US Air Force/US Navy air-to-air missiles (2024)

RyanAAM-A-1Firebird

In 1946, the US Army Air Force awarded Ryan Aeronautical a study contract for a subsonic fighter-launched air-to-air missile for use against bombers under Wright Field designation MX-799. In 1947, Ryan was given the go ahead for full-scale development of the MX-799, which eventually was designated AAM-A-1 and christened Firebird, and in October of that year the first XAAM-A-1 launch was conducted. The AAM-A-1 Firebird was a slender design with cruciform moving wings and fixed tailfins, and it relied on a radio command guidance system during midcourse flight, with the operator in the launching aircraft transmitting corrections to the missile, while terminal guidance usedactive radar homing, with a small radar set fitted in the nose of the missile and the AAM-A-1’s warhead being detonated by aproximity and impact fuze. After being launched from the carrier aircraft, the AAM-A-1 initially used a rear-mounted solid-fuel rocket booster for propulsion, and when the booster was jettisoned after burning out, the liquid-fuel sustainer rocket motor ignited to propel the AAM-A-1 for 15 more seconds. The DB-26B and DF-82C were used as launch platforms for the AAM-A-1, and test flights continued until late 1949, when the AAM-A-1 program was canceled because the midcourse guidance system made the AAM-A-1 useful only in clear weather during the day, even though Ryan had studied the possibility of fitting the Firebird with a radar beam-riding guidance system.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one 620lb(2.8kN) liquid-fuel rocket motor and one 2,800lb(12kN) solid-fuel rocket booster
• Length: 9 feet 4.2 in (2.85 meters) w/ booster, 7feet 6in (2.29meters) w/ booster
• Finspan: 2 feet 8 in (0.81 meters)
• Diameter: 8 in (20 cm)
• Weight: 260 lb (120 kg)
• Speed: Mach 0.85
• Range: 8 miles (13 km)
• Warhead: one 90 lb (40 kg) high-explosive warhead

HughesAAM-A-2/GAR-1,2,3,4/AIM-4Falcon

The Hughes Falcon was the first operational air-to-air guided missile of the US Air Force. Development of the Falcon began in 1946, when the US Army Air Force awarded Hughes a study contract for a subsonic short-range air-to-air missile under the Air Material Command number MX-798. When the USAAF soon changed the requirement to a supersonic air-to-air missile that could be launched from bombers for self-defense, in 1947 the MX-798 project was superseded by the MX-904 supersonic air-to-air missile design, which was eventually assigned the designation AAM-A-2 and officially named Falcon. Ground-based launches of the AAM-A-2 began in 1948, but in early 1949, the USAF changed the launch platform for the Falcon missile to subsonic fighters. In 1951 the Air Force reclassified surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles as fighters, leading to the AAM-A-2 being redesignated XF-98, and since the baseline XF-98 had been designed for use by subsonic interceptors (e.g. F-89), Hughes that year proposed a Falcon variant to be launched from the forthcoming Convair F-102 Delta Dart supersonic interceptor, initially called XF-104 but later redesignated XF-98A. Ground launches of the Falcon began in 1948, and air launches with the XF-98 variant began in May 1951. Air- and ground-based firing tests continued until 1954, when the first production Falcon missiles were delivered to USAF squadrons, with operational service commencing in 1956. After the US Air Force reverted to the practice of classifying guided missiles as simply guided missiles in 1955, the XF-98 and XF-98A were redesignated YGAR-1 and XGAR-1A respectively; the XGAR-1A would later be redesignated GAR-3. The first test launches of the GAR-3 and GAR-4 began in 1954-1955, and deliveries of these variants, also called the Super Falcon, began in 1956, but due to delays in the fielding of the F-106, the GAR-3 and GAR-4 did not enter service until 1958.

The design of the Falcon missile featured a slender airframe with a hemispherical nose radome flanked by receiving aerial resembling small fins and four delta wings extending to the middle section of the missile. The guidance system for Falcon missile consisted of a semi-active radar designed to home in on enemy aircraft over a distance of 5 miles (8 km), and when launched from a fighter plane, the Falcon would hit its target to explode due to its lack of a proximity fuse. TheGAR-2 (originally designated XGAR-1B)was similar to the GAR-1 but was equipped with an infrared guidance system. An improved GAR-2 variant, the GAR-2A, employed an advanced infrared seeker that could lock in on targets across a wider range of background temperatures, and the GAR-2B was similar to the GAR-2A but utilized an infrared seeker. The GAR-3 (originally designated XGAR-1A) was similar to the GAR-1 in being slightly longer and featured a semi-active radar guidance system but had larger fins (the original GAR-3 design had forward lateral strakes, but this was later revised to replace the strakes with the enlarged fins due to development of the GAR-1D). The GAR-3A variant incorporated the enlarged fins of the GAR-3 but had forward lateral strakes extending along the wing root sections, an M46 dual-thrust (boost/sustain) motor, and an improved heat seeker with increased accuracy and higher ECM resistance. The GAR-4 retained the airframe of the GAR-3 but utilized the infrared guidance system of the GAR-2A, while the GAR-4A was a GAR-4 with forward lateral strakes and an improved infrared seeker, which enabled it to lock-on to smaller targets over greater distances. Launch platforms for the Falcon included the Northrop F-89 Scorpion, McDonnell F-101B Voodoo and F-4 Phantom II, Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart, and Dassault Mirage IIIS. When the Defense Department introduced the Tri-Service designation system for guided missiles and rockets in 1963, the GAR-1, GAR-1D, GAR-2, GAR-2A, GAR-2B, GAR-3, GAR-3A, and GAR-4A were allocated the new designations AIM-4, AIM-4A, AIM-4B, AIM-4C, AIM-4D, AIM-4E, AIM-4F, and AIM-4G respectively. The final variant of theFalcon, the XAIM-4H, was an improved AIM-4D with an active laser proximity fuse, a new warhead, and greater maneuverability. The proximity fuse comprised four laser beams in the nose, all perpendicular to the missile axis, which effectively created a disc-shaped detection zone around the missile nose. Test flights of the XAIM-4H were conducted in 1970-1971, and 25 missiles were built, but problems with the Falcon and the success of the AIM-9Sidewinder meant that the AIM-4H program was halted in 1971.

More than 55,000 AIM-4 Falcon missiles were built. In addition to the US Air Force, the Falcon was also deployed by the Royal Canadian Air Force, Finnish Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Swedish Air Force, Swiss Air Force, and Turkish Air Force. The Falcon was built under license by Saab as the Rb 28, and the Swiss Air Force assigned the designation HM-55S to the Falcon. The AIM-4D was deployed by the USAF during the Vietnam War beginning in May 1967, but its combat performance was very poor due to a variety of factors, including slow seeker cooling times (six or seven seconds to obtain a lock on a target) rendering it largely ineffective against jet fighter, the fast expenditure of liquid nitrogen owing to the limited coolant supply, and a warhead lacking a proximity fuse. Consequently, only four successful air-to-air kills were made with the Falcon aboard the F-4D Phantom II in 1967-1968, and retirement of AIM-4D Falcon began in 1969 and was completed by 1973. Despite being designed to shoot down Soviet long-range subsonic bombers, the Super Falcon was never used in combat, and no examples of the AIM-4F/G were exported to US allies. The AIM-4E was gradually consigned to reserve status due to operational limitations, eventually being retired from service in 1968. The AIM-4F and AIM-4G variants remained operational until the 1980s, when the F-106 Delta Dart was replaced by the F-15 Eagle in service.

Specifications

Martin AAM-N-4 Oriole

In 1947 Martin was awarded a development contract by the Navy for an air-to-air missile to be carried aboard the US Navy’s first-generation jet fighters, and the designation AAM-N-4 was assigned to the Martin air-to-air missile design, which was officially named Oriole. The AAM-N-4Orioletook the form of a streamlined airframe with cruciform fins at the center section and rear end for longitudinal flight control, and it utilized an active radar homing guidance system. The Oriole itself was intended to use either a solid-fuel rocket motor or a hybrid rocket/ramjet propulsion system, and the design speed of the AAM-N-4 itself was to be in excess of Mach 3. However, in 1948, the Navy redefined the Oriole as a supersonic research and test vehicle and canceled plans for production of the AAM-N-4 as a missile in favor of the AAM-N-2 Sparrow, and the Oriole was redesignated RV-N-16. Test launches of the Oriole at Naval Air Missile Test CenteratPoint Mugu, California, in 1950, and a total of 56 launches were conducted until 1953, when the AAM-N-4/RV-N-16 program was halted.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one solid-fuel rocket motor
• Length: 11feet 7in (3.53meters)
• Finspan: 3 ft 2.8 in (0.99 meters)
• Diameter: 11 in (28 cm)
• Weight: 1,500 lb (680 kg)
• Speed: Mach 2.5
• Range: 10 miles (16 km)
• Warhead: one high-explosive warhead

MIT/BellAAM-N-5Meteor

In November 1945, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) received a contract by the US Navy’s Bureau of Ordnance to undertake design studies for surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles powered by various types of propulsion (rocket, ramjet) under Project Meteor. By 1947, the Navy selected the air-to-air missile design for full-scale development, and Bell was awarded a contract to build the airframe for the MIT air-to-air missile design, which was designated XAAM-N-5. The design of the XAAM-N-5 featured a two-stage missile with cruciform fins at the rear end and forward-mounted control fins for longitudinal stability in flight, and guidance was provided by a semi-active radar homing system. After launch from an aircraft, the Meteor would use the solid-fuel booster stage to attain supersonic speed, and after the first stage was jettisoned, the liquid-fuel sustainer rocket ignited. Test firings of the AAM-N-5 were first carried in July 1948 from JD Invader aircraft, while test launches from the F3D Skynight all-weather/night fighter were conducted beginning in 1951; a total of 15 ground-based launches were conducted at the Naval Ordnance Test Station facility in China Lake, California. However, development of AAM-N-5 was canceled in 1953 in favor of the AAM-N-2 Sparrow. A advanced version of the AAM-N-5, the Meteor II, would have been powered by a solid-fueled booster rocket and aramjetsustainer engine, and United Aircraft was chosen to build the design, but the Meteor II was never built.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one liquid-fuel sustainer rocket motor and one solid-fuel rocket booster
• Length: 9feet 6in (2.90meters) w/o booster; 13 feet 11.25 in (4.25 meters) w/ booster
• Finspan: 3 feet 4.25 in (1.02 meters)
• Diameter: 8.25 in (21 cm) w/o booster; 8.9 in (22.6 cm) w/ booster
• Weight: 390 lb (177 kg) w/o booster; 580 lb (260 kg) w/ booster
• Speed: Mach 2
• Range: 25 miles (40 km)
• Warhead: one 25 lb (11 kg) blast-fragmentation warhead

RaytheonAIM-7 Sparrow

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The AIM-7 Sparrow is the most prolific medium-range air-to-air missile deployed by the US and its allies around the world. The Sparrow had its genesis in 1947, when Sperry won a contract by the US Navy to develop a derivative of the 5 in (12.7 cm) HVAR (High Velocity Aerial Rocket) unguided air-to-air rocket with a system beam-riding guidance. The guided air-to-air HVAR design devised by Sperry that was initially designated KAS, but eventually redesignated AAM-2 in September 1947 and then AAM-N-2 in early 1948 after the US armed forces introduced a joint designation system for guided missiles and research/test vehicles. The AAM-N-2, now officially christened Sparrow, was redesigned to use a new airframe measuring 8 in (20.3 cm) in diameter, and it began unpowered flight tests in 1948, followed by the first powered ground tests in April 1952 and the first test launch in July of that year. The Sparrow carried out its first air-to-air “kill” against a QB-17 drone in December 1952, and the AAM-N-2 entered service in 1954. In 1950 Douglas proposed a Sparrow variant with a radar-homing seeker, initially called XAAM-N-2a but subsequently redesignated XAAM-N-3, and differences in the guidance system led to the AAM-N-2 being renamed Sparrow I, while the AAM-N-3 became Sparrow II. Test launches of the AAM-N-3 Sparrow II began in July 1952, but the Navy canceled the AAM-N-3 program in 1956. In the meantime, Raytheon developed a version of the Sparrow missile with a semi-active radar homing system, the AAM-N-6 Sparrow III, which began test flights in February 1953, and when production of the AAM-N-2 ceased, Raytheon became the chief contractor for the Sparrow program. Production of the AAM-N-6 Sparrow III began in January 1958, with operational deployment taking place in August. The US Air Force took an interest in the Sparrow III, and the Air Force version of the Sparrow III became AIM-101, entering service in the early 1960s.

The initial Sparrow model, the AAM-N-2 Sparrow I, had triangular fins at the center section and rear end of the airframe, which was very streamlined and has a very pointed nose. The beam-riding guidance system for the Sparrow I, which was handicapped by the fact that it was slaved to an optical sight in the aircraft, which necessitated visual identification of a target, rendering theSparrow Ilittle more than a short-range VFR missile. The designations RAAM-N-2aandRAAM-N-2bwere applied to research/development versions of the AAM-N-2 with an SPR guidance system of conventional and modular construction respectively. The XAAM-N-2bwas a proposed operational version of the RAAM-N-2b, but this variant was not built. Launch platforms for the AAM-N-2 included the Douglas F3D Skyknight all-weather night fighter, and the McDonnell F3H-2M DemonandVought F7U Cutlassday fighters. The AAM-N-3 Sparrow II design had triangular fins and a streamlined airframe like the Sparrow I, but differed in having a rounded nose housing a radar-homing seeker for guidance, the latter which allowed for several Sparrow IIs to be fired at separate targets simultaneously. The proposed operational AAM-N-3 would have had an active radar homing system guided by a K-band AN/APQ-64-radar, and the unbuilt XAAM-N-3a was to be the supersonic-launch version. The Douglas F5D Skylancer day fighter was originally planned to be the launch platform for the AAM-N-3, but later on the decision was made for the Sparrow II to be one of the weapons for the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow long-range interceptor. Canadair was chosen to license-build the AAM-N-3, and despite the Navy’s cancellation of the AAM-N-3, development of the missile by Canadair continued until 1959, when it was terminated due to the cancellation of the Arrow. The AAM-N-6 Sparrow III had triangular fins on the center section and rear end of the airframe, a pointed nose, and a MK 38 continuous rod warhead, and it relied on a semi-active radar homing system for guidance. The AAM-N-6a and AIM-101 subvariants of the Sparrow III had an improved guidance system for higher closing-rates and anti-jammer capability as well as a new Thiokol LR44-RM-2 storable liquid-fuel rocket motor to provide increased effective range and ceiling, and AAM-N-6a missile used for inert training were designated XTAAM-N-6aandTAAM-N-6a. The AAM-N-6b was similar to the AAM-N-6a and AIM-101 but used a new solid-fuel rocket motor to further enhance the range and ceiling of the Sparrow, and effective range of course was largely contingent upon firing parameters like launch speed and relative velocity of the target. The AAM-N-9 Sparrow X conceived in 1958 was a proposed variant armed with a W42 nuclear warhead, but progressed on further than the design phase. Following the introduction of the 1963 Tri-Service guided missile designation system, AAM-N-2, AAM-N-3, and AAM-N-6 were redesignated AIM-7A, AIM-7B, and AIM-7C respectively, while the AAM-N-6a and AIM-101 became AIM-7D and the AAM-N-6b was redesignated AIM-7E. Inert training versions of the AIM-7E for firing practice, captive-carry flights, and handling/loading practice were given the designations ATM-7E, CATM-7E, andDATM-7E respectively, and designation CAEM-7E was assigned to CATM-7Es equipped with special telemetry electronics. Three improved subvariants of the AIM-7E were developed, the AIM-7E-2 “dogfight missile” with shorter minimum range, clipped fins for enhancing maneuverability, and improved autopilot and fusing, the AIM-7E-3 with further improved fusing and higher reliability, and the AIM-7E-4 for use with high-power fighter radars. The AIM-7F was a variant powered by a dual-thrust rocket motor to provide enhanced operating range, an AN/DSQ-35 solid-state electronic guidance and control system which was also compatible with modern pulse-doppler radars. The ATM-7F,CATM-7F,and DATM-7F were inert training versions of the AIM-7F for firing practice, captive-carry flights, and handling/loading practice respectively, whereas the designation CAEM-7F was applied to CATM-7Fs with special telemetry electronics. The AIM-7G was a US Air Force variant with a new seeker developed for use aboard the F-111D Aardvark fighter-bomber, and test flights of the AIM-7G were conducted in 1970, but the AIM-7G itself did not enter production. The AIM-7M, which began test firings in 1980 and entered production in 1982, has a new inverse monopulse seeker for look-down/shoot-down capability in a new WGU-6/B (later WGU-23/B) guidance section, which improves the Sparrow’s performance in low-altitude and ECM environments (the AIM-7J/K/L variant suffixes were skipped because the suffix letter -7M was chosen to denote the AIM-7M’s monopulse seeker). Other features of the AIM-7M include a digital computer (with software in EEPROM modules reprogrammable on the ground), an autopilot to allow the missile to fly with optimized trajectories (with target illumination essential only for mid-course and terminal guidance), an active fuse, and a new WDU-27/B blast-fragmentation warhead in a WAU-17/B warhead section. Training versions of the AIM-7M include the ATM-7M for firing practice,the captive-carry CATM-7M,the DATM-7M for handling/loading practice, and the CAEM-7M with special telemetry electronics. The AIM-7Nwas an upgraded version of the AIM-7F for the US Air Force’s F-15 MSIP (Multistage Improvement Program), but was not ordered into full-scale production. The AIM-7P is an improved version of the AIM-7M with improved guidance electronics and on-board computer, a new radar fuse, and an uplink to the autopilot for mid-course guidance updates, further improving performance especially against small and/or low-flying targets; two subvariants of the AIM-7P have been built, the Block I with a WGU-6D/B guidance section and the Block II with a WGU-23D/B guidance section and new rear receiver.The ATM-7Pis the inert training version of the AIM-7P, and training versions of the AIM-7F/M are used for training for the AIM-7P. There are reports of a proposed AIM-7Q variant with both dual mode (IR/active radar) terminal homing and a wide-band passive radar seeker able to home on emissions from enemy targets, but these remain unconfirmed and the AIM-7Q most likely was not built. The final Sparrow variant, the AIM-7R, was conceived in the early 1990s as an AIM-7P Block II with a dual mode (Radar/IR) seeker developed under the MHIP (Missile Homing Improvement Program) to improve the terminal phase performance, and a considerably improved on-board computer for the higher processing requirements of active terminal homing. Plans were made by the US Navy to upgrade many AIM-7Ps to AIM-7R configuration, and test flights of the AIM-7R were conducted in the mid-1990s, but the AIM-7R program was cancelled in December 1996 due to high development costs. Aircraft that are (or were) used to carry more modern variants of the AIM-7 Sparrow include the F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-104 Starfighter, Mitsubishi F-2, Saab Viggen, and Tornado ADV.

More than 62,000 AIM-7 missiles were built. The Sparrow was used by the Air Force and Navy during the Vietnam War, with the first combat kill being scored on June 7, 1965, and more than 50 aircraft were shot down with the Sparrow missile, although initial combat results of the Sidewinder were disappointing due to unreliable IFF capabilities required visual identification of all targets, but also the high minimum range of the Sparrow and poor performance against maneuvering and/or low-flying targets. The AIM-7 would later be used against Iraqi aircraft in Operation Desert Storm, claiming 26 air-to-air kills during the conflict. Besides serving with the US Navy and US Air Force, the Sparrow has also seen operational service with the air forces of Australia, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and United Kingdom. The British and Italian defense industries used the AIM-7 as the basis of the Skyflash and Aspide air-to-air missiles respectively. The AIM-7 is currently being replaced in US service by the more modern AIM-120, while Japan is replacing its AIM-7s with the Mitsubishi AAM-4 medium-range air-to-air missile.

Specifications

HughesGAR-5/GAR-6/GAR-11/AIM-26Falcon

In 1956, the Hughes company undertook design studies for a nuclear-armed derivative of the Falcon air-to-air missile to be used against high and fast-flying missiles and bombers. The initial nuclear-armed Falcon proposals, designated XGAR-5 and XGAR-6, both had a length of 12 feet (3.5 meters) and a diameter of 12 inches (30 meters), making them larger than the standard Falcon, but differed in their guidance system, with the XGAR-5 having a semi-active radar homing system and the XGAR-6 being equipped with a infrared homing system. However, the XGAR-5 and XGAR-6 did not progress beyond the design phase. When the US Air Force realized that its existing interceptors needed a head-on kill capability against enemy bombers, in 1959 it gave Hughes the go-ahead to develop a nuclear-armed derivative of the Falcon with a W54 nuclear warhead, designated GAR-11. Test firings of the GAR-11 began in 1960, and operational deployment was achieved the following year, with the F-102 Delta Dagger being the launch platform for the GAR-11.

The GAR-11 missile was similar to the baseline AIM-4 Falcon in having the fins extending to the center section of the airframe but was slightly larger and much heavier, and like the earlier XGAR-5 project, it relied on a semi-active radar homing guidance system. The low-yield nuclear warhead and the all-weather capability of SARH guidance system made the GAR-11 the most powerful air-to-air missile ever deployed. When the GAR-11 approached an enemy aircraft, detonation of the nuclear warhead was triggered by a radar proximity fuse. The GAR-11A was a variant of the GAR-11 armed with a conventional warhead in order to be effective against enemy aircraft flying at low altitudes over friendly territory. Under the Tri-Service missile designation system introduced in 1963, the GAR-11 was redesignated AIM-26, and thus the GAR-11 and GAR-11A became AIM-26A and AIM-26B respectively.

A total of about 4,000 AIM-26s were produced. No AIM-26As were ever fired in anger, and although the AIM-26B was seldom used by the US Air Force, it was exported to Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland, being carried aboard the Dassault Mirage IIIS and Saab Draken fighter-interceptors. The AIM-26B was also built under license by Saab as the Rb 27, while the Swiss Air Force assigned the designation HM-55 to its AIM-26Bs. The unsuitability of the warhead designed for the AIM-26A against low-level threats as well as improvements in radar-homing in the late 1960s that made the Sidewinder effective in frontal air attacks meant that the AIM-26A was retired from service in 1971, while the AIM-26B was phased out of service with the USAF in 1972. In the meantime, the AIM-26B continued to serve the air arms of Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden until the late 1990s, when Sweden retired the Rb 27 and the Draken from operational service in 1998.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one 5,800 lb (26 kN) thrust Thiokol M60 solid-fuel rocket motor
• Length: 7 feet 0.2 in (2.14 meters) (AIM-26A); 6 feet 9.5 in (2.07 meters) (AIM-26B)
• Finspan: 24.4 in (62 cm)
• Diameter: 11 in (27.9 cm) (AIM-26A); 11.5 in (29.2 cm) (AIM-26B)
• Weight: 203 lb (92 kg) (AIM-26A); 262 lb (118.8 kg) (AIM-26B)
• Speed: Mach 2
• Range: 5-10 miles (8-16 km)
• Warhead: one 1.5 kT W54 nuclear fission warhead (AIM-26A); one 40 lb (18.1 kg) blast/fragmentation warhead (AIM-26B)

Hughes GAR-9/AIM-47 Falcon

In 1957, the Hughes company envisaged a new long-range air-to-air missile dubbed GAR-X as part of the LRI-X (Long-Range Interceptor, Experimental) program initiated by the US Air Force in July 1955 for a new-generation interceptor to replace the F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart. When initially conceived, the GAR-X was intended to use interchangeable HE or nuclear warheads and have a range of 15-25 miles (25-40 km), and at one point the Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior multisonic interceptor project was considered for use by Hughes to test the weapons systems associated with the LRI-X. After the North American NA-257 Mach 3 interceptor design was declared the winner of the LRI-X competition in April 1957 and became the F-108 Rapier, the GAR-X design was officially designated GAR-9 while the associated YX-1 radar and fire control system intended for the F-108 would be designated AN/ASG-18. The F-108 was canceled in September 1959 due to a tight budget before it could reach the hardware phase, but the GAR-9 continued to be developed, and in the wake of the cancellation of the XF-103, a Convair B-58 Hustler supersonic bomber was modified to serve as a test platform for GAR-9, being fitted with a ventral pod containing one GAR-9 and its nose modified to house the AN/ASG-18, hence its nickname “Snoopy”. Ground launches of the new missile began in August 1961, and the first test firings were carried out in May 1962. The GAR-9 was redesignated XAIM-47A after the introduction of the Tri-Service designation system for guided missiles in 1963.

The AIM-47 was a very large long-range air-to-air missile designed to intercept incoming Soviet bomber aircraft over long-distances, and it had long fins that extended to the base of the nose section, like the AIM-26. The guidance system for the AIM-47 comprised a semi-active radar homing seeker that could lock in a target covering an area of 100 square feet (9.3 m²) over a distance of 72 miles (116 km), and early problems with the development of the SARH seeker meant that the AIM-47 utilized a dual-mode SARH/IR seeker head. The missile would conduct the initial stages of its flight path using an autopilot programmed with a pre-launch target position and heading data. Although originally intended to house a W42 low-yield nuclear warhead in the airframe, the AIM-47 was eventually reconfigured to carry a conventional high-explosive warhead with proximity fusing in mid-1959 after development of the W42 warhead was halted in 1958 and other attempts to create nuclear warheads for the XAIM-47A came to nothing. In 1960 Lockheed began development of an interceptor version of the A-12 spyplane, the YF-12A, and Hughes teamed up with Lockheed to adapt the XAIM-47A for use aboard the YF-12A, and the weapons bays designed for the YF-12A were used for accommodating the XAIM-47A. Seven XAIM-47A launches were conducted from the YF-12A in 1965, of which six were successful. The planned production variant, the AIM-47B, would have had folding fins to allow it to fit inside the redesigned weapons bays of the proposed production F-12, designated F-12B.

A total of about 80 AIM-47s were built. Although the AIM-47 did not enter production or operational service because the production plans for the F-12B were cancelled in 1968, the design of the AIM-47 would serve as the basis for the Navy’s AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile, while the AN/ASG-18 became the starting point for the AN/AWG-9 radar associated with the Phoenix.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one Lockheed SR13 solid-fueled rocket motor
• Length: 12 feet 6.5 in (3.82 meters)
• Finspan: 33 in (83.8 cm)
• Diameter: 13.5 in (34.3 cm) (XAIM-47A); 13 in (33 cm) (AIM-47B)
• Weight: 818 lb (371 kg) (XAIM-47A); 800 lb (363 kg) (AIM-47N)
• Speed: Mach 4
• Range: 100 miles (160 km)
• Warhead; one 100 lb (45 kg) high-explosive warhead

Raytheon/Philco/General Electric/Motorola AIM-9Sidewinder

The AIM-9 Sidewinder is the most prolific short-range American air-to-air missile ever built and deployed. The Sidewinder had its genesis in a 1950 requirement by the US Navy for a heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missile that could be built by fitting a 5 in (12.7 cm) air-to-air rocket with a lead sulphide (PbS) photo cell in a hemispherical glass nose to detect infrared radiation. The new short-range air-to-air missile was christened the Sidewinder, and test launches began in 1951, followed by the first successful air-to-air hit against a drone on September 11, 1953. The Sidewinder missile was designated XAAM-N-7, and in 1955 General Electric started low-rate production of the AAM-N-7 Sidewinder I, which entered service with the Navy in May 1956. Both General Electric and Philco undertook full-rate production of the AAM-N-7 Sidewinder IA, and in 1957 the US Air Force procured the Sidewinder IA under the designation GAR-8 after a fly-off between the Sidewinder and GAR-2/AIM-4B Falcon in June 1955 found the Sidewinder aerodynamically superior to the Falcon. In June 1963, the Sidewinder I was redesignated AIM-9A, while the Sidewinder IA and GAR-8 were both redesignated AIM-9B.

The AIM-9 is a air-to-air missile design with a very slender airframe that features triangular fins near the nose section containing the radar seeker and a second set of fins at the rear end. The baseline Sidewinder variants, the AIM-9A Sidewinder I and AIM-9B Sidewinder IA, relied on a infrared homing radar seeker for guidance, with an effect kill radius of 30 feet (9 meters), and they used a 10 lb (4.5 kg) blast-fragmentation warhead triggered by an IR proximity or contact fuse. Due to the limitations of the infrared seeker, the AIM-9A/B was only suitable for tail-on engagements of non-maneuvering targets at distances between 3,000 feet (900 meters) and 3 miles (4.8 km), and the Sidewinder I and IA were also very susceptible to other heat sources (sun, ground reflections). The Sidewinder IC variant had a new Hercules MK 36 solid-fuel rocket motor for increased speed, greater range, a larger MK 48 continuous-rod warhead, and slightly larger fins, and two versions were developed, the AIM-9C (built by Motorola) with a semi-active radar seeker and the AIM-9D (built by Philco-Ford and Raytheon) with an infrared seeker. The inert trainer version of the AIM-9D fitted with a WDU-9/B dummy warhead was initially called GDU-1/B, but later redesignated ATM-9D. TheAIM-9E, the first Sidewinder variant specifically built for the US Air Force, was an improved AIM-9B with a higher tracking rate of 16.5°/s, a longer conical nose section, and a new seeker featuring a thermoelectric (Peltier) cooling system, which enabled unlimited cooling time while the missile was on the launch rail, and a sub-variant of the AIM-9E with a reduced-smoke motor is called AIM-9E-2. The AIM-9F (aka AIM-9B FGW.2) was a variant of the AIM-9B built under license in West Germany by Bodensee Gerätetechnik (BGT) with a new CO₂-cooled seeker, some solid-state electronics, and a new nose dome. TheAIM-9G was an improved AIM-9D utilizing SEAM (Sidewinder Expanded Acquisition Mode), which allowed the optics to be either slewed through a search pattern or slaved to the aircraft’s radar to acquire a target, and the ATM-9Gwas the inert training version of the AIM-9G. The AIM-9H was similar to the AIM-9G but differed in having solid-state electronics in the guidance and control system, and its seeker tracking rate was also increased to 20°/s to complement the more powerful actuators; inert training AIM-9Hs built for captive flight target acquisition were given the designation ATM-9H. The AIM-9Jwas an improved version of the AIM-9E with partial solid-state electronics, a longer-burning gas generator, and more powerful actuators driving new square-tipped twin-delta canards, the latter which doubled the single-plane “G”-capability of the missile. The ZAIM-9K was a planned upgraded version of the AIM-9H, but this was bot built. The AIM-9L is a variant for the US Air Force and US Navy with All-Aspect Capability (ALASCA) and effective use against violent maneuvers and high-speed targets at all ranges, and it features long-span pointed double-delta canards, a modified MK 36 solid-fuel rocket motor, and a new AN/DSQ-29 solid-state guidance and control section. Additional improvements include a completely new argon-cooled indium antimonide (InSb) seeker, a DSU-15/B AOTD (Active Optical Target Detector) laser proximity fuse, and an improved 20.8 lb (9.4 kg) WDU-17/B annular blast-fragmentation warhead. Training versions of the AIM-9L include theATM-9Lfor firing practice, captive-carryCATM-9L, the non-flyingDATM-9L (originally GDU-6/C)for handling and loading practice, and theNATM-9L for special test/evaluation purposes. TheAIM-9Mis a development vof the AIM-9L with a reduced-smoke rocket motor, an improved WGU-4/B guidance section, improved overall reliability, and enhanced countermeasures resistance (IRCCM – Infrared Counter-Countermeasures). Ten known sub-variants of the AIM-9M have been produced, designated AIM-9M-1 through AIM-9M-10; the AIM-9M-8 for the Navy and the AIM-9M-9 for the Air Force have further improved IRCM detection circuitry and feature the latest versions of the rocket motor, WGU-4E/B guidance section, and AOTD (DSU-15B/B), and the AIM-9M-10 is a slightly modified AIM-9M-8 version carried by the F/A-18E/FSuper Hornet jet fighter. TheCATM-9Mis the captive-carry training version of the AIM-9M, of which sub-variants include the CATM-9M-1/2/4/6/8 (for AIM-9M-1/3 training), CATM-9M-12/14 (for AIM-9M-8/9 training), and CATM-9M-27 (for AIM-9M-10 training), while the NATM-9Mis a special test/evaluation version. TheAIM-9N(originally designated AIM-9J-1) is an improved AIM-9J with all three major circuit boards redesigned for improved seeker performance, while theAIM-9Sis a export version of the AIM-9M that dispenses with the IRCCM system. TheAIM-9Pis the US Air Force version of the AIM-9J/N, mainly intended for export to countries which can’t afford the AIM-9L/M, and five sub-variants have been built, with the AIM-9P-1 featuring the DSU-15/B AOTD laser proximity fuse, the AIM-9P-2 incorporating a reduced-smoke rocket motor, and the AIM-9P-3 featuring a reduced-smoke rocket motor, new insensitive munitions warhead, and an improved guidance and control section, while the AIM-9P-4 has an ALASCA seeker using some of the technology of the AIM-9L/M, and the AIM-9P-5 incorporates an improved IRCCM. The AIM-9Qwas an AIM-9M development with an upgraded guidance and control section, but was not built. TheAIM-9R was an AIM-9M with a completely new WGU-19/B IIR (Imaging Infrared) seeker, offering much improved detection and tracking performance in daylight, and test firings began in 1990, but plans for production of the AIM-9R were shelved in 1992 due to a lack of funds. The latest variant of the Sidewinder, the AIM-9X, retains the the MK 36 motor and the WDU-17/B warhead of the AIM-9M but utilizes a new airframe and has much smaller fins and canards for lower drag and higher flight performance, along with a new guidance section featuring an IIR (Imaging Infrared) seeker as well as a new WPU-17/B propulsion section with a jet-vane steering system for significantly enhanced agility.The AIM-9X therefore is compact enough to fit in the bomb bays of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II and be used on existing AIM-9 launchers, and it is also fully compatible with the new JHMCS (Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System) for target acquisition. Tactical versions of the AIM-9X include the captive (non-launching)CATM-9X, the non-flyingDATM-9Xfor handling and loading practice, and theNATM-9X for special test/evaluation purposes. Test firings of the AIM-9X began in 1998, and the AIM-9X entered production in September 2000, reaching operational deployment in 2002-2003. The Sidewinder is designed to be carried by air superiority fighters, but in recent years it has been tested for secondary use as an air-to-ground missile.

At the current time of writing, more than 200,000 Sidewinder missiles of all variants have been produced (including versions license-built in Germany and Japan). Throughout its operational career, the AIM-9 has served with not only the US Air Force and US Navy but also no fewer than four dozen foreign countries, including US allies in Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. The Sidewinder was first used in combat on September 24, 1958, when Taiwanese F-86F Sabres fired AIM-9Bs against MiGs of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force over air skirmishes over the Taiwan Straits; during the air-to-air skirmishes, one of the Sidewinders fired by the Sabres lodged itself in the tailpipe ofa PLAAFMiG-17, but did notexplode, and when the MiG-17 returned to its base, PLAAF personnel retrieved the missile from the aircraft’s tailpipe and handed over the Sidewinder to the Vympel OKB, which eventually reverse-engineered the Sidewinder to create a new Soviet short-range air-to-air missile, the K-13 (DoD designation: AA-2; NATO codename Atoll). The AIM-9 would later be successfully used by the Air Force and Navy during the Vietnam War, with 82 North Vietnamese planes downed by the Sidewinder. Air-to-air engagements in the 1980s with the Sidewinder included the shootdown of two Libyan Arab Air Force Su-22s by F-14s over the Gulf of Sidra in 1981, the Royal Navy’s use of the AIM-9L during the 1982 Falklands War, Israel’s air war over the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, in 1982. During Operation Desert Storm in early 1991, a total of 13 air-to-air kills were achieved with the Sidewinder. Iran has reverse-engineered AIM-9s supplied to the country before the abdication of the Shah in 1979 to create the Azarakhsh anti-tank missile for use aboard its fleet of AH-1J SeaCobra attack helicopters. Given its low-cost and versatility, the Sidewinder is expected to remain in operational service for the foreseeable future, although it is scheduled for retirement from the US armed forces in 2055.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one Thiokol MK 17 solid-fuel rocket motor (AIM-9A/B); one Hercules MK 36 solid-fuel rocket motor (AIM-9C/D/G/H); one Thiokol/Aerojet MK 17 solid-fuel rocket motor (AIM-9E/J/N); one Hercules/Bermite MK 36 solid-fuel rocket motor (AIM-9L/M/X)
• Length: 9 feet 3.4 in (2.83 meters) (AIM-9A/B); 9 feet 5 in (2.87 meters) (AIM-9C/D/G/H); 9 feet 10 in (3 meters) (AIM-9E); 10 feet (3.05 meters) (AIM-9J/N); 9 feet 4.2 in (2.85 meters) (AIM-9L/M); 9 feet 10.8 in (3.02 meters) (AIM-9X)
• Finspan: 22 in (56 cm) (AIM-9A/B/E); 24.8 in (63 cm) (AIM-9C/D/G/H/L/M); 22.8 in (58 cm) (AIM-9J/N); 11 in (28 cm) (AIM-9X)
• Diameter: 5 in (12.7 cm)
• Weight: 155 lb (70 kg) (AIM-9A/B); 195 lb (88 kg) (AIM-9C/D); 164 lb (74 kg) (AIM-9E); 192 lb (87 kg) (AIM-9G); 186 lb (84 kg) (AIM-9H); 170 lb (77 kg) (AIM-9J/N); 191 lb (86 kg) (AIM-9L/M); 188 lb (85 kg) (AIM-9X)
• Speed: Mach 1.7 (AIM-9A/B); Mach 2.5+ (AIM-9C/D/E/G/H/J/L/M/N/X)
• Range: 2.98 miles (4.8 km) (AIM-9A/B); 11.2 miles (18 km) (AIM-9C/D/G/H/J/L/M/N); 2.6 miles (4.2 km) (AIM-9E); >24.9 miles (>40 km) (AIM-9X)
• Warhead: one 10 lb (4.5 kg) blast-fragmentation warhead (AIM-9A/B/E/J/N); one 25 lb (11 kg) MK 48 continuous rod warhead (AIM-9C/D/G/H); one 20.8 lb (9.4 kg) WDU-17/B annular blast-fragmentation warhead (AIM-9L/M/X)

NOTSDiamondback

In 1956, the Naval Ordnance Test Station in China Lake, California, initiated design studies for an advanced derivative of the AAM-N-7 Sidewinder air-to-air missile, which had just entered service with the US Navy. The proposed missile, originally called Super Sidewinder eventually renamed Diamondback, had slightly larger fins running along the rear end of the airframe and tiny fins at the nose section, and guidance was to be provided by an infrared seeker and passive radar seeker. The Diamondback itself would have increased speed, range and accuracy compared to that of the Sidewinder, and it would engage in tail attacks at a distance of 15-20 miles (25-32 km), while the armament was to be either a continuous-rod high-explosive or low-yield (0.75 kT) nuclear warhead. However, the Navy had no available requirement for a nuclear-tipped air-to-air missile, and the Diamondback program itself was axed in 1958 before it could proceed to the hardware phase.

Given the timeframe in which the Diamondback missile was conceived and the fact that the XAAM-N-9 Sparrow X nuclear-armed version of the AIM-7 Sparrow was envisaged in 1958, it is highly probable that the “missing” designation AAM-N-8 was assigned to the Diamondback project.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one dual-thrust liquid-fuel rocket motor
• Length: 12 feet 4 in (3.76 meters)
• Finspan: 40 in (102 cm)
• Diameter: 12 in (30.5 cm)
• Weight: 850 lb (385 kg)
• Speed: Mach 3
• Range: 15-20 miles (25-32 km)
• Service ceiling: 80,000 feet (24,384 meters)
• Warhead: one continuous-rod high-explosive warhead or one 0.75 kT nuclear warhead

Bendix AAM-N-10 Eagle

In 1957, the US Navy issued a requirement for a large subsonic fleet defense interceptor with a powerful radar which could carry very long-range air-to-air missiles to shoot down approaching bombers at distances of more than 115 miles (185 km). Over a year later, in December 1958, Bendix won a contract to develop the new long-range air-to-air missile intended for the planned subsonic fleet defense interceptor, and the new missile was designated AAM-N-10 and christened Eagle, while major subcontracts were awarded to Grumman and Aerojet for the airframe and propulsion system respectively. In July 1960 Douglas won the Navy competition for the AAM-N-10’s launch platform which became the F6D Missileer. The AAM-N-10 design had very low-aspect ratio delta wings along the center section of the airframe, along with additional delta fins at the rear section, and it was to be propelled to Mach 3.5 by a rocket booster with folding fins, eventually cruising to its target at Mach 4.5 once the booster was jettisoned. Guidance was to be provided by an inertial navigation system with midcourse radio command guidance as well as a terminal homing system in the form of active radar homing or the passive home-on-jam technique. When launched from the F6D, the AAM-N-10 relied on midcourseradio command guidance, with signals from the Missileer being transmitted to keep the missile on course as it flew an energy-efficient ‘lofted’ trajectory to an enemy target. As it neared the target, the Eagle would utilize an active radar homing system derived from the AN/DPN-53 radar (used by the IM-99/CIM-10 Bomarc) to guide itself to the interception point. The AN/APQ-81 radar system planned for the F6D could only detect targets over a range of 140 miles (220 km), but the Eagle’s radar system was also designed to directly home on jamming sources when the launching aircraft was cued to an enemy target by airborne early warning aircraft. In 1960, a Douglas A3D Skywarrior strategic bomber was modified with an enlarged radome to test the radar system planned for the Douglas F6D Missileer and earmarked to serve as a test platform for the AAM-N-10 Eagle, but in 1961 development of the F6D and AAM-N-10 was canceled because of high costs and the US Navy’s second thoughts about the viability of the subsonic fleet defense interceptor concept.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one Aerojet solid-fuel rocket motor and one AiResearch solid-fuel rocket booster
• Length: 11 feet 7 in (3.53 meters) w/o booster; 16feet 1.5in (4.915meters) w/ booster
• Finspan: 2feet 10in (0.86meters) w/o booster; 4feet 2.1in (1.273meters) w/ booster
• Diameter: 14in (36 cm) w/o booster; 16in (41cm) w/ booster
• Weight: 650lb (290kg) w/o booster; 1,284lb (582kg) w/ booster
• Speed: Mach 4.5
• Range: 130miles (200km) in powered mode, 180miles (300km) in aerodynamic mode
• Service ceiling: 100,000 feet (30,000 meters)
• Warhead: one high-explosive warhead

Raytheon (Hughes)AIM-54Phoenix

The AIM-54 Phoenix was the only long-range air-to-air missile to be widely used by the US armed forces and the Navy’s only operational long-range AAM. Development of the Phoenix began in 1961 when Hughes envisaged a new long-range air-to-air missile to be carried by the General Dynamics/Grumman F-111B swing-wing air superiority fighter/long-range interceptor along with the new AN/AWG-9 fire-control radar, using technology tested by the AIM-47Falcon and AN/ASG-18. The Navy assigned the designation AAM-N-11 to the new missile, assigning it the official name Phoenix. When the Defense Department introduced the new Tri-Service missile designation system in June 1963, the AAM-N-11 became AIM-54A. Flight tests of the XAIM-54Aprototypes began in 1965, and the first successful guided interception was carried out in September 1966. The F-111B program was cancelled in July 1968 due to the aircraft being underpowered by weight penalty problems, but the AIM-54 test program continued, and the Phoenix and AN/AWG-9 were later integrated into the new F-14Tomcat, which occupied the same niche as the F-111B. Productionof the AIM-54A began in the early 1970s, with deliveries commencing in 1973 and deployment with the first F-14 squadron taking place in 1974.

The AIM-54 Phoenix design featured an airframe with long triangular fins running along the rear section of the missile and four cruciform fins at the rear end, making the Phoenix resemble a scaled-up version of the AIM-47 Falcon. The baseline variant, the AIM-54A, used a mid-course guidance system involving semi-active radar homing whereby the AN/DSQ-26 guidance section employed an autopilot, which received regular target position updates, during the midcourse, but also an active radar homing guidance system for high terminal accuracy during the final 20,000 yards (18,200 meters) of interception. The MK 82 blast-fragmentation warhead was detonated by a fusing system consisting of a MK 334 radar proximity, an IR proximity, and an impact fuse. Non-tactical variants for training included theATM-54Awith an inert warhead for firing exercises, theCATM-54A captive-carry version for target acquisition practice, and theDATM-54A inert dummy missile version for ground handling training, while theAEM-54Awas a variant with special telemetry electronics for test and evaluation purposes. The AIM-54B (also called the ‘Dry’ missile) was a variant that used simplified construction in the form of sheet metal for the wings and fins and lacked the liquid cooling system of the AIM-54A, and eight AIM-54s were converted to AIM-54Bs in the early 1970s, but after two successful test-firings, the US Navy shelved development of the AIM-54B on the grounds that this variant was not cost-effective. The AIM-54C, first tested in 1978-1979 and deployed in the 1980s, featured new digital WGU-11/B guidance and WCU-7/B control sections, and it incorporated a programmable digital signal processor, while the autopilot used a strap-down inertial navigation guidance system. Other features of the AIM-54C included a vastly improved ECCM capability, a rocket motor with improved burn characteristics, and a new DSU-28/B target detection device capable of improving the fusing accuracy in high-clutter environments and for small and low-altitude targets. Non-tactical variants included theATM-54Cfor firing exercises, theCATM-54Ccaptive-carry version for target acquisition practice, and theAEM-54Cwith special telemetry electronics for test/evaluation purposes. During early production, the AIM-54C had the MK 82 warhead replaced by a new WDU-29/B warhead in a WAU-16/B or WAU-20/B warhead section, and by 1986, the Navy began deliveries of AIM-54Cs with internal temperature compensation, which were called “sealed” and referred to asAIM-54C+. One sub-variant of the AIM-54C+ with enhanced ECCM capabilities became known as theAIM-54C ECCM/Sealed and entered service in 1988, and it had a WGU-17/B guidance section, a WCU-12/B control section, a reprogrammable memory, and new software for the signal processor, while utilizing either a WAU-19/B or WAU-21/B warhead section; several older AIM-54C missiles were modified to AIM-54C ECCM/Sealed configuration. The Sea Phoenix was a proposed shipborne version of the Phoenix designed to operate from smaller and/or non-Aegis-equipped naval vessels (e.g.CVV), and it would have relied on a modified shipborne version of theAN/AWG-9radar. Both land and ship based tests of modified AIM-54A missiles and the fourteenth production AWG-9 were conducted in 1974, but the Sea Sparrow did not reach the hardware phase due to high costs. A land-based version of the Sea Phoenix for the US Marine Corps was also proposed, but likewise did not progress beyond the design phase. The Royal Air Force took an interest in using the Phoenix aboard the Avro Vulcan strategic bomber, and the proposed missileer version of the Vulcan would have carried twelve Phoenix missiles onboard and an extensively modified radar system. However, the proposed Phoenix-armed conversion of the Vulcan was not proceeded with.

More than 5,000 AIM-54 Phoenix missiles were built. Although exclusively built for the US Navy, the AIM-54 was also exported to Iran during the last years of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s reign (a total of 710 AIM-54s were ordered by Iran, of which 290 were delivered before the Shah’s abdication, 150 were embargoed after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and 290 canceled). The only major use of the Phoenix in combat was in the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988, with F-14s of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) scoring 78 air-to-air victories against Iraqi warplanes and anti-ship missiles with the AIM-54. The Phoenix was rarely used by the US Navy in combat, with two air-to-air launches against Iraqi MiGs near Baghdad in 1999 that failed to destroy their targets. On September 30, 2004, the Phoenix missile was retired from Navy service in favor of the AIM-120 AMRAAM carried onboard the newer F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the Navy retired the F-14 Tomcat on September 22, 2006. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force remains the only operator of the AIM-54 and the F-14 launch platform, and a reverse-engineered version of the Phoenix has been built in Iran as the Fakour-90.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one Rocketdyne MK 47 or Aerojet MK 60 solid-fuel rocket motor
• Length: 13 feet 1.8 in (4.01 meters)
• Finspan: 36.4 in (92.5 cm)
• Diameter: 15 in (38.1 cm)
• Weight: 1,000 lb (453 kg) (AIM-54A); 1,020 lb (462 kg) (AIM-54C)
• Speed: Mach 4.3 (AIM-54A); Mach 5 (AIM-54C)
• Range: 81 miles (130 km) (AIM-54A); 93 miles (150 km) (AIM-54C)
• Service ceiling: 81,400 feet (24,800 meters) (AIM-54A); 100,000 feet (30,500 meters) (AIM-54C)
• Warhead: one 132 lb (60 kg) MK 82 blast-fragmentation warhead (AIM-54A); one 132 lb (60 kg) WDU-29/B blast-fragmentation warhead (AIM-54C)

Air Force Weapons LabAIM-68Big Q

In 1963, the US Air Force Weapons Laboratory initiated a secret program for a new nuclear-armed air-to-air missile that was to be lighter and more efficient than the AIR-2 Genie unguidedrocket. The name Quetzalcoatl (the Aztec feathered serpent god) was suggested, but this name caused major spelling and pronunciation troubles, so the missile became known as Big Q, with the designationZAIM-68Areserved for it in March 1965. The Big Q was designed as a dual-thrust solid-propellant rocket powered missile armed with a low yield nuclear warhead, and it had a dual-mode (semi-active radar and infrared) seeker for guidance, and a proximity fuse. Longitudinal stability during flight would be provided by long fins extending to the center section as well as canards, and the smaller warhead yield (when compared to the 1.5 kT of theGenie) and the guidance system would have made the missile more effective against individual bombers (as opposed to a whole formation) and maneuvering targets. Production missiles also were to use improved rocket motors and fuels, and would have had greater speed, range, and weight compared to theGenie. The smaller yield and longer range also significantly reduced the risk of the launching aircraft to be taken out by the blast of its own weapon. The AIM-68 was to carried aboard either the F-101B, F-106A, and or F-4C, and to fit in the internal weapons bay of fighter aircraft, it made use of folding sections for the main wings. Wind tunnel tests of 1/5-scale and full-scale models of the missile were successfully conducted in early 1965. and in May, one Big Qshell powered by a solid-fueled rocket was flown at the White Sands Missile Range as the “Little Q” test vehicle. In June 1965, National Tapered Wing Engineering Corporation received a contract to construct 20 fuselage sections forBig Qprototypes (presumably to be designatedXAIM-68A), and theBig Qprototypes were to use guidance sections from existing AIM-4C/DFalconair-to-air missiles, and rocket motors fromAGM-12 Bullpup air-to-surface missiles. The first XAIM-68A fuselage was delivered to the AFWL in December 1965, and the first test launches from an F-101B were scheduled to March 1966, but the Big Q program suffered from low priority and some technical difficulties in modifying the F-101B, and the schedule slipped by several months. The AIM-68 program was eventually put on hold in June 1966 and officially cancelled in August due to high costs, and no XAIM-68A prototypes were ever test-fired.

Specifications

• Powerplant: one dual-thrust (boost/sustain) solid-fuel rocket motor
• Length: 9 feet 7 in (2.92 meters)
• Finspan: 21 in (54 cm)
• Diameter: 14 in (35 cm)
• Weight: 500 lb (225 kg)
• Speed: Mach 4
• Range: 40 miles (65 km)
• Warhead: one 0.5 kT W30 nuclear fission warhead

AIM-82

In 1969, the US Air Force initiated a requirement for a new short-range air-to-air missile to be carried by the forthcoming F-15 Eagle air superiority jet fighter, which was three years away from making its first flight. The AIM-82 was to be an all-aspect fire-and-forget missile that could lock on to a maneuvering target from all angles, and them home on the target after launch without further input from the launching aircraft. By February 1970, a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the AIM-82 was issued by the USAF, and in April system definition contracts were offered to General Dynamics, Hughes and Philco-Ford, which submitted bids for the AIM-82 requirement in July. However, the Navy’s development of the Hughes AIM-95 Agile short-range air-to-air missile prompted to USAF to cancel the AIM-82 in September 1970 and instead utilize its experience with the AIM-82 program to take part in the AIM-95 program, arguing that it was unnecessary for two different short-range air-to-air missile programs to run in parallel.

Hughes AIM-95 Agile

In 1968, the US Navy issued a requirement for a new short-range air-to-air missile under the codename Project Agile after becoming aware of the Sidewinder’s limitations in air-to-air combat during the Vietnam War. Hughes was awarded a development contract in 1969 to build the Navy’s planned Sidewinder replacement, which was designated AIM-95 and officially named Agile. The AIM-95 had a slender airframe with tiny cruciform fins near the section that housed the rocket motor, and it was designed to carried aboard the Grumman F-14 Tomcat air superiority jet fighter in hermetically-sealed launch tubes. The guidance system took the form of an infrared seeker with high off-boresight lock-on capability, and the solid-fuel rocket motor relied on thrust vectoring to provide stability for the AIM-95 in level flight. A few YAIM-95 prototypes were built, and the first test launch of the Agile took place in 1970 at the Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California under a test program codenamed Quick Turn. Due to flight testing of the AIM-95, the US Air Force cancelled the rival AIM-82 program and became a joint partner in the AIM-95 program, eager to arm the new F-15 Eagle as well as the forthcoming F-16 Fighting Falcon with the Agile. Despite a relatively successful flight test program, the AIM-95 program was cancelled in 1975 due to high development costs, and the Air Force and Navy instead would field improved versions of the AIM-9 Sidewinder

Specifications

• Powerplant: one dual-thrust solid fuel rocket motor
• Length: 7 feet 9.7 in (2.38 meters)
• Finspan: 12 in (30 cm)
• Diameter: 7.87 in (20 cm)
• Weight: 297 lb (135 kg)
• Speed: Mach 3
• Range: unknown
• Warhead: one high-fragmentation warhead

General DynamicsAIM-97Seekbat

In the early 1970s the US Air Force initiated a program for a high-altitude, long-range air-to-air missile to counter the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft. General Dynamics responded with a design derived from the company’s AGM-78 Standard ARM anti-radiation missile, and the Air Force assigned the designation XAIM-97A to the proposal, christening it Seekbat. The XAIM-97A housed a larger propulsion unit and combined the semi-active radar homing system of the AGM-78 with an infrared seeker for terminal guidance, and the missile had to lock onto its target before being launched. Test launches of the XAIM-97A began in late 1972, being largely conducted against drones, but the Seekbat program was canceled in early 1976 on grounds of high development costs.

AIM-152 AAAM

In the mid-1980s the US Navy initiated the AAAM(Advanced Air-to-Air Missile) requirement for an advanced long-range air-to-air missile to replace the AIM-54 Phoenix and capable of countering the Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire and Tu-160 Blackjack supersonic bombers, with a speed of Mach 3 and greater range than the Phoenix. Prior to the initiation of the AAAM program, some key technologies for these goals, namely integral rocket/ramjet propulsion and multimode (radar/IR) guidance, had been tested by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1983 as part of the ACIMD (Advanced Common Intercept Missile Demonstration) program, and several ACIMD test vehicles were built, although none were flown. By late 1987, two contractor teams were selected by the Navy to build prototypes for the AAAM, these being Hughes/Raytheon and General Dynamics/Westinghouse, and the designation YAIM-152A was assigned to the AAAM prototypes. The Hughes/Raytheon AAAM design was a derivative of the ACIMD that utilized a hybrid solid-rocket/ramjet propulsion system like the ACIMD and featured an inertial mid-course guidance system with command updates (similar to the one developed for the AIM-120 AMRAAM) as well as a dual-mode (active-radar/infrared) seeker for terminal homing. The General Dynamics/Westinghouse design for the AAAM program was a slightly smaller missile powered by one multiple-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor, and it would have had an inertial navigation system with dual-band semi-active radar homing for mid-course guidance and an electro-optical sensor for autonomous terminal homing. A backup IR seeker was also envisioned for the missile in the event that the primary EO guidance malfunctioned. The launching aircraft would use a targeting pod with forward and aft radar so that the aircraft would not need to fly towards the target to illuminate it. However, the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 meant that the AIM-152 program was cancelled in 1992 before the Hughes/Raytheon and General Dynamics/Westinghouse prototypes for the AIM-152 competition could be built. Following the cancelation of the AIM-152, the Navy had no replacement for the AIM-54 (which was retired in 2004) until 2006, when the AIM-120C-7 long-range version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM reached operational service.