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The dual mode AGM-65D Maverick anti-radar guided missile

Hughes Aircraft Corporation in the United States has built three unites of the Maverick anti-radar guided missile equipped with a dual mode passive radar/television target seeking head. It was designed especially to strike at radar control towers. The special characteristic of this guided missile is that even after enemy radar has locked in on the aircraft, it can still be used in a preventive function.

When the Maverick anti-radar guided missile with dual mode target seeking head was test launched from F-4 Phantom aircraft, in the first trial the anti-radar component in the target seeking head gauged the course of a radiating target. Later in second stage of trials the missile automatically switched to the telesision target seeking head modality.


here is an error, AGM-65D have infrared target acquisition, not television

Longhorn Maverick

In December 1991, came in the company Hughes project missiles AGM-65 Maverick with extended-range at 74 km (40 nm). The shot should be based on the version of the AGM-65F with the fuselage extended by about 90 cm for a total of 3.35 m. was Planning to make a version using the INFRARED homing system, the second variant was to use radar guidance.

Longhorn does not exceed the stage of the project.

longhorn_490.jpg

MILLIMETER WAVE SEEKER DEMONSTRATION (MMW)

Operational Utility of MMW

Autonomous Current air launched standoff precision guided weapons require a man in the loop during standoff weapon weapons flight to ensure effectiveness. The purpose of this effort is to demonstrate the application of millimeter wave seeker technology to standoff air-to-ground weapons. This project will provide the Air Force with a candidate day/night, adverse weather, autonomous, lock-on-after-launch weapon for standoff delivery against fixed and mobile airdefense units, moving and massed armor, and other mobile battlefield and second echelon targets. This project will integrate MMW seekers on AGM-65 Maverick airframes for flight testing through a competitive demonstration program.

Technical Approach of MMW Demonstrate

The technical goals to be achieved in this project include:
Demonstrate MMW seeker maturity and readiness for full-scale engineering development
Demonstrate the ability of the seeker to locate targets in clutter and discriminate targets by type
Assess seeker susceptibility to countermeasures
Integrate a MMW seeker with the Maverick center and aft sections
Obtain multiple launches and kills per aircraft pass
Unit production cost to be less than $110,000 (FY 1987 dollars for 10,000 units. )

There are several key technical issues to be addressed by this effort. They include development and demonstration of algorithms to enable the seeker to discriminate airdefense units from other targets, to reduce the number of false alarms, to operate in a countermeasures environment, and to terminally track and hit targets. Integration of the

MMW seeker with the Maverick airframe to permit impact at less than normal speed is alsoa technical challenge. MMW Progress to Date Both of the contractors in this Congressional Special Interest program have tested Captive carrybrassboard seekers. Both seekers performed well in captive flight tests flown against tests successful realistic target arrays including the SA-6 air defense system simulator and a variety of tanksand other armored vehicles. Tests were conducted in both low clutter and high clutter environments. These seekers work especially well against moving vehicles and rotating antennas.

The MMW seeker easily detected and tracked the target air defense unit. Movingtargets are easily detected because of the moving-target-indicator design. The also workagainst arrays of stationary vehicles, but less capability is available with stationary targets. Hardware fabrication and software refinement continued in support of planned free flightmissile tests. Hardware-in-the-loop testing continued. Special targets have been fabricated for the captive carry tests and planned missile launches. MMW Planned Activity High speed captive carry and free flight testing will be conducted in FY 1991. The MMW Free flight testing Maverick program demonstration should be completed in early FY 1992 with FY 1991 planned funds. The operative Program Management Directive requires a Milestone 11 decision in FY 1993 and subsequent start of FSD. TAC is considering whether MMW Maverick will fulfill the need for an Advanced Attack Weapon under the terms of the approved Statementof Need 317-87.

 
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With the Small Diameter Bomb 2 now operational, I wonder if it makes sense to consider trying to integrate its front end on the Maverick. Would be a fairly unique capability.

It would make more sense to put it on a JDAM-ER. Cheaper, larger warhead and greater range than Maverick.
UK was looking to do something similar with the Paveway IV at one point (might even still be looking at it), apparently it was going to be a Raytheon head rather than the MBDA Brimstone head though.
 
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Didn't found proper AGM-65 topic, so will ask here. Does anyone have extensive info about guidance logic of different Maverick variants? Specifically interested in A/B, IIR and later TV ones. I am like 99% sure that A/B use standart correlation but want to have it confirmed.
 

"The basic missile has four low-aspect ratio delta wings, four tail controls located immediately behind the wings, and a dual-thrust solid motor. The standard AGM-65A has a 130lb (59kg) warhead, while a heavier 250lb (113kg) Mk.19 blast/fragmentation warhead can be fitted on for example C and D models for use against small ships or hard land targets. The Mk.19 warhead requires a 4in (102mm) increase in length. The AGM-65E/G are fitted with a heave penetrator warhead, weighing an impressive 300lb (136kg). In December 1986, the Air Force also briefly considered fitting a nuclear warhead to the Maverick."
 
Given the existence of Nuclear Falcon (AIM-26), fitting that 1kt warhead into the very Falcon-like Maverick (at least in terms of appearance) should be like a weird sort of homecoming. Doubtless a 1986-vintage warhead could be built with substantially higher yield and it would wreck just about anything you could think of firing a Maverick at.
 
I would imagine that a nuclear Maverick would be intended for similar targets as the nuclear Bullpup, which had a warhead of up to 45 kilotons. The W-80 series warheads achieved yields of several hundred kilotons in a diameter of 13.3 inches and weight under 300 pounds, suggesting that a Maverick warhead could comfortably provide quite a high yield if required.

Of course, with precision guidance, a few kilotons ought to be more than sufficient to destroy even the hardest point targets.
 
Didn't found proper AGM-65 topic, so will ask here. Does anyone have extensive info about guidance logic of different Maverick variants? Specifically interested in A/B, IIR and later TV ones. I am like 99% sure that A/B use standart correlation but want to have it confirmed.

Regarding the IIR Maverick, you may find the following excerpt of interest:

In the later 1970s, another issue arose in the development of electro-optical systems for tactical use. Tests of the Imaging Infrared (IIR) Maverick were plagued by unexpected reversals of anticipated target/background contrasts. Out of these difficulties emerged the new concept of an integrated set of tools, the Tactical Decision Aid (TDA), to enhance the performance of the electro-optical sensors used with PGMs. The TDAs would first calculate target/background contrast radiance. An atmospheric transmission code would then be used to calculate attenuation of that contrast over various ranges to simulate approach to the target. (LOWTRAN would be appropriate for broadband optical and infrared sensors and FASCODE for laser designator/ranger and receiver systems.) When the degraded contrast exceeded the threshold required for target detection or weapon system lock-on for the particular weapon system, the range prediction was displayed. Using the TDAs in conjunction with short-term weather forecasts, military commanders could compare the predicted maximum acquisition and lock-on range for various PGMs and choose the most appropriate one for an upcoming mission. Since 1981 GL's Atmospheric Sciences Division has been the central manager of the TDA Program as part of its Advanced Weather Systems Program (PE 63707F). The first PGM for which a TDA appeared was the IIR Maverick, whose initial manual version appeared in 1983. After 1983 the TDAs became computerized.
 
IIRC, a 5-kt variant fit on a 21-inch Standard missile
The nuclear warhead developed for the Standard Missile was the W-81 (Derived from the W-61's primary) however the missile was 13.5" in diameter (You must be thinking of the SM-2 BlockIV's Mk-72 launch booster which is 21" in diameter.
 
Is there any in-service version of Maverick that can lock-on after launch, or has any kind of GPS/INS?
 
The dual mode AGM-65D Maverick anti-radar guided missile

Hughes Aircraft Corporation in the United States has built three unites of the Maverick anti-radar guided missile equipped with a dual mode passive radar/television target seeking head. It was designed especially to strike at radar control towers. The special characteristic of this guided missile is that even after enemy radar has locked in on the aircraft, it can still be used in a preventive function.

When the Maverick anti-radar guided missile with dual mode target seeking head was test launched from F-4 Phantom aircraft, in the first trial the anti-radar component in the target seeking head gauged the course of a radiating target. Later in second stage of trials the missile automatically switched to the telesision target seeking head modality.


here is an error, AGM-65D have infrared target acquisition, not television

Longhorn Maverick

In December 1991, came in the company Hughes project missiles AGM-65 Maverick with extended-range at 74 km (40 nm). The shot should be based on the version of the AGM-65F with the fuselage extended by about 90 cm for a total of 3.35 m. was Planning to make a version using the INFRARED homing system, the second variant was to use radar guidance.

Longhorn does not exceed the stage of the project.

View attachment 650297

MILLIMETER WAVE SEEKER DEMONSTRATION (MMW)

Operational Utility of MMW

Autonomous Current air launched standoff precision guided weapons require a man in the loop during standoff weapon weapons flight to ensure effectiveness. The purpose of this effort is to demonstrate the application of millimeter wave seeker technology to standoff air-to-ground weapons. This project will provide the Air Force with a candidate day/night, adverse weather, autonomous, lock-on-after-launch weapon for standoff delivery against fixed and mobile airdefense units, moving and massed armor, and other mobile battlefield and second echelon targets. This project will integrate MMW seekers on AGM-65 Maverick airframes for flight testing through a competitive demonstration program.

Technical Approach of MMW Demonstrate

The technical goals to be achieved in this project include:
Demonstrate MMW seeker maturity and readiness for full-scale engineering development
Demonstrate the ability of the seeker to locate targets in clutter and discriminate targets by type
Assess seeker susceptibility to countermeasures
Integrate a MMW seeker with the Maverick center and aft sections
Obtain multiple launches and kills per aircraft pass
Unit production cost to be less than $110,000 (FY 1987 dollars for 10,000 units. )

There are several key technical issues to be addressed by this effort. They include development and demonstration of algorithms to enable the seeker to discriminate airdefense units from other targets, to reduce the number of false alarms, to operate in a countermeasures environment, and to terminally track and hit targets. Integration of the

MMW seeker with the Maverick airframe to permit impact at less than normal speed is alsoa technical challenge. MMW Progress to Date Both of the contractors in this Congressional Special Interest program have tested Captive carrybrassboard seekers. Both seekers performed well in captive flight tests flown against tests successful realistic target arrays including the SA-6 air defense system simulator and a variety of tanksand other armored vehicles. Tests were conducted in both low clutter and high clutter environments. These seekers work especially well against moving vehicles and rotating antennas.

The MMW seeker easily detected and tracked the target air defense unit. Movingtargets are easily detected because of the moving-target-indicator design. The also workagainst arrays of stationary vehicles, but less capability is available with stationary targets. Hardware fabrication and software refinement continued in support of planned free flightmissile tests. Hardware-in-the-loop testing continued. Special targets have been fabricated for the captive carry tests and planned missile launches. MMW Planned Activity High speed captive carry and free flight testing will be conducted in FY 1991. The MMW Free flight testing Maverick program demonstration should be completed in early FY 1992 with FY 1991 planned funds. The operative Program Management Directive requires a Milestone 11 decision in FY 1993 and subsequent start of FSD. TAC is considering whether MMW Maverick will fulfill the need for an Advanced Attack Weapon under the terms of the approved Statementof Need 317-87.

Apparently the AGM-65L followed some of the technology.


In the mid-to-late 1990s, Raytheon proposed a Maverick development called "Longhorn". This was to feature many significant improvements, including a data link (for optional lock-on after launch), additional turbojet sustainer propulsion (for increased range of up to 75 km (46 miles)), GPS/INS in-flight navigation, and mm-wave radar or IIR terminal seeker. However, the "Longhorn" was not developed. The designation AGM-65L is unofficially associated with a proposed Maverick development with a new tandem (boost/sustain) motor, stealth characteristics, a two-way datalink, IIR guidance and automatic target acquisition technology.

On the Longhorn:

In December 1991, came in the company Hughes project missiles AGM-65 Maverick with extended-range at 74 km (40 nm). The shot should be based on the version of the AGM-65F with the fuselage extended by about 90 cm for a total of 3.35 m. Planning to make a version using the INFRARED homing system, the second variant was to use radar guidance.
 
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What was the turbojet chosen for the AGM-65L?
Probably same as the Harpoon missile, the Maverick is about the same diameter.

The thread Firefinder linked mentions three proposed engines. One was the Teledyne CAE 320. There is a comment that this was a variant of the Harpoon's J402, but I'm not sure. I found another project using the 320 that rated it at only 350 lbst, about half of the J402.

 

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