake Wlngsl
4310 fl 09m)
Weight : At launch. tYPICally I.400b
!635kgl
Performance: Speed Mach 2 5.
range (depend'ng on launch height)
up to 35 m,les (56km)
Warhead : Conventional bias,",
fragmentation. direct action and
p(olUmlty fuzes
Users: South Korea USA fAF. Navy
Mannes)

In September 1966 the Naval Air

Systems Command contracted WIth
Pomona o.'vtSIOI"I 01 General Dvnarncs
for an ARM haVing h'gher perlor
mance. longer range and larger
warhead than Shroke. whICh al that
t,me was g,\I!ng ,n(;IIIlerenl results
Unhke Shrike the whole programme
was developed ,n InduSlry. the baSIS
be,ng the Standard RIM 66A sh,p
to air miSSile Flight lesllng look
place m 19678. production of
AGM 78 Mod 0 began m lale 1968
and ten years later had absorbed
well over S300 m,llIon at a unit prICe
mlt]ally In the neighbourhood of
S 128000 AGM 78 Mod 0 was
carned by the Air Force Wild Weasel

F 105F and G and the Navy A 68

and E The miSSIle floes on a dual
thrust molor. Steef"11"Ig WIth ta IcontrQls
and very Iowaspect ratio foxed WIngs
The Mod 0 AGM 7eA of 1968 was
hlled With the TI seeker used ,n
Shnke ThiS was soon replacW by
the Maxson broad band seeker of
the maIO (Mod I) produc:tJon 'verSlOl"l
AGM 788 Th,shaseapab<l>tvaga,nst
search. GO. SAM and other radar
systems. and IS Intended to g've the
launch platform freedom to attack
from any directIon and turn away
outSide the lethal radiUS of enemy
SAMs Carner platforms preferably
have a liAS ITarget IdentifICation
and ACQUISItion System) able to
measure specIfIC target parameters
and supply these to the seeker head
In the miSSIle before launch The

Mod 1 mISSIle IS compatIble With lhe

APR 38 system earned by the
USAF F 4G Wild Weasel whICh
supplies thiS need AGM 7ac D
and D 2 have further Increased capa
blilly and reduced un,t cost. but In
1978 product,on was not funded
Idelovenes then about 7001 and
ellon has Since been devoted 10
ImprOVIng m'SSlles WIth field mod
kits Navy and Manne A BE squad
rons carry ttliS m>S$lle as would the
W.1d Weasel F 16
Below: AGM -78 Standard ARM
is seen here under the leftwing
of a USAF F-4G Advanced Wild
Weasel Phantom together with
an AGM-45A Shrike, ALQ-,19
ECM pod (recessed in Sparrow
mount) and SOO-US gal tank.

AIR TO SURFACE
str,ke at targets up to 4{)C) m les
65{)1cm) away w,thout sufferong

to develop a newconwntoonal
SOM to enable InterdlCbon a'rcraft.
such as Tornado and the F 11 I to

studies have been made, numerous

h'gh level meel.ngs held inotablv al
m'",steflal level ,n August September

19811 and severa! ,ndustnai colla

borat,ve nks 'even II temporary
forged ,n order to get a programme
started There ,s clearly no un.form
,dea of what IS wanted, and bv late
1982 no programme had emerged

FOiIo'Mng aneal1ler l VRJ (low volume

ramjet) programme Vought has
achi!ved good results under Navy
contract VII1\h thIS Ioog range research
miSSile whICh uses advanced a,r
breathing propulSion to ma,nta,n fuU
speed and manoeuvrab'IIty all the
way to the Ish,p) target The four
long Inlet ducts contnbute to body
lilt. steenng being by rear control
Iins driven Irom SIgnals by an active
nose seeker STM IS expected to
lead to the next generation anti ship
standoff miSSile Test flights trom

Apnl 1979 onwards have used an

A 7 as launch aircraft

Above ; STM ready f or fli g ht in

1982 trials from Navy A-7 .

slloukl glide stra,ght to the target

but the launch operator has the
ability to break Into the control Ioop~
and. watch,ng hiS momtor screen
guide It manually Into the target In
1968 the Navy funded several de
ve10pments Update Walleye Wall
eye II. Fat Albert and large Scale
Walleye among them which led to
the enlarged Walleye II IMk 5 Mod
4) for use aga,nst larger targets In
product,on bv 1974 Walleye" was
deleted from lhe budget the foilolN!ng
year and replaced by the I,rst procure
of
ER 'Ol
)Extended
ment
Range'Data link) Walleye II (Mk 13
Mod 01 The ERrOL system was
onglnallyplanned In 1969 10 allow a
launch and leave techntque at greater
distance from the target. the miSSile
haVing larger wings to .mprove the

glode ratiO. and the radIO data link

alloWIng the operator to release the
mlss,1e towards the largl!t and then
when the m'SSlIe was much closer
acqUire lhe target on h,s monllor
screen. focus the camera and lock II
on OperatIOns In SE ASia showed
thai It would be preferable to use
two aircraft. the fltst to release the
Walleye (If poss,ble already locked
on the approx,mate target poSItion)
and then escape and the second
posSibly miles to one Side. to update
the lock on point and monitor the
approach to the target Since 1978
about 1400 I and 2400 II miSSiles
have been converted to ER Ol

Stand-Off Missile
Since 1980 there has been 'ncrea
Slnglv urgentd,sctJSSoOl1 WIthin NATO
e5pecoally Wlth,n the European a,r

unacceptablv hogh attnbon NUlTlefOUS

1()(Ce5,

STM
Origin : Vought Corporat,on. USA
Propulsion : UTC ChemICal Systems
DIVISIon ontegral rocket 'ramjet, With
Naval Weapons Center solid boost
gra,n
Dimensions; Not dISClosed but about
lOOn (48m1 long and WIth body
diameter 17m (432mm)
Weight; Not diSClosed but In 2.OCl()Ib
(907kg) class
Performance : Has demonstrated
flights over 100 miles (1 61km ) at
sustamed speed of 2.000 mph
(322Okm/h Mach 2 7)

WaDeye, AGM-62
Origin : Martm Manetta. USA
Propulsion : None
Dimensions : length (I) 135m
(3 44mml. 1111 159m 14 04m).
body diameter (I) 125m 1317mml
III) 18m (457mm). span 11)45 51n
11 16ml.III)51InI13mJ
launch weight : II) 1.1001b{499kg)
III) 2400b 11089kgl
Performance : Speed subsonIC
range 10 16 miles (26kml. (it) 35
mIles l56k m I
Warhead : III 8251b 1374kg). (II)
based on Mk 84 bomb
Users: Include Israel. USA
An unpowered glide bomb With TV
gUidance. AGM 62 Walleye was
developed from 1963 by the NOTS
at China lake. assisted from 1964
by the Naval AVIOf\ICs Faolity Intended
to overcome the a,rcraft vulnerablhlY
hazard of Visual radio command
ASMs. Walleye qUICkly proved sue
cessful, and m January 1966 Mart,n
was awarded the f,rst production
conlraCI ThiS was later multiplied
and In November 1967 the need for
Walleye In SE AsIa resulted IfI Hughes
Aircraft being brought In as second
source In 1969 the Navy descnbed
142

IhlS miSSIle as The most accurate

and effective a,r ta-surface con
ventlonal weapon ever develoOed
anywhere Walleye I hasa crUCiform
of Iongchord delta WlngsWllh eIevons.
a gyro stab,l,zed TV Vidicon camera
In the nose. and ramal( Windmill al
the tall to dnve the alternator and
hydraulic pump The plot or operating
crew member identifieS the target. If
necessary uSIng aircraft radar, a,ms
the miSSIle camera at It. focusses II
and locks II to the target uSing a
monitor screen In the cockpit The
aircraft can then release the miSSIle
and turn away from the larget
though It must keep the radiO link
With the miSSile In theory the miSSile

Below; US Navy A -4 F with

centreline tank, outer-wing ECM
jammer pods and two Walleyes.

..

143

Anti-Tank
Armoured vehicles can be engaged by high-velocity
guns, low-velocity 'bazooka' rockets. plunging fire
from mortars. upwards blast from mines and, with
especial effectiveness, by anti-tank guided missiles.
The latter stemmed from a German weapon of 1944

which was steered to its target by electrical signals

transmitted along very fine but strong wires unrolled
behind the speeding missile. This method has been
used in the majority of all anti-tank guided missiles
ever built. and it is still numerically the No 1 system.
It was realized almost 30 years 8g0 that the
helicopter would be an excellent platform for missile
systems of this type. Over the past 15 years emphasis
has swung on to development of auxiliary systems
such as stabilized optical sights (often augmented
by IR or other wavelengths) which can give a
magnified target image at night or in bad weather.
Amazingly belatedly. it is only in the past year or two
that the sight system has been mounted on a tall
mast above the rotor. thus allowing the helicopter
to eng8$1e hOltile forces while remaining almost
entirely Invisible behind natural cover. There is no
great problem in arranging for its missiles to pop up
over this screen of trees. risin~ ground or even
buildings. and a mast-mounted Sight (MMS) is one
of the best ways to ~ive a helicopter a chance of
returning from a miSSion.
These horizontal-flying missiles kill the tank in

various ways . Most have a hollow-charge. or shapedcharge. warhead which ejects a jet of metal forwards
at such fantastic speed that it punches clean through
the layeds) of armour. Some have a HEAT or HESH
head. while one of several recent solutions is the
SFF (self-forging fragment) which hurls a blob of
metal with such force that it goes right through the
armour on its kinetic energy alone. Bill. a Swedish
missile. introduces a modification to the traditional
technique in flying one metre above the line of sight
and firing a shaped-charge warhead at 30 downwards to punch through the relatively light top
armour.
Quite apart from traditional horizontal-trajectory
missiles there are a growing number of anti-armour
systems which attack from above. Most involve
clouds of small charges called bomblets. some fitted
with individual 'smart' guidance and in many cases
having the ability to convert themselves into conventional mines should they fail to hit a tank . 'Smart'
!'leans laser homing. and atternative forms of guidance
Include IR and IIR and the new millimetre-wave
radar technology introduced with the Wasp. Whatever
guidance. sight system and warhead is u~ed. the
combination of modern schemes of armour. ECM.
decoys. AA defences and bad visibility will make the
anti-tank mission a very challenging one throughout
the foreseeable future.
Left : Most widely used antitank missile is the Hughes Tow,
here caught by high-speed
camera leaving quad launcher of
a TowCobra gunship helicopter.

Below: It is difficult to
comprehend why it took so kmg
for the sight to progress from
the nose of helicopters via the
cabin roof to above the rotor.

145

ANTI TANK

AT-2 Swatter
Origin : SovIet Union
Propulsion : Single gra,n soIod motor
..... ,th Inclined lateral nozzies
Dimensions: Length 35 50n
902mm body doameter 5 90n
l50mmi span 260n 1660mmi
Weight : At launch 551b 125kg
Performance : Speed 335mptl
54Okmfh). range up to 7 22011
I22QOm I
Warhead : Hollo...... charge. pierces
23 60n (6OOmm I
Users : All Warsaw Pact countnes
Afghanistan. Egypt. Syroa
Beanng In mll,d thaI It was planned
In the early 19605 and .....as In action
In 1967 Ihls second generation anll

armour miSSIle was a remarkable

techmca' achievement. and ,I 's st, I
deployed In very large numbers In
partICular II IS often seen on the M, 8
Hlp E ' and M, 24 'H,nd A and
H,nd D 1 SoVIet helICopters II has a
constanl d.ameter tubuLar body ..... ,th
a blunt la,1 whICh before launch IS
connecled to a multi pon umbilICal
plug The motor f,res through daagonal
upper and k)v-.Ier nozzles toacce!erate
Ihe miSSile oll a long rao! launcher
whICh '" the case 01 hellCopler
,"stallat,ons 's under the body Four
rear wIngs have roll control elevans
and the mISSIle homes on the heal 01
ItS target detecled by a senSlttve
nose seeker. d(1Vlng two canard

AT-3Sagger
Origin : SoYlel UnlOfl
Propulsion : Boost mOlor With four
diagonal nozzles. SUStalrte( has central
nozzle With jetevator TVC for steenng
Dimensions: Length 34ln (B6OrnmJ.
body diameter s.n I l20mmi span
18'" ,400nm)
Weight : AI launch about 24 SIb
111 3kgl
PerlOnNnce: Speed htgh subsonIC
range 1.6409 8401t (500

3000m)
Warhead : Hollo...... charge 661b
13kg). poerces 23 61n 1600mmi
Users : All Warsaw PacI counlnes
plus Afghanistan. AlgerlCl Angola
Egypt. Elhoopt8 Iraq. JugoslaV18
Libya MozambIQue. Syna Uganda
Vietnam and Yemen
Dunng the Middle East war '" Oclobet"
1973 two man teams 01 EgYPtian
Infantry opened what looked like
small SUItcases and Infhcted casualtteS
on Israeli battle tanks the hke 01
whICh had seldom been seen on any
battlefek:l Ever SInce the I,ttle miSSIle
codenamed Sagger by NATO has
been Ireated w,lh greal respect
though II IS stili a Simple deVICe w<lh
no lube launcher or any gUidance
other than optoeal Slghllng and wIre
command Called Mdlutka ,n lhe
SoVIet UnlOfl. ,t was I,rst seen '" a
Moscow parade In May 1965 Sonce

146

then It has been seen on many army

platlormsand It IS also the usual anti
armour miSSIle for helICopter use for
exporl customers IncludIng Poland s
SM 2 and the MI 8 'HIP F The Mr
24 'HInd A can carry thiS misSIle on
tiS lour outboard launchers. tiring
trom the hover or al low forward
speeds The m'SSlle IS accelerated
by a boost motor lust behind the
.....arhead. and files on a susta.ner
With let defleclton sleerlng There
are no aerodynamIC conlrols. but
the sman Wings can fold for packag
Ing A tracking flare .s attached
beSIde the body. and II IS claimed
that an operator can steer to 3.3OClf1
(lCXX)nl Wllh unaided eyeSIght. and
to three !,meS thIS distance With the
magnifYing optICal Sight used In alf
platforms
Right : The antitank missile
called AT3 Sagger by NATO
has so far been seen in service
on two sub-types of Mi8 Hip
and on the SM2 light twinturbine helicopter derived
from the Mf.-2 and produced at
WSK PZL Swidnik. Poland.
one of which is shown here.
No sighting device has been
visible on any AT3 carrier (some
infantry missiles have been
steered with the naked eye).

foreplanes. the mlsstle rOUtng tn

bang, bang fashIOn to steer lefvnght
There are no gUidance Wires Later
miSSiles are only gradually replaCIng
thiS prolifiC weapon

Above: AT2 Swatter fired from

an Mi24 HindD of Soviet
Frontal Aviation. Normally a
helicopter would stay at about
one-ten th of this altitude.

ANTI TANK

AT-6 Spiral
Origin : So'llE!t UnK>n
Propulsion : Unknown type of rocket
motor. probably dual-thrust sohd
Dimensions : Unknown, but length
In region of 711n r 1 8m1. body
d,ameter 5 51n (14()nml
Weight : POSSIbly abOul701b r32kg'
Performence : Speed about 620mph
r1(X)Okm/hl. range 150 16500ft
1505OClOm)
Warnaed : large HEAT (hlghsxplo
Sl'le antitank), penetrates at least
25 61n (65Omml at goo
Users : Most Warsaw Pact coonlneS
by 1983

laser gUidance, the deSignator being

either In the launch aircraft or aImed
by friendly ground Iroops The
warhead IS possibly of double-cone
type and IS Judged able to knock out
all known armour

At first. In 1977 when It was first

ldenbfred, thiS tube launched system
was beheved to use the same miSSile
as AT 4 and AT 5 but by 1980
Western observers had realized that
It was completely new Unlike other
SoVIet antitank m,sSlles thiS has
been rdentlfred only ,n air-launched
apphcahons. carned by the MI 24
Hind E' and_ II IS beheved, the
Su25Frogfoot ck>Se support attack
aircraft It homes on Its target by

Origin : SovIet UnK>n

Right: Mi-24 'Hind-E' with

outboard pylons for four AT-6
launch tubes. as well as four
UV-32-57 rocket pods and t h e
chin-position gun turret.

AT-X-?
Dunng the past several years there
has been a near-panIC In NATO
arm,es to find countermeasures
against this supposed new anti armour
miSSIle whICh has mllhmetre wave
guidance !lIke the Wasp. p 159) By
late 1982 thiS m,sslleappeared to be
lillie more than a rumour based on
the Soviet Unton'S known work on
such radars

Bantam, RB 53
Origin : AB Bofors_ Sweden
Proputaion : Bofors dual thrust soIrd
motor
D imensions : length 334m
i848mmJ. body diameter 4 3m
i 11Omml. span 157510 (4()()nmJ
Weight : At launch 16 751b f7 6kg)
Performance: Speed 1B8mph
1303km1h1. range 820-6_5621t 1250

2000m)
Warn.ad : Hollow-charge Bofors
421bl19kgl
Users : Sweden. SWitzerland
Developed almost entirety by AB
Bofors as a pnvate venture from
1956 thiS IS one 01 the smallest and
loghtest Ilrstgeneratlon anti tank
missiles. and was notable for Intro
duclng a GRP a.rlrame WIth lo\ctrng
wings to ht a slrm contalner/
launcher In ItS Simplest form lor
Infantry the whole system_ WIth one
miSSIle. we'ghs 44 O!b 120kgl w,th
66ft 120m) 01 cab'S to l,nk the
148

Right : Training launch of a

Bantam from an A gusta.B ell
AB 204 (licensed ' Huey)
helicopter of the Swedish Arm y
light aviation units.
operator and launcher "necessary
the operator can add another 328ft
(100m) of cable Bantam has been
Ilred from light aIrcraft such as the
SK61 Bulldog and Saab Supporter
and Agusta Bell 204 hehcopter On
leaVIng the launch box the WIngs Ilip
Opel). their curved trailing edge tiPS
rolhng the mISSile SO that It can be
steered by the trading edge sporlers
sequenced by a pellet spun gyro
The hollow-charge warhead has
electrical double skin luzlng and can
penetrate up to 1971n 1500mmi
Sweden adopted Bantam as miSSile
RB53 In 1963_ and-despite haVlng
their Indigenous MosqUIto - SWlt
zer1and IQIIov.oed ,n 1967 ProdUCl1Of'l
contInued unt,1 about 1978

..
..r

"'

left : Shown here with the four

wings unfolded i nto the flight
position. Bantam was one of the
lightest and cheapest of the
first-generation wireguided
anti-tank missiles. Steering wa s
effected by the vibrating
spoi lers on the wing inboard
trailing edges.
149

ANTI TANK

Hellfire
Origin : Rockwell International

USA
ProPU'IiOii : ThIokoi TX657 reduced
smoke alboost motor
Dimensions: length 6411'1
11626mm body diameter 7m
1178mml
Weight: At launch 98861b
j4484kgl
Perlonnence : Speed. qUICkly bUilds
to Mach 1 17, range -far 11'1 elCcess of
present anti armour systems
Werheed : Firestone 2OIbl9kgl7,n
doameter hollow charge
UNr : USA jArmy, Inltlallyl
A direct descendent of Rockwelrs
Hornet, Ihls miSSile has applications
against hard point targets of all
kindS, though It IS offlcl8lly descnbed
as the USAs next generation an\l
armor weapon system' Numerous
development firings took place from
197 I before full engineering go
ahead was recetved In October 1976
It has semi active laser homing With
a very advanced seeker from Marton
Manetta The seeker hasa Gassegraln
telescope under the hemispherICal
glass nose sending SignalS to the
electronICS section With mICro
processor logIC Steering IS by four
canard controls, and Hellflrecan pull
139 at Mach 1 17 The US Under
Secretal"yof Defense_ the Han Wollam
J Perry. soud thiS miSSile most

often goes nght through the center

of the bull Seye The Pf'mary carroer
IS the AH 64A Apache hehcopter
116 rounds but Hellfire has lIown
on the Cobra and theA lOA Thunder
bolt II fu<ed ""'09 platform Numerous
Hellfrres have been launched WIthout
pnor lock on. some of them In rapid
fire homing on different multiple
targets uSing ground deSIgnators
With IndiVIdual coding The miSSIle
notICes the laser rado.atlon In 1I1ght.
locks-on and homes at once IOC Will
now be 1984_ by whICh time thiS
rrwssrle WIll probably also be developed
With -'launch and Iea\le'IIR guidance
The firs t 680 rounds are being
delivered before September 1984

Right upper: First test firing

of a Hellfire took place from
an A H- l Cobra of the US
Army, at Redstone Arsenal.
Hellfire is not expected to arm
Army Cobras. but those of the
Marine Corps may carry it.
Right: Main carrter of Hellfire
will be theArmyAH-64AApache.
Below: This cutaway of Hellfire
shows some of the unique
features of this neat laser
homing anti-armour missile.
The warhead jet goes through
the guidance head.

Guodanca ....001C5
Glass nosa

canards

r-__ II -----Gu~ance

secllon

Impact sw,tch

Hoiow-charge warhead
YIIW roll

150

g~ro

151

ANTI TANK

Hot
Origin : EuromlSSlIe GIE France'
Germany
P,.opulsion : SNPE Bugeat boost
and Inlra cast double-base (EptCtete)
sustalner
Dimensions: Length 50 2,n
1275mmJ. body dIameter fmax
warhead/guidance) 6 51n 1165mm1
span jWlngs extended) 123.n
j312mm)
Weight: At launch 55 lib f25kg)
Performance : Speed 56Cmph
t9OOkm/hi range 1.310
13.1251t (400-4()()()n)
Warhead : HoUow-{:harge 13 21b
16kgl
U.,..: Egypt France. West Germany.
Iraq KuwaIt. llbya SaudI Arab~
SpaIn. Syna and two unnamed
customers
ThIS mlS$j1e should really be Hottl
(the name IS often written all In
caPItals). because It IS Hautsub
somque Opllquemet'lt Telegulde TIre
dun Tube -hIgh-subsonIC optIcal
remote guided fIred Irom a tube
Work began WIth pnt Franco-German
army requlrements_ studieS by Nord
and Bolkow In 1964 englneenng
development and prolonged IInn9
tnals by AerospatJale/M88 twhlCh
JOIntly lormed EuromlSSlIe) and the
start 01 mass productJon In 1977
Each miSSile 'S delivered as a round
of ammunItIon In a sealed GRP tube
The tgl"lltMJn SIgnal fifes the thermal
battery. gyro and flares. gas pressure
bloWIng the end-caps off the tube
The booster then Ilres Inside the

tube. burnIng lor 0 9 sec and acce

leratlng the mISSIle to the speed
g,ven In the data the susta,ner then
lakes over and ma,ntalns Ihls speed
over a funher 17 .:l sec burn. gl\llng
lImes 01 8 7 sec to 6.56211 (2OCX)m1.
125 sec to 984211 13OOOm) and
163 sec 1013 1231t(.:l(X)()m) The
susta, ner exhausts centrally where a
smgle TVC speller can steer the
mISSIle About 100-16511 (30-5OmJ
Irom the launcher the safety system
's deactrvated to allow the senSitIve
luze to detonate Ihe head as soon as
the stream~ned nose skin IS dIstorted
PenetratJon IS 28m (700mml at 0 0
and II,n i280mml at 65 0 Hot IS In
selVlCe WIth the Federal German
Army BO I05P helICopter WIth SIX
launch tubes. and Spain uses the 80
105C Francewtlhave 160SA3.:l2M
Gazetles_ WIth four tubes each. as do
several export customers The
SA 361 H and varIOUS tWIn engmed
Dauphm verSIons can carry eIght.
as does the Lyme. m all cases WIth
stabIlized magnifying nIght SIghts
Productton of dawn todusk systems
proceeds at 800 rounds per month.
but development and ,ntegratlon 01
nIght FLiR SIghts IS a mailer 01
urgency Germany has adopted a 11
system made under licence. whIle
France uses a denvatlVe of the SAT,
TRT Thermldor
Below:'Oemo of prototype Hot!
Gazelle system at Camp de
Mailly in 1973. The roof-mounted
sight has a red rear fairing.

Above; Standard German

Army antitank helicopter
(PAH- ll , the BO 105P carries
six Hot tubes (only five here) .

Below: Another view of the

firing shown on the facing
page. Wings have unfolded
and the sustainer ignited.

153

ANTI TANK
Warhead : Similar to TOW p 156
User : Not yet adopted (late 19821

MAF
Origi n : Consortium led by OTO
Melara. Italy
Propulsio n : SNIA VISCOsa dual
thrust solid motor

Di me nsions: Not disclosed

Weight: AI launch 35 31b 16kg
Perf o rmance: 51m lar to TOW
p 156

MAF IMlsSlle Anti carro Fantenalls

a pnvate venture whICh completed a
senes of test firings In 1981 2 and
by mid 1982 was beIng studred by

the Itahan army. With the A I09A

and A 129 as posSIble hel,copter
platforms (ItS maIn role Wilt be With
ground troops) A laser beam rider
It has a l,ghtwelghtlauf\Cher. SIght.
telescope and laser by OfflClne Ga~1eo
Another partner IS Breda Meccanca

RBS 56 Bill
Origin : AS Bofors. Sweden
Propulsion : Dual thrust sohd
motor
Dimension.: Not dIsclosed
Weight: With firing container about
351b (16kg)
Performance : Speed 450mph
(725km/h). range lImited to 6.5601t(2CXX)n)

Warhead : Shaped charge directing

tet downwards at at JO o
User: Not yet adopted
Bofors undertOOk to develop thrs
miSSIle rn mid 1979, shanng costs
50150 With the S'M!dlsh FMV (offiCial
matenal admlfllstratlOf\) The name
IS the Swedish word for a PICk
(whICh penetrates). It IS also an
acronym for Bofors Infantry Light
and Lethal Though the rmmedlate

Right: Warhead detonation

above a dummy tank .
application IS for ground troops
RBS 56 also has applICations In
helicopters and ~ght aeroplanes The
deSIgn CJbtectrve began With a warhead
that would defeat any armour en
visaged for the rest of the century.
acceptmg penalties In range In order
to keep the system light. Simple and
cheap A novel feature IS that Bil'
Ihes 391n (1m) above the line 01
Sight so that II passes close abOve
Ihe enemy vehICle. a prQ)lImlly fuze
triggers the downwards mchned
warhead Ftnngs began InApnI 1981.
With full development miSSIles beIng
due for lest from mid 1982 10 lale
1983 A production deciSion IS
e)(pected m 1984

Above : GaneraJarrangement of
the Bofors RBS 68 Bill anti
tank missile .

Above Bill's "",a

154

of

netration .

Tr3ckong
slgllal
I
tr3nsmltter

Spark
Origin: Uf\I\ed Technologtes (Norden
and CSDI. USA
Propulsion : CSO advanced solid
propellant ram)E!t
Dimensions: Length65ln I 165()rm1.
diameter 65," I 165mm). fin span
10 5rn 1267mmJ
Weight : Not stated
Perlormance: Speed 'between Mach
3 and Mach 10
Warhead : Rod penetrator. no
e)(ploslve
Use r : US (Armyllnlerest
Spark ISotld Propeliant. Advanced
Ram,et KinetiC energy) IS one of
several programmes aimed at dnvlflg
an antHank miSSile so fast It needs

no warhead The prOf9Ct was launched

by the US Army MlssrleCommand In
September 1978 The proJ8CllIe Isa
free-llyJng ram)E!t vehICle WIth a four
spoke so/Jd boost rocket grain and a
tubular solid ramtet fuel grain, gIVing
hIgh acceleranon to a hypersonIC
(about Mach 5 6) speed whICh IS
sustaIned all the way 10 the target
The body IS hned WIth Inconel alloy
and lhere IS room Ifl the forebody f()4"
laser beam ndl1lg gUIdance The pene
Irator could be a rod of depleted
uranium or other very dense matenal
The '''Sl Spark was successfully
'Ired In September 1981. and severa!
ground and helicopter Ilfings have
taken place SInce

A. nc:-

155

ANTI TANK

Tow, BGM-7.
Origin : Hughes A.rcralt USA
Propulsion : Hercules K41 boost
10 05sl and sustain 11s1 motors
Di mensions: Length 45 75m
11162mml. body diameter 6m
I 152mmJ. span IWlngs extended)
135m 1343mm)
Weight: At Launch 8GM 71AI
46 llb 120 9kg)
Perform.nee : Speed 623mph
(1003km/h). range 1.640 12,3QOft
t500-375Qm)
W.rhe.d : tBGM 71AJ P,catlnnV
Arsenal 8 SIb (3 9kgl shaped
charge WIth 5 JIb (2 4kgl explOSIve
See text !Of later
Users: Include Canada. Denmark
Eth,opia, West Germanv, Greece
Iran. Israel. ltalV, Jordan. JUgoslaVIa.
South KOfe<l. Kuwalllebanon. Lu>cem
burg. MOfOCCO, Nethel1ands. NorwaV.
Oman. Pakistan. Saudi ArabIC!. Spain.
Sweden, Taiwan. Turkev. UK. US
IArmv. Mannes). Vietnam
Often written TOW (Tube launched
OptlCallV tracked. W,re guided). th.s
weapon 1$ likelv to set an all time
record m the field of gUided miSSIle
production
Pnme contractOf Hughes Aircraft
began work ,n 1965 to replace the
l06mm recOilless nile The miSSIle's
baSIC Infantry IOfm IS supphed In a
sealed tube whICh IS clipped to the
Launcher The mISSIle tube IS attached
to the rear of the Launch tube. the
target Sighted and the round fired
The boost charge pops the miSSIle
from the tUbe. Imng Ihrough lateral
nozzles amidships The four WIngs
Indexed at 45 spnng open forwards.
FllCk~t

and the lour ta.t contrds llop open

rearwards Guidance coomanels are
generated bV the optlctl sensor In
the SIght. whICh contln1OusiV mea
sures the POSItion of a "!tit source In
!he m'SSIIe relative to t~e LOS and
sends steenngcommand>along twin
WIres These drive the tellum pres
sure actuators workIng Ihe lour tall
controls m paIrs lor ptth and yaw
In 1976 production sWlched 10 ER
(Extended Range) TolII' WIth the
guidance w,res lengtt'ened from
9,842It IJC()()mJ to the 'gure given
S,ght field of View redu<es from 6
lor gathering to 1 5 101 smoothing
and 0 25 lor tracking The miSSIle
electrQnlCS pack IS betweEn the motOf
and the warhead
Tow reached IDC en 1970. was
used In Vietnam and the 1973 Middle
East war. and has sancebem prcx:luced
at a higher rate than any other
known miSSile The M65 airborne
Tow system eQUIPS the standard
Amencan attack helicopter. the
AH IS TowCobra and the Mannes
twin eng,neAH 1Janel 1T Improved
SeaCobra. each WIth a TSU Tele
scopoc SIght Unit) and two quad
launchers Other countres use Tow
systems on the BO 105 Lvnx
AI09 AI29. 500MD and other
attack heltcopters
Hughes has developed a mast
mounted SIght (MMS) whICh uses
the8Ae Tow roof SIght but WIth a TV
cIoINnlI.be. the whole mounted abolle
the rotOf hub ollhe 5Q().1D In late
1981 production began of Ihe 1m
proved Tow. With a ne"'l warhead
triggered bv a long probe. extended

comrols

GIS bottle
Llunch motor
(booster)

Warhead

Satety/arm unit

L
CO!'Itrof acluatOl'5

IR source

156

Above: Cutaway of the original

Tow ; the same arfllngement is
retained in I-Tow and Tow-2.

aher launch to give 15m (381mmJ

stand off dIstance lor greater armour
penetrabQn Thesnapedchargehead
WIth LX 14 1IIIIng and a dual angle
deformable loner. IS also being retro
fitted to many eXlSllng rounds Bv
late 1982 Hughes was near mass
productIon of Tow 2, whICh has
several I Tow Improvements plus a
new head WIth the same diameter as
the rest of the mISs'~ With a mass of
t31b (59kgl and an even longer
121 25m. 54Omm) extenSIble probe
calculated to defeat all tanks of the
19905 FlIght performance IS ma.n
talned bya new double base motor
gIVIng about 30 per cent greater
total Impulse Both new miSSIles are
for air launch apphcallons Bv 1983
Tow output el!ceeded 320,000

Above: The three main members

of the Tow family are (ktftl Tow,
(centre) I (Improved) Tow and
(right) the new Tow 2. The latter
has a 6in ,152mm) warhead
with longer extensible probe: it
also has a higher-impulse flight
motor and new guidance to
cope with hostile battlefield
environments.

Right: The first live firing of

Tow 2. in 1981. shOwing the
ignition of the flight motor
(sustai ner) : the probe, wings
and control fins are all out_
157

r Wasp

ANTI TANK

Trigat
Under Ih,s name derived from In
Hhlrdl generation anI. lank. variOUS
European manufacturers are studymg
prospeclS for a new miSSile to
Incorporale Iec::hnology su.table for
the post 1990 penod Many warhead
forms are being evaluated. but most
stucloes revolve around IIA hOlTling
guidance on the target s thermal

emiSSIons. usmg stanng focal plane

array seeKers wth eleclrOlllC scannong
and d.g.tal mICroprocessing leadefs
m the UK are BAe DynamICS and
Mullard. but ,nformal talks have been
held With possble conttnental partners.
especlCllly Aerospallale and MBB
Wlthm the EMDG IEuromlsslle Dy
namlCS Groupl consortium

WAAM
Origin : VariOus company studies

USA
Smce the late 1970s the WAAM
(W ide Area Anti armor Munitions)
programme has been the greatest
part of the USAFs largest baSIC
research effort Into future tactICal
weapons It runs parallel to the
USAs Tank Breaker. whlCh- though
a,rborne senSOfS and Illuminators
play a malar role . IS for mIsSiles
fired from ground launchers WAAM
often wntten and spoken Waam.
compnses the Wasp fT\ISSIIe (dISCussed
separately. p 1591. ERAM (Eram)
and ACM Eram. Extended Range
Anti armor Mine. IS an ambitIOUS
programme In whICh at least unl,1
tnId 1982-HoneyoM!IIandAIIOO~e
In CompetltlOfl Moslof the proposals
are claSSIfied but In spring 1982
Aveo was permitted to reveal lIS
Skeet submunltlon. part of the Eram
elfort. clusters of whICh are carned
In the USAF SUU 65 dispenser, as
well as In the Vought T 22 Assault
Breaker bus vehICle Each Skeet
warhead Comprises a cylindrICal body
With four cul"V'E!d stabilizer !Ins flICked
open as the payload IS separated
from the delivery vehicle At the
same time an offset uns\reamllned
mass called a wobble arm IS extended
from one Side of the body_ causing
an OSCillating motion whICh makes
the IR sensorm the nose sweep over
an area the Size of a US football
held A mlCroprocesSOf converts
Images ,nto steenn9 commands until
the warhead IS directly over an
armoured vehICle. whereupon the
warhead f,res straight down through
the thin top armour The transverse

158

diSC of explOSIve accelerates a lens

ot dense metal ahead of It so VIOlently
It IS converted Into an SFF tself
forging fragment) wth a streamlined
shape mOVing at some 9.000fVs
1275Om/s) to pass straight through
the armour Any warhead failing to
aCQUlrea target SWitches Itself either
Into a low altitude alrburst mode or
Into a fun over mine lYing on the
ground

Right: Last missile in this

book, Wasp is also one of the
cleverest and most compact.
It remains to be seen to what
extent such weapons can be
procured in quantities large
enough to permit speculative
firing at unseen targets.

Origin : Hughes Aircraft USA

Propulsion : Sohd boost motor w,th
Is burn through central nozzle. two
SOlid susta,nefS With d,agonal IfIteral
nOllles. fired In seQuence
Dimensions : rapprQlumatellength
591n 1 5ml. body diameter 8m
!203mml span IWingsand f,nswhen
extended. about 20," 1508mm I
Weight : At launch 1000b 48kgl
Performance : Speed (constant. high
subsonIC. range several miles km
Warhead : Hollow charge of full
forebody diameter firing .161 through
central hole In electroniCS
gUidance unit
User : US (AF)

has a ClaSSIC configuratIOn With large

delta wings and fear rectangular
control fins. but With the d.fference
thai all surfaces f~ck open alief
"nng from a launch tube The standard
launcher IS about the Size of a 370
US gal drop tank ~gh'n9 almost
2.00C>lb 1900kgl It has Six lubeS
each loaded With two miSSiles That
In the rear at each tube IS protected
by an exhaust deflector whICh drverts
the boost motor blast of that In front
out through SIde ports Clear 01 the
tube_ the miSSile climbs from treetop
height to ItS crUise all1tude at a
steady high speed It levels all and
!ts millimetre wave (94GHzl pulsed
radar seeker sweeps up to 45 0 aU
Bv far the most advanced In timing
aK.S looking for metal targets TrlClls
of the vanous USAF WAAM (see
WIth the homing head mounted In a
abovel research programmes. Wasp
pod under a Sabrehner at Eglin AFB
progressed to an .ndustrlCll com
In 1982 Showed that the seeker
pelltlon between Hughes and 80elng
repeatedly found the targets whole
wh'ch was won by the former In
flYing over strong ground clutter
March 1982 Descnbed as The
All 12 rounds In a pod can be fired In
first ASM ever developed With the ... 2s The F 16 normally carnes two
ab'lIty to lCientlfy and a.m Itself at
IXXIs as can the Hamer Jaguar
tactIcal targets Wasp hils the Vital
Mirage 5 and Alpha Jet the FIll.
reqUirement of beIng cheap enough
A 10 and Tornado would nOfmally
to deploy In swarms Ihence Ihe carry four Fhght test'"9 began .n
name I m a fire and forget mode
/IIoYember 1992, and the programme
while the launch aircraft stays safely
has been so successful a productlOfl
out of Sight behind a hi. and away decISion could be taken In late
from the land battle area The miSSile
1983

Below: Hughes engineer with

usual screwdriver called for in
publicity photos ' adjusts'
Wasp' s 94 GHz radar.

159

OTHER SUPERVALUE MILITARY

GUIDES IN THIS SERIES......
.... . - -..

.........-_ ..

OTHER ILLUSTRATED MILITARY GUIDES NOW AVAILABLE ..

Allied Aghllrl of World Wa, II
Bombers 01 World Wa, II
Germln, Itllian Ind Japanese Fighters
of World War II
Modor" Fighters and

Attack Aircralt
Modern Soviet Navy

Modern Submarines
Modern Tanks
Modern US Nav,
Modern Warships

Pislols Ind Revolvers

Rifles and Sub-Machine Guns
World Wa, II Tanks

* Each has 160 lact hUed pages

* Each colourluly ,Dusl/ated WIth hundreds of actIOn photographs
and lethnlcal dr.W1ngs
* Each conlalns conCisely presenled data and accurate descriptions
01 malor internatIOnal weapons
* Each lep/asllon tremendolJs value
IS

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