Copperhead (M712)
The M712 Copperhead Cannon-Launched Guided Projectile (CLGP) is a highly accurate, laser-guided projectile fired from standard 155-mm howitzers.
The projectile’s semiactive laser seeker searches for a target illuminated by a forward ground- or aircraft-based observer using a coded laser. Copperhead aerody-namically adjusts its flight path to hit the target. The impact “footprint” is approximately 1,100 yd (1,000 m) from the nominal aim point. The Copperhead is biased to hit slightly above the aim point, the turret ring in the case of a tank, to ensure a hit. In one test at maximum range, the round dropped down the open hatch of a moving tank.
The warhead can penetrate every tank now in service. The standard CLGP has been modified with a time-delay fuze, which permits the warhead to penetrate reactive armor without detonating it.
The Copperhead can be fired using shallow flight path angles when cloud cover is below 3,000 ft (914 m). This increases guidance time below clouds, and consequently acquisition range is increased. The Copperhead can be fired from most US 155-mm towed and self-propelled howitzers, French GCT self-propelled gun, International FH-70, and Japanese Type 75 self-propelled howitzer.
DEVELOPMENT •
The missile’s initial operational capability was in 1982 following over 12 years in development. Its first tests were in 1974 between Martin Marietta and Texas Instruments prototypes, which ended with the selection of Martin Marietta. Full production began with FYl984 funding.
The Copperhead is operated by the US Army and Marine Corps and by Egypt.
VARIANTS •
None operational.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
During Operation Desert Storm, the VII Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps fired approximately 90 Copperheads against a variety of targets with “a high success rate.” The principal constraint on Copperhead use came from the limited speed and mobility of the M981 FSV tracked vehicles used to designate targets; these vehicles often could not range far enough ahead of the artillery during the rapid maneuvers that characterized the ground war.
The commander of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division’s artillery claimed that every Copperhead fired during Desert Shield training had scored a hit.
SPECIFICATIONS •
manufacturer Martin Marietta combat weight 137.0 lb (63.0 kg)
warhead 49.5 lb (22.5 kg)
filler 14.0 lb (6.4 kg)
Composition B
dimensions
configuration
kept in storage container until use; cylindrical body with rounded-cone nose; pop-out cruciform midwings; tail-mounted cruciform guidance fins length 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
width 6 in (152 mm) propulsion launched by 155-mm howitzer
performance
max range 17,498 yd (16,000 m) minimum range
3,281 yd (3,000 m)
warhead 49.6 lb (22.5 kg) High-
Explosive Antitank (HEAT), 14.1 lb
(6.4 kg) explosive weight sensors/fire control semiactive homing on laser designator
Dragon (M47)
The US M47 Dragon is a shoulder-fired, lightweight, antitank guided missile originally known as the Medium Assault Weapon (MAW). It is a short-range weapon needing only one soldier to fire.
The weapon consists of a tracker assembly and a discardable “packaged” missile. The missile has an unusual propulsion system consisting of 60 small rockets. The rockets are paired, with five such pairs making up a single longitudinal array along the missile’s midbody. A total of six arrays are distributed evenly around the circumference of the mid-body. These rockets provide thrust and stabilization, the latter in combination with three pop-out tailfins.
The missile uses Semiautomatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) guidance with a Kollsman Infrared (IR) tracker following a flare in the missile’s tail and bringing it to the gunner’s line of sight. The original Dragon shaped-charge warhead was slimmer than the rocket section. Dragon Generation II has a full-diameter warhead.
DEVELOPMENT •
The Dragon’s initial operational capability was in 1971. Its series production ended in 1980. In January 1992, the US Army selected the Dragon II to serve as its interim short-range antitank missile until the Javelin (formerly the Advanced Antitank
Weapons System-Medium/AAWS-M) is fielded in the late 1990s.
The Dragon is operated by the US Army and Marine Corps along with 10 other countries. Iraq is believed to have captured Dragons from Iran.
A major limitation of the Dragon is the SACLOS guidance. A Dragon gunner must remain exposed for approximately 16 seconds to obtain a hit. A 1990 Congressional Research Service report estimated that 33% of Dragon gunners would become casualties in a high-intensity war, This problem is not corrected in any of the improved versions. The Dragon has also been criticized for its inaccuracy.
The greatest limitation on Dragon III use, besides its still-modest maximum range, is its total weight of approximately 50 lb (22.5 kg). In practical use, the system’s weight would prevent the operator from carrying any other equipment.
VARIANTS •
B/B-77 (Swiss-made), Generation II Dragon, Generation III Dragon (USMC),
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
Although the Dragon was fielded with US Army and Marine Corps units in Operation Desert Storm, the rapid pace of the ground offensive in February 1991 meant that few Dragons were fired in combat. Some were used as “bunker busters” during attacks on machine-gun emplacements.
SPECIFICATIONS •
manufacturer
McDonnell Douglas (original source)
Raytheon (second source)
Federal Aircraft Factory (Swiss license)
combat weight 31 lb (14.1 kg)
round 25 lb (11.3 kg)
warhead 6 lb (2.72 kg)
dimensions
configuration
packaged ready-round fiberglass tube containing missile with cylindrical body, 3 curved pop-out fins, 60 small sustainer rockets which both propel and control the missile
length tube: 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) rocket: 2 ft 5 in (0.74 m)
warhead diameter
4 in (101.6 mm)
propulsion
Hercules motor
2 stages: gas generator expels missile from tube; 60 small rockets, firing in pairs, propel and control the missile in flight
performance
speed launch: 260 fps (79 mps)
flight: 328 fps (100 mps) max range 1,094 yd (1,000 m)
minimum range
71 yd (65 m)
warhead conical shaped-charge sensors/fire control guidance: Semiautomatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) with Kollsman Infrared (IR) tracker following flare in missile tail
Hellfire (AGM- 114)
The Hellfire air-to-ground missile is the primary armament of several US attack/ gunship helicopters. Although fielded as a laser-guided weapon, Hellfire accepts other guidance packages, including an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker, a Radio Frequency/IR (RF/IR) seeker, and a millimeter-wave seeker under development by Marconi Defense Systems.
The Hellfire can be launched in several modes. The Lock-On Before Launch (LOBL) has two modes. The first is ripple fire, in which several missiles are launched at one-second intervals at targets marked by different designators. The other LOBL mode-rapid fire-can be as fast as every eight seconds as the single designator shifts targets. Before Operation Desert Storm, this was the most common Hellfire sequence.
The missile can also be launched before its seeker locks onto a target. In this Lock-On After Launch (LOAL) mode, the missile will clear high or low obstacles (LOALH and LOAL-L) while seeking
the coded laser designation, lock onto it, and dive on the target. Rockwell developed a hardened seeker that is more resistant to being misled by beam attenuation due to dust, smoke, and haze or by active countermeasures; production since 1991 included this seeker.
The missile is capable of 13-g turns at supersonic speeds.
DEVELOPMENT •
The Hellfire evolved from Rockwell International’s earlier Hornet missile program. The name Hell-fire is a nickname derived from “helicopter-launched fire and forget.” The missile’s initial operational capability was in 1986. The US services plan to purchase at least 60,000 missiles over the life of the program.
The Hellfire is deployed on US Army Apache, Blackhawk, Kiowa Warrior, and Defender helicopters, US Marine Cobras, and Israeli Apaches. Additionally, Sweden began receiving a total of 700 antiship Hellfires in June 1987 to be operated as a portable coastal defense system mounted on a Swedish-built, single-rail tripod launcher. The Swedish RBS-17 weighs 108.5 lb (49.3 kg) and has a range of 5.4 nm (6.2 mi; 10 km). The Bofors delayed-action warhead penetrates the superstructure or hull of a ship before exploding. The system was successfully tested in October 1989, when a target boat 3.1 mi (5 km) offshore was hit four times out of four launches.
In October 1989, Rockwell received a
$500,000, 16-month contract to study the missile’s ability to shoot down helicopters and slow-moving (less than 100 mph, 160 km/h) targets. The missile would be carried by the RAH-66 Comanche (formerly LH) helicopter, complementing or replacing the Stinger missile. A proximity fuze would be developed for the AAH. The system was first tested in air-to-air firings in July 1990 with direct hits against aerial drone targets traveling 60 kts (69
mph; 111 km/h) at 600 ft (183 m) .
VARIANTS • AGM-114B (USN/USMC),
AGM-114C (US Army), AGM-114D/F (US Army), AGM-114E/G (US Navy),
RBS-17 (Swedish coastal variant), Brimstone (proposed RAF), Ground-Launched
Hellfire-Heavy (GLH-H) , Ground-
Launched Hellfire-Light (GLH-L) , Sea-Launched Hellfire, Longbow Hellfire.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
In December 1989, 11 Apaches flew 200 hours of missions in support of the US military operation Just Cause to remove Panamanian leader General Noriega. The Army reported that seven Hellfire missiles were used against fixed targets, including General Noriega’s headquarters, and all were accurate and effective.
Eight Apaches were used to attack early-warning radar sites in western Iraq on a round-trip of 950 nm (1,094 mi; 1,759 km) that opened Operation Desert Storm’s air war. The mission, which cleared an attack lane for precision strikes, achieved complete surprise and within two minutes had scored 15 hits with Hellfire missiles. Hellfires were launched at one-to-two second intervals from as far off as 3.8 nm (4.3 mi; 7 km), the pilot switching his laser designator from one target to the next. Apaches fired an estimated 5,000 Hell-fires and destroyed an estimated 500 tanks.
During the attacks against Iraqi Republican Guard formations that prepared the way for the ground war, one AH-64 hit and destroyed seven tanks with seven Hellfires. The 4th Battalion of the 229th Aviation Brigade was credited with 50 tanks in a single battle. Army OH-58Ds carried Hellfires during their antiship patrols; at least one Silkworm antiship missile launcher was destroyed by a Hellfire.
Marine Corps AH-1T and -lW Sea-cobra gunships fired 159 Hellfires during Desert Storm against tanks and observation and command posts.
Hellfires were also involved in accidental hits on friendly light armored vehicles and resulted in several US and British deaths. Subsequent improved recognition techniques reduced the risk of repeating such accidents.
SPECIFICATIONS •
MANUFACTURER
Rockwell International (primary) Martin Marietta (secondary)
MISSILE WRIGHT
Laser variant
100.9 lb (45.7 kg)
RF/IR, IIR 105.6 lb (47.9 kg) warhead approx 18 lb (8 kg)
DIMENSIONS configuration
thick cylinder, blunt nose with laser seeker window, small cruciform steerable foreplanes, low-aspect-ratio mainplanes at the rear
length laser variant: 5 ft 4 in
(1.63 m) RF/IR: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) IIR: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
diameter 7 in (178 mm) wingspan 1 ft 0.8 in (0.326 m) propulsion Thiokol TX-657 reduced-smoke solid-fuel rocket (Navy designation is T773-3, Army motors designated M120E1)
PERFORMANCE
speed Mach 1.1
max range approx 4.3 nm (5 mi; 8
km)
warhead high-explosive shaped-charge
SENSORS/FIRE CONTROL
missile Laser seeker has
Cassegrain telescope in hemispherical glass nose, giving the missile broad window coverage and enhancing its autonomous search capability Analog autopilot in
production version; digital autopilot in development
target designation
TADS in AH-64 used by
copilot to designate target itself or detect other designations and lock-on AN/TVQ-l (G/VLLD) has range of 5,468 yd (5,000 m) against stationary target, 3,827 yd (3,500 m) against moving targets; designator weight is 28
lb (12.7 kg), total
system weight is 51 lb (23.2 kg)
AN/PAQ-3 MULE uses AN/PAQ-1 laser and
designator and AN/ GSV5 rangefinder components; system
weight is 37.5 lb (17
kg)
Javelin (AAWS-M)
The Javelin Advanced Antitank Weapons
System-Medium (AAWS-M) is a man-portable antitank missile intended as a replacement for the M47 Dragon. Unlike the optically guided Dragon, the AAWS-M is an Infrared (IR) “fire and forget” system. It is a shoulder-fired missile coming in two parts: the disposable tube, which holds the missile, and the reusable Command Launch Unit (CLU) .
The missile is designed to attack the top of tanks where the armor is thinner.
The missile climbs 330-660 ft (100-200
m) after launch. As the missile approaches the target, it dives at a 45″ angle. If the target is protected from above, the operator has the option of selecting a direct-flight mode.
The warhead is a tandem shaped-charge for penetrating reactive armor. The first charge detonates the armor and the second penetrates the vehicle.
The AAWS-M is guided by an imaging
Long-Wave IR (LWIR) seeker in the missile’s nose using a staring focal-plane array. The array is a 64 X 64 configuration containing 4,096 IR detectors. A scanning focal-plane array with 240 detectors is used in the CLU; both arrays are made of mercury-cadmium-telluride (mer-cad). The CLU’s Field of View (FOV)
varies according to type of sight and magnification. Day sight FOV at four power is 3″ X 4″. The thermal sight’s FOV at four power is 4″ X 6″; at eight power it is 2″ X 3″.
The missile has a two-stage propulsion system. The first low-power motor ejects the missile from the tube. The missile glides for 15-20 ft (4-6 m) and then the main motor ignites. This allows the AAWS-M to be fired from inside a building or from a prone stance.
DEVELOPMENT •
The Javelin’s initial operational capability was originally planned for 1994 but was later put off until later in the decade, probably 1996 at the earliest. The first guided test firing was at Huntsville, Alabama, in April 1991.
In mid-1990, Martin Marietta selected Hughes Aircraft Co. as the second source for the IR focal-plane arrays. The original $169.7-million development contract was in 1989, but an Army review in March 1991 raised cost ceiling to $370 million.
Both the US Army and Marine Corps are scheduled to receive the missile.
In February 1989, the TI/Martin Marietta design was selected over two other designs, one by Hughes/Honeywell and one by Ford Aerospace.
SPECIFICATIONS •
manufacturer Texas Instruments Martin Marietta
COMBAT WEIGHT 41.9 lb (19.0 kg)
tube with missile
32.0 lb (14.5 kg) missile 27.0 lb (12.2 kg)
CLU 9.9 lb (4.5 kg)
DIMENSIONS
configuration
cylinder with 4 folding control fins aft and 8 folding wings at midpoint
PROPULSION
Atlantic Research 2-stage motor system
lst, low-power, motor ejects missile from tube at 164 fps (50 mps)
2nd, main, engine then ignites for 4.5-5 sec and boosts missile to
1,804 fps (550 mps) MAX RaNge approx 2,871 yd (2,000 m)
warhead tandem, shaped-charge SENSORS/FIRE CONTROL focal-plane-array IR guidance
TOW (BGM-71)
The US BGM-71 TOW (Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided) is the most widely distributed antitank guided missile in the world. It is fired from tripods, ground-combat vehicles, and helicopters.
Six variants have been fielded. The Basic TOW has a 5-in (127-mm) diameter warhead, analog computer, and a 3,281yd (3,000-m) range. Improved TOW (ITOW) added a telescoping standoff detonation probe. At launch, the two-section probe springs forward to provide the optimum distance between the armor and the exploding High-Explosive Armor-Piercing (HEAP) warhead. The TOW 2 has a three-section probe, a more powerful motor, and a 6-in (152mm) diameter warhead. TOW 2A is similar to the TOW 2 except that it incorporates a tandem warhead to increase its effectiveness against reactive armor. The precursor warhead in the missile probe detonates the reactive armor, allowing the primary warhead to penetrate the tank.
The TOW 2B, a top-attack version, entered service in late 1992.
DEVELOPMENT •
The initial operational capability for the TOW/BGM-71A was in 1970, ITOW/BGM-71C in 1982, TOW 2/BGM-71D in 1984, TOW 2A/ BGM-71E in 1987, and TOW 2B/
BGM-71F in 1992 (First Unit Equipped). Emerson Electric Co. builds the launcher, and Texas Instruments, digital guidance
and the AN/TAS-4A night sight for TOW 2 retrofit. Over 500,000 TOWs have been built and are in service.
In January 1992, the Spanish joint-venture firm Guiado y Control (composed of Hughes and INISEL) won the Spanish Defense Ministry’s $130-million contract to manufacture TOWs; additional orders were expected into the late 1990s.
In addition to the US Army and Marine Corps, over 36 other countries use the TOW missile. Although Brazil and Colombia are the only Latin American countries to receive the TOW, the missile is deployed extensively in countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Many Western helicopters have been modified to fire TOWs. The Bell AH-1J, AH-1S, AH-1T, and AH-1W can carry
TOWs as well as several versions of the McDonnell Douglas (formerly Hughes) 500MD, the MBB BO 105, Westland-Aerospatiale Lynx, Aerospatiale AS 350 Ecureuil, Agusta 109 Hirundo, and Al29 Mangusta.
ISSUES •
The controversial arms sales to Iran disclosed in late 1986 included over 500 TOW missiles from Israeli stocks. The missiles were reportedly Basic TOWS. A November 1987 report claimed that a further 20,000 TOWs contracted for in late
1984 were not delivered when the $264 million letter of credit disappeared with the Iranian contact. In July 1991, the Financial Times of London reported that London branches of the troubled Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) were used to bankroll the clandestine sale of 1,250 TOW missiles worth $9.375 million to Iran in 1985.
No TOW motors were produced at the Hercules-managed Radford, Virginia, plant between May and December 1986, because of problems in cold-weather firing and crumbling propellant. The delay
affected almost 11,000 TOW missile
bodies. Full production capacity was reached again in mid-1987.
Two TOW missile explosions in September 1986 were unrelated to the Hercules propellant problem, having occurred because of stress corrosion in the motor cases of TOWs produced before 1986. A plastic coating on new motor cases was recommended as a preventative measure.
Soon after the TOW 2A was announced in 1987, evidence suggested that some Soviet tanks have stacked reactive armor, the first layer of which detonates the probe, leaving the inner layer to deflect the HEAT warhead. Another armor option would be a light layer of laminate armor over the reactive armor. The TOW 2B is expected to be able to defeat such measures by virtue of its depressed angle of attack from above.
VARIANTS •
Basic TOW, Improved TOW, TOW 2, TOW 2A, TOW 2B,
Further Improved TOW (FITOW) (British MoD funded), MAPATS (Laser
TOW) (Israeli), Hughes wireless
TOW.
Major airborne TOW system-variants
are the M65 Airborne TOW, M65L Laser-Augmented Airborne TOW (LAAT), TOW Roof Sight (TRS), C-NITE (Cobra-NITE), HELITOW (for Danish and Italian helicopters).
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
The TOW missile was first used in May 1972 near Hue, South Vietnam, by US Army and Marine Corps infantry and airborne units. The success rate for helicopter gun-ship launches was claimed to be 65 direct
hits out of 81 launches (80%).
Israeli forces fired TOWs in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1982 invasion of
Lebanon. The Moroccan Air Force has used TOWs against Polisario units in the Western Sahara. Iranian forces used TOWs against Iraqi tanks during the
1980-88 Gulf War.
In 1987, Pakistan used TOW 2s against Indian forces in the conflict over the glacier region.
In Operation Desert Storm, beginning January 17, 1991, TOWs were deployed by the US Army and Marine Corps as well as by the British, Royal Saudi, Egyptian, and Kuwaiti armies in far greater numbers than any other ground- or vehicle-based antitank missile. In the Marine Corps alone, 5 8 2 M220E4 TOW launchers were deployed with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) in Saudi Arabia. Another 96 launchers remained with troops embarked on landing ships in the northern Persian Gulf.
During preparations for the ground war, TOW-equipped Marine Corps LAV-25s were used for reconnaissance of Iraqi border positions, using the missiles as “bunker busters” as well as against armored vehicles. At the battle of Khafji, January 30-31, Saudi TOW-equipped M113s engaged tanks as well as hitting bunkers.
Marine Corps Cobras also figured prominently in the Marine-Saudi drive on Kuwait City. Four Cobras attacked through breaks in the oily murk and destroyed several tanks with TOWS. Altogether, 250 TOWs were fired by Marine Corps units.
SPECIFICATIONS •
manufacturer
Hughes Aircraft (prime) McDonnell Douglas (secondary) WEIGHTS
on tripod launcher
Basic TOW: 173 lb (78.5
kg)
Basic with AN/TAS-4 night sight: 193 lb (87.5
kg)
TOW 2: 205 lb (93 kg)
weight in container
Basic TOW: 56.3 lb (25.5
kg)
ITOW: 56.6 lb (25.7 kg) TOW 2: 62.0 lb (28.1 kg)
missile weight
Basic TOW: 41.7 lb (18.9
kg)
ITOW: 42.0 lb (19.1 kg) TOW 2: 47.4 lb (21.5 kg)
WARHEAD
BGM-71A: 8.6 lb (3.9 kg) TOW 2/-71D: 13.0 lb (5.9 kg)
DIMENSIONS
configuration
factory-sealed tube contains a cylindrical missile body; pop-out cruciform wings indexed 45″ off line from cruciform rudders; 2 rocket exhausts at midbody; 2 guidance wire spools in
tail
prelaunch: 3 ft 10 in
(1.17 m) TOW 2, probe out: 4 ft 7 in (1.4 m)
diameter missile: 6 in (152 mm) warhead Basic TOW,
ITOW: 5 in (127
mm)
TOW 2: 6 in (152 mm)
PROPULSION
2 Hercules solid-fuel rocket motors 1st motor has short burn to allow
TOW to clear tube
2nd motor sustains TOW flight until impact
TOW 2 motor provides 30% greater impulse than Basic TOW
PERFORMANCE
speed Mach OS-O.9
range (BGM-71D)
max: 4,100 yd (3,750 m)
minimum: 71 yd (65 m) warhead High-Explosive Armor-Piercing (HEAP) shaped-charge;
ITOW and TOW 2 have extendable
probes to enhance the hollow charge effect
ITOW probe length:
5 in (127 mm); standoff distance 15
in (381 mm) TOW 2 probe length: 6 in (152 mm); standoff distance 21 .25 in (540 mm) penetration classified but TOW 2 is intended to penetrate
any 1990s tank
rate of fire
3 launches in 90 sec
SENSORS/FIRE CONTROL
guidance: Semiautomatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) wire guidance
automatic Infrared (IR) tracking of xenon or thermal beacon in missile
tail
analog computer in Basic TOW Texas Instruments dual digital programmable microprocessors in
TOW 2
Texas Instruments AN/TAS-4 thermal night sight
Kollsman AN/UAS-12C thermal im-
ager and missile guidance system
for TOW 2
dual Thorn/EM1 optical/magnetic proximity sensor for TOW 2B CREW 4
Maverick (AGM-65)
The Maverick is a precision-guided, air-to-ground missile configured primarily for the antitank and antiship roles. Six models of Mavericks have been developed. The AGM-65A/B/D variants have a shaped-charge warhead and are used as antitank weapons; these dive on the tank at an angle to hit the more vulnerable top armor. The AGM-65E/F variants have a larger blast/penetration warhead and are used in the land-attack and antiship role; the -65F’s terminal attack aims at the waterline of a ship.
In addition to the types of targets that can be engaged, the Maverick employs
Maverick AGM-65
U.S. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
several different guidance methods. The AGM-65A/Bs are television-guided; the AGM-65C is laser-guided; the AGM-65D uses an Imaging Infrared (IIR) guidance system; the AGM-65E is the improved C model; and the AGM-65F combines the IIR seeker of the D model with the warhead and propulsion sections of the AGM-65E.
The Maverick is launched from a variety of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters; the launch envelope varies slightly depending on warhead size.
DEVELOPMENT •
The Maverick’s initial operational capability was in 1972 for the AGM-65A, 1983 (AGM-65D), and
1985 (AGM-65E). The first test flights were in 1969. The AGM-65G completed its last test launch in October 1988. In August-September 1990, Hughes accelerated testing of the AGM-65D for launch from the AH-1W attack helicopter in re-
sponse to the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Final manufacture and delivery of missile (5,225 AGM-65Gs and 36 AGM-65Fs to the US Navy) was in April 1994.
In addition to the Maverick being deployed on various US Air Force and Navy fixed-wing planes and helicopters, the missile is used by 19 other countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
VARIANTS •
AGM-65A (TV), AGM-
65B, AGM-65C, AGM-65D, AGM-65E, AGM-65F, AGM-65G, Rapid Fire.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
The first combat use of the Maverick was in Vietnam in January-February 1973, where targets were hit in 13 of 18 launches.
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israeli aircraft fired 50 AGM-65s and scored 42 hits and five deliberate near misses (to disable, not destroy). Later Israeli combat use (up through March 1983) experienced 20 missiles hit for 20 targets engaged.
In a June 1975 border clash, Iranian aircraft fired 12 missiles, all of which hit Iraqi tanks.
More than 5,100 Mavericks were fired during Operation Desert Storm, making the missile the Air Force’s principal tank-killing missile’ during the conflict (although GBU-12 laser-guided bombs may have accounted for more armored vehicles) .
An April 1992 official report on the conduct of the Persian Gulf War claimed an SO%-90% success rate (launch and guidance to target) for the TV and IIR Mavericks, and approximately 60% for the laser-guided variants.
SPECIFICATIONS •
MANUFACTURER
Hughes Aircraft (prime) Raytheon (secondary)
Alenia (Italy, AGM-65D/G)
MISSILE WEIGHT
AGM-65A/B/D: 462 lb (210 kg)
65E/F: 637 lb (289 kg)
warhead AGM-65A/B/D: 125 lb
(56.7 kg)
AGM-65E/F/G: 300 lb
(136.1 kg)
DIMENSIONS
configuration
Resembles an enlarged
Falcon AAM (AIM-4) thick cylinder with rounded nose, cruciform extreme delta wings with rectangular control surfaces immediately behind
length 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m)
diameter 12 in (305 mm) wingspan 2 ft 4.5 in (0.72 m)
PROPULSION
Thiokol TX-481 or TX-633 Z-stage solid-fuel rocket; Aerojet is second source
(Defense Department designation is
SR-109-TC-1)
PERFORMANCE
speed between Mach 1 and 2
range (launch aircraft speed of
Mach 0.9)
at upprox 3, 000ft (914 m)
launch altitude
minimum; 2,000 ft (610
■ »
max: 9 nm (10.4 mi; 16.8 km)
at 10,000ft (3,048m)
launch altitude
minimum: 5,000 ft (1,524
m)
max: 12 nm (13.8 mi;
22.2 km)
at 30,000ft (9,143 m)
launch altitude minimum: 3.5 nm (4.0
mi; 6.4 km) max: 12.0 nm (13.8 mi;
22.2 km) max with 300-lb (135-kg)
warhead: 13.5 nm (15.5 mi; 24.4 km)
warhead type
conventional high-explosive
AGM-65A/B/D: shaped-
charge
AGM-65E/F/G: blast/
penetration sensors/fire control varies by model
