HARM(AGM-88)
The AGM-88 HARM missile was developed as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard Antiradia-tion Radar Missiles (ARM). It is an expensive missile, but one with a broad capability against ground- and ship-based radars.
The HARM can be fired in several modes: As a long-range standoff missile against preselected targets, HARM can delay acquisition of target until after launch. The all-aspect passive radar-homing seeker can be used to search for targets of opportunity; the missile is then fired manually. The missile can be launched in “range-known” and “range-unknown” and can home on back and sidelobe radiation. It can also be used as a self-defense missile in concert with aircraft Electronic Support Measures (ESM) equipment.
HARM has a digital autopilot and strap-down inertial navigation, a low-smoke solid-propellant rocket, and digital processing in both the missile and the launch aircraft, which allows the HARM to attack a broad frequency spectrum (four-octave bandwidth from 0.5 to 20 GHz) of hostile radars.
The high-explosive warhead is prefrag-mented into thousands of small steel cubes designed specifically to damage radar antenna and other fragile equipment.
DEVELOPMENT •
The missile’s initial operational capability was in 1984. It was developed by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California; Texas Instruments began participation in 1974. A total of 14,000 were planned for the US services. West Germany ordered 1,000 HARMs in 1986 and took its first delivery in November 1987. The 10,000th HARM was delivered in 1990.
In an attempt to increase the number of firms capable of producing antiradia-tion seekers, the Navy began developing the Low-Cost Seeker (LCS) program in 1984. While Texas Instruments continued developing the Block IV seeker, Ford Aerospace and Raytheon Corp. offered a competing LCS, with the Navy choosing the Ford design in 1988. (Ford Aerospace was later acquired by Loral Corp.)
Texas Instruments received a $459-million contract in February 1989 for the production of 2,449 missiles. Deliveries began in late 1990, to be completed by late 1991; the contract covers 1,319 missiles for the Navy, 950 for the Air Force, and 180 for Germany. In 1990, Spain ordered 200 HARMS for carriage by EF-18 Hornet aircraft.
The HARM has frequently been criticized for high cost, and in early 1986, the Navy briefly stopped accepting the missile because of quality control problems. Its future as the principal air-launched antiradar missile was assured, however, by its competent performance during the 1986 US naval air strikes against Libya.
Platforms for the HARM include fighters, electronic aircraft and attack (US), attack and electronic aircraft (Germany), and electronic (Spain).
VARIANTS •
AGM-88A, AGM-88B,
AGM-88C.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
US Navy carrier-based aircraft launched 40 HARMs against Libyan surface-to-air missile radars, primarily SA-5s, in March-April 1986 air strikes against Libya. When Operation Desert Storm’s air
war began in January 1991, HARMS were a heavy contributor to the collapse of the Iraqi air defense radar network. Most of
the more than 1,000 HARMS fired (661
by US Navy aircraft, 233 more by the US Marine Corps) were launched during the first half of the campaign.
SPECIFICATIONS •
manufacturer (see Development) missile weight 796-807 lb (361366 kg)
warhead 145 lb (66 kg)
dimensions
configuration
long cylinder with ogival nose, cruciform steerable double-delta foreplanes indexed in line with stubby fins at
tail
length 13 ft 8% in (4.17 m)
diameter 10 in (254 mm)
wingspan 3 ft 8% in (1.13 m)
propulsion Thiokol YSR-113-TC-1 dual-thrust reduced-smoke solid-
fuel rocket (Hercules is second source)
performance
speed Mach 2+
range 10 nm (11.5 mi; 18.5
km)
WARHEAD conventional high explosive with prefragmented steel-cube warhead
sensors/fire control
all-aspect passive radar homing Motorola DSU-19 active optical fuzing system
Shrike (AGM-45)
The AGM-45 is the first missile built specifically for the antiradar mission to enter mass production in the United States. It is based, in part, on the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile, which it resembles. It consists of four sections: a guidance system, the warhead, the control system, and the rocket motor.
Shrike
U.S. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The Shrike has had many subvariants. all of which differ principally in their seeker. It is gradually being replaced by
the AGM-88 HARM missile.
DEVELOPMENT •
The Shrike’s initial operational capability was in 1963, and its
first test flights were in 1962. Over 20,000
had been produced before production ceased.
The Shrike is deployed on US Air Force F-4Gs and F-16Cs and Ds, US Navy A-6Es, A-7Es, and F/A-18s, and Israeli F-4s and Kfirs.
The Shrike had several major limitations that reduce its effectiveness: it must be pointing at the target at the moment of launch and the target radar must be radiating throughout the missile’s flight. Although upgrades have improved the Shrike’s performance, the lack of a readily reprogrammable seeker remains an intrinsic limitation.
VARIANTS •
AGM-45-9A Shrike G-Bias upgrade.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
Shrikes were first used in combat in Vietnam in 1966. They were used extensively as a penetration aid by the US Air Force and Navy, but the missile’s limitations-including a need for the target to continue radiating during the entire flight-led to many modifications.
The Israelis used the Shrike during the 1973 Yom Kippur War with success against SA-2 and SA-3 missiles, but ineffectively against the SA-6. It was also used by Israeli aircraft in the 1982 Lebanese conflict.
It was used ineffectively by British Vulcan bombers in the 1982 Falklands War and launched by the US Navy against Lib yan radars in the 1986 US raid.
Although the AGM-88 HARM was used much more extensively in Operation Desert Storm, the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps also launched Shrikes against Iraqi radars. Fewer than 100 were fired, however, and very little was said about their success rate.
SPECIFICATIONS •
MANUFACTURER
Texas Instruments Sperry Rand/Univac
MISSILE WEIGHT 390 lb (176.9 kg),
varies with subtype
warhead 145 lb (65.8 kg)
DIMENSIONS
configuration
resembles Sparrow AAM (AIM-7) long cylinder, ogival nose, cruciform delta steerable foreplanes at midbody, stubby tailfins length 10 ft (3.05 m) diameter 8 in (203 mm) wingspan 3 ft (0.91 m) propulsion Rocketdyne Mk 39 or Aerojet Mk 53 polybutadiene solid-fuel rocket; Aerojet Mk 78 poly-urethane dual-thrust solid-fuel rocket for AGM-45B
PERFORMANCE
speed Mach 2
max range approx 10 nm (11.5 mi; 18.5 km) up to 25 nm (28.8 mi; 40.2 km) reported for improved rocket motor warhead conventional high explosive/fragmentation
SENSORS/FIRE CONTROL
at least 18 variations, with over 13 variations on the seeker; other variations include increased range and safety features; AGM-45-9 and –10 have the widest range of coverage fuzing is proximity and contact Sidearm (AGM- 122)
The Sidearm is a short-range, antiradar missile developed to counter air defense weapons. It is an inexpensive selfdefense missile for Marine Corps fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft.
The missile uses components from the AIM-SC Sidewinder, which has been in storage since the 1970s. The AIM-SC was a relatively unsuccessful Semiactive Radar (SAR)-homing variant of the Sidewinder; all other Sidewinders are Infrared (IR)-homing missiles.
The Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, California, modified the AIM-SC’s narrowband semiactive seeker, creating a broadband passive seeker. The seeker achieves a conical scan by mounting the antenna off center on a spinning gyroscope wheel. The DSU-15A/B Target Detection Device (TDD) flown in the AIM-9L has also been modified for air-to-ground use.
Sidearm is intended primarily for low-altitude use, and the AIM-SC control system has been modified to cause the missile to pitch up soon after launch. This change allows aircraft to launch Sidearms while flying Nap of the Earth (NOE) profiles.
Former Soviet J-band tracking radars such as the Flap Wheel and Gun Dish were the principal targets.
DEVELOPMENT •
Approximately 1,000 AIM-9Cs were converted to the Sidearm configuration before funding ended in FYI988 with the purchase of 276 units. The last was delivered in late 1990. The missile is deployable by any aircraft qualified to fire the Sidewinder.
The Marines have used the missile on its Harrier and Bronco planes and the Cobra helicopter.
SPECIFICATIONS •
MANUFACTURER Motorola
MISSILE WEIGHT 200 lb (90.7 kg) warhead 22.4 lb (10.15 kg)
DIMENSIONS configuration
thin cylinder with cruciform steerable delta foreplanes,
trapezoidal mainplanes at rear, hemispherical radome on nose
fergh 10 ft (3.0 m)
diameter 5 in (127 mm)
PROPULSION Mk 36 Mod 9 or Mod 12
solid-fuel rocket
PERFORMANCE
speed Mach 2.5
max range 9.6 nm (11 mi; 17.7 km)
WARHEAD continuous rod, conventional high explosive
sensors/fire control passive radar homing with broadband seeker
Standard Antiradar Missile (ARM) (AGM-78)
The US Standard Antiradar Missile (ARM) is a large, air-launched weapon based on the shipboard RIM-66A Standard SM-1 surface-to-air missile. It was developed to supplement the AGM-45 Shrike, which had shown range, seeker, and warhead-size limitations during early US use in Vietnam.
The first Standard ARM (AGM-78A)
variant used the Texas Instruments seeker from the Shrike, which was pre-tuned to a given frequency band before fitting it to the aircraft. Later variants
(from AGM-78B) used a Maxson Electronics wideband, gimballed seeker. This seeker does not require pretuning, can track a radar emitter from a wider range of attack angles, and has an on-board memory that allows it to continue attacks on shut-down radars. The Target Identification and Acquisition System (TIAS) on the launch aircraft provides targeting data to the Standard ARM before launch. When the missile hits, a smoke cloud reveals the impact point.
DEVELOPMENT •
The missile’s initial operational capability was in 1968, and its flight tests were conducted in 1967-68. It is no longer in production. It was retired
from US Air Force service in 1984 with the last F-105 Thunderchief. In service only with the Israeli Air Force.
VARIANTS •
AGM-78A, AGM-78B,
AGM-78C, AGM-78D, Purple Fist (Israeli
development).
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
Used by US Air Force and Navy aircraft against North Vietnamese radars. Purple Fist missiles (Standard ARMs with improved warheads) were launched by Israeli pilots against Syrian air defense radars in the Bekaa Valley during the 1982 Peace in Galilee invasion of Lebanon.
SPECIFICATIONS •
manufacturer General Dynamics missile WEIGHT 1,799 lb (816 kg) warhead 215 lb (97.5 kg)
DIMENSIONS
configuration
thin cylinder with pointed nose, cruciform long-chord ultra-low aspect ratio lifting strakes indexed in line with trapezoidal steerable tailplanes
length 15 ft (4.57 m)
diameter 13% in (343 mm) tail span 3ft 7in (1.09m) propulsion Aerojet General Mk 27 Mod 4 dual-thrust solid-propellant rocket motor
PERFORMANCE
speed Mach 2.5
maximum range
16-30 nm (18.4-34.8 mi; 30-56 km)
warhead high-explosive blast/fragmentation
SENSORS/FlRE CONTROL
guidance: passive radar homing direct and proximity fuzes
