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Aircraft Weapon System AGM-65 Maverick Air-to-Surface Guided Missile |
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The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground missile (AGM) designed for
close air support. It is the most widely produced precision-guided
missile in the Western world, and is effective against a wide range
of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground
transportation and fuel storage facilities. Development began in 1966 at Hughes Aircraft Company as the first missile to use an electronic contrast seeker. It entered service with the United States Air Force in August 1972. Since then, it has been exported to more than 30 countries and is certified on 25 aircraft. Since its introduction into service, numerous Maverick versions had been designed and produced using electro-optical, laser, and imaging infrared guidance systems. The AGM-65 has two types of warhead: one has a contact fuze in the nose, the other has a heavyweight warhead fitted with a delayed-action fuze, which penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before detonating. The missile is currently produced by Raytheon. The Maverick is a modular design weapon. A different combination of the guidance package and warhead can be attached to the solid-fuel rocket motor section to produce a different weapon. The Maverick has three different seekers and two different warheads. The solid-rocket motor propulsion section is common to all variants. The seeker options are electro-optical (EO) imaging, imaging infrared (IR) or a laser guidance package. The warhead is in the missile's center section. Either a 125-pound shaped-charge warhead or a 300-pound penetrator warhead can be used. A contact fuse in the nose fires the shaped-charge warhead. The penetrator uses a delayed-fuse, allowing the warhead to penetrate the target with its kinetic energy before firing. The latter is very effective against large, hard targets. The AGM-65 has a cylindrical body with long-chord delta wings and tail control surfaces mounted close to the trailing edge of the wing of the aircraft using it. The Maverick missile is unable to lock onto targets on its own; it has to be given input by the pilot or weapon systems officer after which it follows the path to the target autonomously. In most modern aircraft with MFDs, an A-10 Thunderbolt II for example, the video feed from the seeker head is relayed to a screen in the cockpit, where the pilot can check the locked target of the missile before launch. A crosshair on the heads-up display is shifted by the pilot to set the approximate target, where the missile will then automatically recognize and lock on to the target. Once the missile is launched, it requires no further assistance from the launch vehicle and tracks its target automatically. This fire-and-forget property is not shared by the E version that uses semi-active laser homing. While the Maverick missile's seeker can be used as a way to locate and lock targets, external targeting pods are used more often. The seeker head follows the movements of the targeting pod and attempts to point at the same point on the ground. G-forces throughout flight, however, often cause misalignment in the seeker head, requiring pilots to boresight the missile seeker to the targeting pod prior to locking up a target. To boresight, a certain reference point on the ground is locked by the targeting pod, known as the Sensor Point of Interest (SPI). The Maverick missile's seeker head is then adjusted to correct small offsets, so that it points at the same SPI as the targeting pod. This allows for simpler target acquisition and deployment. Common specifications: Length: 2.49 meters (8 feet 2 inches) Wingspan: 71.12 cm (2 ft 4 in) Diameter: 30.48 cm (1 ft) Range: 22+ km (12+ nmi) Speed: 1,150 km/h (620 knots) Propulsion (A+B): Thiokol SR109-TC-1 solid-fuel rocket Propulsion (D-K): Thiokol SR114-TC-1 (or Aerojet SR115-AJ-1) solid-fuel rocket Manufacturer: Raytheon In service: August 1972 - present Platforms: Fighter Aircraft, Attack Aircraft, Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Helicopters Users: more than 30 countries Variants and specifications: AGM-65A Maverick is the basic model and uses an electro-optical television guidance system. No longer in U.S. service. Weight: 210 kg (462 lbs) Guidance: electro-optical Warhead: 56.25 kg (125 lb) WDU-20/B shaped-charge AGM-65B Maverick is similar to the A model, although the B model added optical zooming to lock onto small or distant targets. Weight: 208 kg (462 lbs) Guidance: electro-optical Warhead: 56.25 kg (125 lb) WDU-20/B shaped-charge AGM-65C Maverick was to be a laser-guided variant for the United States Marine Corps (USMC). It was canceled before production, however its requirement was later met by the Maverick E. AGM-65D Maverick replaced the electro-optical guidance with an imaging infrared system which doubled the practical firing distance and allowed for its use at night and during bad weather. A reduced smoke rocket engine was also introduced in this model. It achieved its initial operation capability in 1986. Weight: 218 kg (485 lbs) Guidance: imaging infrared Warhead: 56.25 kg (125 lb) WDU-20/B shaped-charge AGM-65E Maverick uses a laser designator guidance system optimized for fortified installations using a delayed fuse combined with a heavier penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead (140 kg (300 lb) vs. 57 kg (125 lb) in older models) that perforates a target with its kinetic energy before detonation. It achieved initial operating capability in 1985 and was used mainly by USMC aviation. Weight: 353 kg (777 lbs) Guidance: laser guided Warhead: 136 kg (300 lb) WDU-24/B penetrating blast-fragmentation AGM-65F Maverick designed specially for United States Navy, it uses a modified Maverick D infrared guidance system optimized for tracking ships fitted onto a Maverick-E body and warhead. Weight: 365 kg (804 lbs) Guidance: imaging infrared Warhead: 136 kg (300 lb) WDU-24/B penetrating blast-fragmentation Range: 19 nmi (35 km) AGM-65G Maverick essentially has the same guidance system as the D with some software modification that enables the pilot to track larger targets. The G model's major difference is its heavier penetrator warhead taken from the Maverick E, compared to the D model's shaped-charge warhead. It completed tests in 1988. Weight: 302 kg (670 lbs) Guidance: imaging infrared Warhead: 136 kg (300 lb) WDU-24/B penetrating blast-fragmentation AGM-65H Maverick is an AGM-65B/D missile upgraded with a new charge-coupled device (CCD) seeker better suited for the desert environment. Weight: 208 kg (462 lbs) Guidance: charge-coupled device / CCD (electro-optical) Warhead: 56.25 kg (125 lb) WDU-20/B shaped-charge AGM-65J Maverick is a Navy AGM-65F missile upgraded with the new CCD seeker. However, this conversion is not confirmed. Weight: 297 kg (654 lbs) Guidance: charge-coupled device / CCD (electro-optical) Warhead: 136 kg (300 lb) WDU-24/B penetrating blast-fragmentation AGM-65K Maverick is an AGM-65G upgraded with the CCD seeker; at least 1,200, but possibly up to 2,500 AGM-65G rounds are planned for conversion to AGM-65K standard. Weight: 360 kg (793 lbs) Guidance: charge-coupled device / CCD (electro-optical) Warhead: 136 kg (300 lb) WDU-24/B penetrating blast-fragmentation AGM-65 E2/L Maverick incorporates a laser-guided seeker that allows for designation by the launch aircraft, another aircraft, or a ground source and can engage small, fast moving, and maneuvering targets on land and at sea. Weight: 293 kg (645 lbs) Guidance: laser Warhead: 136 kg (300 lb) WDU-24/B penetrating blast-fragmentation Intended successor (US): AGM-179 JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile) sources: USAF, US Navy, wikipedia |
| images |
                                            F-20 Tigershark (prototype), firing an AGM-65 Maverick missile  F-16C Fighting Falcon (USAF), firing an AGM-65 Maverick missile  A-10 Thunderbolt II (USAF), firing an AGM-65 Maverick missile  F/A-18D (US Navy), firing an AGM-65 Maverick missile  TA-4K Skyhawk (US Navy), firing an AGM-65 Maverick missile  F-4G Phantom II (USAF), loaded with AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-88 HARM and AIM-7 Sparrow missiles  A-7D Corsair II (USAF), loaded with AGM-65 Maverick missiles  |
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