Hacking the AGM-12 Bullpup in Nam

[yahya]

AGM-12/A and /B Bullpup MCLOS missiles required Martin's AN/ARW-73 Radio Guidance Transmitting Set installed on-board the A-4, F-105 or F-100 jets. After launching, the pilot controlled missile's flight with a joystick. Since the AN/ARW-73 was merely a transmitter of MCLOS commands, my question is whether the Vietnamese attempted to hack that radio link to disturb Bullpup's MCLOS guidance so that the missile veered off course when fired? Did the Vietnamese use any sort of ECM jamming? Or maybe the early Bullpups were not too successful rendering jamming the MCLOS link unnecessary?

 

[iverson]

AGM-12/A and /B Bullpup MCLOS missiles required Martin's AN/ARW-73 Radio Guidance Transmitting Set installed on-board the A-4, F-105 or F-100 jets. After launching, the pilot controlled missile's flight with a joystick. Since the AN/ARW-73 was merely a transmitter of MCLOS commands, my question is whether the Vietnamese attempted to hack that radio link to disturb Bullpup's MCLOS guidance so that the missile veered off course when fired? Did the Vietnamese use any sort of ECM jamming? Or maybe the early Bullpups were not too successful rendering jamming the MCLOS link unnecessary?

I am merely speculating. But I doubt that hacking would be worth the effort. Operating an MCLOS missile from a fast jet, much less a single-seater, was practically impossible. Bullpup is reputed to have been pretty much useless.

 

[NMaude]

Bullpup is reputed to have been pretty much useless.

It was probably only good when fitted with a W45 warhead.

 

[Hafidz Rahman]

Did the Vietnamese use any sort of ECM jamming?

From information i know, there are no ECM jamming systems which used by Vietnamese on that day. To countering American's ECM, especially Bullpup missiles, they were using "cat and mouse game" tactics.

Keeping the radars on until an inbound warplane was about 25 miles away. Then turn off the radar, calculating the aircraft’s speed, distance, and last plotted direction until the aircraft was little more than a mile away.

The Missile Men of North Vietnam

A look at the air war waged from the ground.

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[iverson]

From information i know, there are no ECM jamming systems which used by Vietnamese on that day. To countering American's EC of antiradiation missiM, especially Bullpup missiles, they were using "cat and mouse game" tactics.I don't think that Bullpups were used against radars

Keeping the radars on until an inbound warplane was about 25 miles away. Then turn off the radar, calculating the aircraft’s speed, distance, and last plotted direction until the aircraft was little more than a mile away.

The Missile Men of North Vietnam

A look at the air war waged from the ground.

www.smithsonianmag.com

I do not know if Bullpups were used against radars--I've read that they were tried against bridge abutments without success. But, in any case, turning a radar off would have no effect on a command-guided missile that the aircraft's pilot flew by eye. Perhaps you are thinking of radar-homing antiradiation missiles, like Shrike?

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

ECM isn't something you can just repurpose in the field for a new threat in this time period. If you wanted to create a Bullpup jammer, you'd need detailed analysis and understanding of the command link, and then design and build a physical device to counter it. Given how lacklustre command guided ASMs were in general, I can't imagine anyone bothering.