 |
AIM-7 SPARROW |
|
Medium-range, radar-guided, air-to-air missile. Development The original AIM-7A Sparrow 1 development programme started in 1946, and this beam-riding missile entered service in 1956. A fully active radar seeker was attempted for Sparrow 2 in 1955, but cancelled in 1958. The semi-active radar guided Sparrow 3 development programme started in 1955, and the first missiles entered service with the US Navy and US Air Force in 1958 as AIM-7C Sparrow. Successive developments ever since have created a large family of missiles, moving through AIM-7D, -7E, -7E-2, -7F, -7M, -7P and with the latest, -7R, entering full-scale engineering development in 1988. The AIM-7E version saw service in Vietnam, having entered service in 1962 and having been produced until 1973. The AIM-7E-2 was similar but had a shorter minimum range and could be used in what was known as the `dogfight' mode. This missile was used as the basis for the two European developments from the Sparrow family, Sky Flash in the UK, and Aspide in Italy. A ship-launched surface-to-air missile, RIM-7H, is a variant of the AIM-7E and is called Sea Sparrow. The AIM-7F was developed between 1970 and 1975 and entered service in 1975 with production continuing until 1980. This version had solid-state electronics, a larger warhead and a larger motor than AIM-7E, and in consequence it was more reliable and had a longer range. A surface-to-air variant, designated RIM-7F, has been widely used by NATO navies as Sea Sparrow 2. A joint AIM-7M/RIM-7M development programme started in 1976 and these missiles entered service in 1982. The AIM-7M version introduced an inverse monopulse semi-active radar seeker, improved ECCM with digital microprocessing, a new warhead, a new active radar fuze, a new motor and a built-in test during the launch-eject sequence. The aim of these improvements was to give the AIM-7M Sparrow the capability to intercept low-level aircraft targets against both land and sea clutter. The AIM-7P/RIM-7P development programme ran from 1987 to 1991 and introduced further improvements to the fuze and electronics, as well as adding a command link to the missile, with the aim of improving the performance against sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles. AIM-7R/RIM-7R development started in 1988, and has also been called the missile homing improvement programme (MHIP), with the addition of a multimode IR and semi-active radar seeker to improve performance against jamming targets. Flight tests of AIM-7R started in 1993. The AIM-7 Sparrow missiles are carried by the F-104, F-4, F-14, F-15, F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft. Description The AIM-7 Sparrow 3 missile is an all-weather, all-aspect air-to-air missile which has also been adapted for use with shipboard air defence. The missile has four moving delta-wings at the middle and four fixed delta fins at the rear. The current models, the AIM-7F and the AIM/RIM-7M, are both 3.66 m long, have a body diameter of 203 mm and a wing span of 1.02 m. The AIM-7F has a 39 kg HE continuous rod warhead and weighs 227 kg at launch, whereas the AIM-7M weighs 230 kg and has a 39 kg HE focused blast/fragmentation warhead. The AIM-7F models were the first Sparrow missiles to use all-solid-state electronics; this condensed the guidance section, which allowed the warhead to be moved forward of the wings and allowed the use of a more powerful motor to increase both speed and range. An additional change in the 7F model was the introduction of a conical scan semi-active seeker which gave the missile a look-down/shoot-down capability against heavy clutter (unfortunately it was later found to be relatively easy to jam). The missile also had the ability to snap start in 2 seconds and was fitted with a new RF fuze. The AIM-7M version has an inverse monopulse semi-active seeker which, with digital processing, greatly improves the missile's performance under heavy ECM and weather conditions. This model also has the advantage of an active radar fuze, which together with the built-in test system has provided a more reliable missile, capable of attacking low-flying aircraft targets. The AIM-7P has improved guidance electronics, a new fuze and an onboard computer with twice the capacity and speed of the current models. Also incorporated is the capability to receive mid-course uplink information in the same formats used by the AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-78 Standard missiles. The primary hardware change to the AIM-7R is the addition of a new infrared seeker to the guidance and control section for improved terminal-phase operation, incorporated into a multimode seeker assembly. The IR seeker is a down-sized AIM-9 Sidewinder seeker, mounted in the nose tip of the semi-active radar radome, and an additional coolant pack is contained within the guidance and control assembly. After launch the IR seeker is activated and carries out a search routine; if satisfactory and target correlation is achieved, then the missile will be guided by the IR seeker; if not then the guidance reverts to semi-active radar and another IR search sequence begins. Operational Status Initial development of the AIM-7A Sparrow started in 1946, and the first versions entered service in 1956. AIM-7E entered service in 1962 and was widely used as a standard for other variants such as Sky Flash (UK), Aspide (Italy). AIM-7F entered service in 1975. The AIM-7M entered service in 1982 and production continued until 1990. AIM-9P entered service in 1992, and is in production. AIM-9R, with a dual-mode seeker, entered development in 1988 and is expected to enter service in 1997. Earlier AIM-7E versions saw active service in Vietnam and Sparrow missiles have been used in the Middle East over many years, with 25 Iraqi aircraft being shot down by the USAF and USN using AIM-7 Sparrow missiles in the 1991 Gulf War. Exports have been made to many countries including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and the UK. AIM-7E/F/M have been built under licence in Japan. With the USAF's decision to clear F-16A/B and F-16C/D aircraft to carry the beyond-visual-range AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, several countries are seeking US approval to fit Sparrow to modified F-16s, including Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Singapore and Venezuela. SPECIFICATIONS :
|
