Air-to-surface missile
Encyclopedia
An air-to-surface missile (also, air-to-ground missile, AGM, ASM or ATGM) is a missile
designed to be launched from military
aircraft
(bomber
s, attack aircraft, fighter aircraft
or other kinds) and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both. They are similar to guided glide bombs but to be considered a missile, they usually contain some form of propulsion system. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors and jet engine
s. These also tend to correspond to the range of the missiles — short and long, respectively. Some Soviet air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjet
s, giving them both long range and high speed.
Guidance for air-to-surface missiles is typically via laser guidance, infrared guidance, optical guidance or via GPS signals. The type of guidance depends on the type of target. Ships, for example, may be detected via passive or active radar, while this would not work very well against land targets which typically do not contain such a large mass of metal surrounded by empty space.
There is some cross-over between air-to-surface missiles and surface-to-surface missile
s. For example, there was an air-launched version of the Tomahawk missile, although this has been superseded by the AGM-86 ALCM. Other missiles used in both roles include the Penguin anti-ship missile
and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. Many air-to-surface missiles can be used against both ships and land targets, although some of them have to be modified to perform both roles effectively. For example, the Standoff Land Attack Missile
is a land-attack version of the Harpoon.
One of the major advantages of air-to-surface missiles over other weapons available for aircraft to use to attack ground targets is the standoff distance
they provide. This allows them to launch the weapons outside the most intense air defences around the target site. Most air-to-surface missiles are fire-and-forget
in order to take most advantage of the standoff distance — they allow the launching platform to turn away after launch. Some missiles have enough range to be launched over the horizon. These missiles (typically either cruise or anti-ship missiles) need to be able to find and home in on the target autonomously.
Sub-categories of air-to-surface missiles include:
Typically, the higher and faster the launching aircraft is flying, the further away the missile's target can be. For long range missiles this difference can be small, but short range missiles (like the AGM-65 Maverick
) often dramatically increase in range when launched at altitude.
There have been examples of air-launched ballistic missile
s, but they are rare. Sometimes air-to-surface missiles are divided into the categories of tactical and strategic. Typically this indicates conventional explosive or small nuclear warhead (tactical) and large nuclear warhead (strategic).
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
designed to be launched from military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
(bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s, attack aircraft, fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
or other kinds) and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both. They are similar to guided glide bombs but to be considered a missile, they usually contain some form of propulsion system. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors and jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
s. These also tend to correspond to the range of the missiles — short and long, respectively. Some Soviet air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjet
Ramjet
A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of airbreathing jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air, without a rotary compressor. Ramjets cannot produce thrust at zero airspeed and thus cannot move an aircraft from a standstill...
s, giving them both long range and high speed.
Guidance for air-to-surface missiles is typically via laser guidance, infrared guidance, optical guidance or via GPS signals. The type of guidance depends on the type of target. Ships, for example, may be detected via passive or active radar, while this would not work very well against land targets which typically do not contain such a large mass of metal surrounded by empty space.
There is some cross-over between air-to-surface missiles and surface-to-surface missile
Surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. They are often powered by a rocket motor or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving...
s. For example, there was an air-launched version of the Tomahawk missile, although this has been superseded by the AGM-86 ALCM. Other missiles used in both roles include the Penguin anti-ship missile
Penguin missile
The Penguin anti-ship missile , made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway from the early 1970s and continually upgraded since, is a passive-IR seeker based short-to-medium range naval guided missile...
and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. Many air-to-surface missiles can be used against both ships and land targets, although some of them have to be modified to perform both roles effectively. For example, the Standoff Land Attack Missile
Standoff Land Attack Missile
The Standoff Land Attack Missile or SLAM is a subsonic, over-the-horizon, all-weather standoff cruise missile which grew out of the United States Navy's Harpoon anti-ship missile in the 1970s.-Original SLAM:...
is a land-attack version of the Harpoon.
One of the major advantages of air-to-surface missiles over other weapons available for aircraft to use to attack ground targets is the standoff distance
Standoff distance
Standoff distance is a security measure that focused on preventing unscreened vehicles from approaching within a certain distance of a building. It is intended to deter truck bombs by making it more difficult for them to cause catastrophic damage. In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, many...
they provide. This allows them to launch the weapons outside the most intense air defences around the target site. Most air-to-surface missiles are fire-and-forget
Fire-and-forget
Fire-and-forget is a third-generation method of missile guidance. The military uses the term for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance , and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the...
in order to take most advantage of the standoff distance — they allow the launching platform to turn away after launch. Some missiles have enough range to be launched over the horizon. These missiles (typically either cruise or anti-ship missiles) need to be able to find and home in on the target autonomously.
Sub-categories of air-to-surface missiles include:
- air-launched anti-tank guided missileAnti-tank guided missileAn anti-tank missile , anti-tank guided missile , anti-tank guided weapon or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored military vehicles....
s (typically launched from helicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s) - air-launched cruise missileCruise missileA cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s - air-launched anti-ship missileAnti-ship missileAnti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...
s - anti-radiation missileAnti-radiation missileAn anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home on an enemy radio emission source. Typically these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communication can also be targeted in this manner.- Air-to-Ground :Most ARM designs...
s
Typically, the higher and faster the launching aircraft is flying, the further away the missile's target can be. For long range missiles this difference can be small, but short range missiles (like the AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-65 Maverick
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile designed for close-air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel storage facilities....
) often dramatically increase in range when launched at altitude.
There have been examples of air-launched ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
s, but they are rare. Sometimes air-to-surface missiles are divided into the categories of tactical and strategic. Typically this indicates conventional explosive or small nuclear warhead (tactical) and large nuclear warhead (strategic).
Brazil
- MAR-1MAR-1MAR-1 is an anti-radiation missile developed by Brazil's Mectron and the Aerospace Technical Center of the Brazilian Air Force .-Development and design:...
Anti-radiation missile - FOG-MPMFOG-MPMFOG-MPM ' is a missile built by the Brazilian company Avibrás. Its range is about 60 km. The weight is about 34 kg. Its main use is as an anti-tank, anti-fortification and anti-helicopter missile...
Fiber Optics Guided Multiple Purpose Missile. - AVMT-300AVMT-300The AVMT-300 is a Brazilian cruise missiles that is under development by Avibrás to the ASTROS II system. It projected to be a “economic” version of the American BGM-109 Tomahawk...
Cruise missile.
China
- DH-10DH-10The DongHai 10 is a cruise missile developed in the People's Republic of China by the Third Academy by CASIC.According to Janes, the DH-10 is a second-generation land-attack cruise missile , integrated inertial navigation system, GPS, terrain contour mapping system, and digital scene-matching...
- KD-88
- KD-63
- YJ-7 (C-701)C-701The C-701 is a Chinese missile that is roughly comparable to the American AGM-65 A/B/D/H Maverick air-to-surface missile. However, the C-701 is smaller and has less than half the weight of the AGM-65 A/B/D/H Maverick.-Design:...
- C-704C-704The C-704 is a Chinese anti-ship missile. The missile was developed by the third research institute of the Chinese Aerospace Group, also the manufacturer of the C-701.-Design:...
- C-705
- FL-10
- CF-1 (Chang Feng 1)
- CF-2 (Chang Feng 2)
- FL-9
- FL-8
- FL-7FL-7In addition to developing the C-101 and C-301 supersonic anti-ship missiles which are fairly large in size, China has developed FL-7 supersonic anti-ship missile which can be carried on airplanes and warships. The Feilong-7 has an effective range of 32 kilometers and a speed of Mach 1.4...
- TL-6TL-6-History:The development of the TL program appeared to have started in the mid-1990s and were originally identified as the FL-8 and FL-9 under China National Aero Technology Import & Export Company...
- TL-10TL-10The TL-10 or Sky Dragon - 10 is a light anti-ship missile unveiled in the Zhuhai Airshow in 2004 in China, and it is the Chinese equivalent of the French MM-15TT / AS-15TT light anti-ship missile developed by Aérospatiale.-History:The development of the TL program appeared to have started in the...
- YJ-12YJ-12YJ-12 is a little known supersonic Chinese anti-ship missile developed in the 1990s. Partially due to the limited information available on YJ-12, it is often mistaken for another little known Chinese supersonic anti-ship cruise missile YJ-22, the Chinese equivalent of SS-N-22...
- YJ-22YJ-22The YJ-22 is a LACM development of the anti-ship C-802 with a 400 km range, and possible GNSS/TM guidance currently said to be under development with an IOC expected after 2005. This 135-kilometer range system would be the first Chinese cruise missile to incorporate GNSS-assisted navigation...
- YJ-62C-602The C-602, also known as YJ-62, is a Chinese subsonic anti-ship missile that can also be used as a land attack cruise missile.C-602 made its public debut in China at the end of 2006 during the 6th Zhuhai Airshow, though the name begun first appear in 2005. The missile is reportedly deployed...
- YJ-91
- C-805
- YJ-83 (C-803)
- C-802C-802The Yingji-82 or YJ-82 is a Chinese anti-ship missile first unveiled in 1989 by the China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy , also known as the Third Academy...
- C-801
- C-101C-101The C-101 is a supersonic anti-ship missile that can be launched from air, ship, and shore. Alternatively, the air launched version is also called YJ-1 by Chinese, with YJ short for Ying Ji , meaning Eagle Strike...
- C-611
- HY series
- SY series
- FL series
- C-601
- YJ-63
- HN-1
- HN-3
- HN-2
- HJ-10HJ-10HJ-10 is a series of indigenously developed and highly classified Chinese anti-helicopter / anti-tank missiles, they are the primary weapon of the CAIC WZ-10 attack helicopter...
- HJ-9HJ-9The Hong Jian-9 is an advanced, third-generation anti-tank missile system deployed by the People's Liberation Army.The missile was developed by Norinco, and one of the chief designers was Yang Chunming . It is similar in appearance to the Israeli MAPATS , causing speculation about the link between...
- HJ-8HJ-8The HJ-8 or Hongjian-8 is a second generation tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank missile system which was originally deployed by the People's Liberation Army since the late 1980s. Pakistan produces this missile system under licence as the Baktar-Shikan at Kahuta Research...
- HJ-73
- ETC...
Germany
- Taurus KEPD 350Taurus missileTAURUS KEPD 350 is a German/Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by TAURUS Systems and used by Germany and Spain. TAURUS Systems GmbH is a partnership between LFK and Saab Bofors Dynamics.-Overview:...
- AGM ArmigerAGM ArmigerThe ARMIGER was a missile developed by the Diehl BGT Defence to replace existing AGM-88 HARM missiles in the German Air Force by the end of the decade. It was to be an advanced high supersonic missile intended to destroy modern and future air defenses through direct hit...
- PARS-3TrigatThe PARS 3 LR in German service, also known as TRIGAT-LR and AC 3G in French, is a currently in development fire-and-forget missile which can be used against air or ground targets...
- Euromissile HOTEuromissile HOTThe HOT is a second-generation long-range anti-tank missile system developed originally as an effort to meet a joint German-French Army requirement, by the then German firm Bolkow and the French firm Nord, to replace the older SS.11 wire guided...
- AS.34 KormoranAS.34 KormoranThe AS.34 Kormoran is a German-produced Anti-ship missile. The Kormoran uses an inertial guidance system for the midcourse phase, switching to active radar homing during the terminal attack phase. It carries a 165 kg delay-fused warhead, designed for 90mm of penetration prior to detonation...
- RBS 15 (in cooperation with Sweden)
UK
- Blue Steel missileBlue Steel missileThe Avro Blue Steel was a British air-launched, rocket-propelled nuclear stand-off missile, built to arm the V bomber force. It was the primary British nuclear deterrent weapon until the Royal Navy started operating Polaris missile armed nuclear submarines....
- Brimstone missileBrimstone missileBrimstone is an air-launched anti-tank missile developed by MBDA for Britain's Royal Air Force. It was originally intended for "fire and forget" use against mass formations of enemy armour, using a millimetre wave seeker to ensure accuracy even against moving targets...
- Green Cheese missileGreen Cheese missileThe Green Cheese missile was a British radar-guided anti-ship tactical nuclear warhead missile project of the 1950s. It was developed by Fairey Aviation to be used by the Fairey Gannet shipborne anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and was originally called Fairey Project 7...
(canceled in 1956) - ALARMALARMALARM is a British anti-radiation missile designed primarily to destroy enemy radars for the purpose of Suppression of Enemy Air Defense...
- Storm ShadowStorm ShadowStorm Shadow is a British, French and Italian air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA. Storm Shadow is the British name for the weapon; in French service it is called SCALP EG...
- BAe Sea Eagle
- GAM-87 Skybolt (air-launched ballistic missileAir-launched ballistic missileAn air-launched ballistic missile or ALBM is a ballistic missile launched from an aircraft. This class of missile never saw active use. The only known missile of this type that was intended for operational service, the GAM-87 Skybolt, intended to be launched from B-52 Stratofortress and Avro...
; canceled)
USA
- AGM-12 BullpupAGM-12 BullpupThe AGM-12 Bullpup is an air-to-ground missile which was used on the A-4 Skyhawk, A-6 Intruder, F-105 Thunderchief and F-4 Phantom among others...
(no longer in service) - AGM-22 (project ceased in 1980s, still in limited use)
- AGM-28 Hound DogAGM-28 Hound DogThe North American Aviation Corporation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, jet propelled, air-launched cruise missile. The Hound Dog missile was first given the designation B-77, then redesignated the GAM-77, and finally designated the AGM-28, permanently...
(no longer in service) - AGM-45 ShrikeAGM-45 ShrikeAGM-45 Shrike is an American anti-radiation missile designed to home in on hostile antiaircraft radars. The Shrike was developed by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1963 by mating a seeker head to the rocket body of an AIM-7 Sparrow. It was phased out by U.S...
(no longer in service) - AGM-53 CondorAGM-53 CondorIn 1962, the U.S. Navy issued a requirement for a long-range high-precision air-to-surface missile. The missile, named the AGM-53A Condor, was to use a television guidance system with a data link to the launching aircraft similar to the system of the then projected AGM-62 Walleye.-Development...
(project cancelled) - AGM-62 WalleyeAGM-62 WalleyeThe AGM-62 Walleye is a television-guided glide bomb which was produced by Martin Marietta and used by the United States armed forces during the 1960s. Most had a 250 lb high-explosive warhead, some had a nuclear warhead...
(no longer in service) - AGM-63AGM-63The AGM-63 was a missile design produced by the United States of America. It was conceived in March 1962 when the U.S. Navy issued two requirements for long-range Anti-Radiation Missiles to complement the short-range AGM-45 Shrike. The first was to operate over ranges of up to 50 nm , while the...
(project cancelled) - AGM-64 HornetAGM-64 HornetThe AGM-64 Hornet is a missile produced by the United States of America.The weapon began life in the early 1960s. North American produced a missile design for the U.S. Air Force's Anti-Tank Guided Aircraft Rocket project...
(project cancelled) - AGM-65 MaverickAGM-65 MaverickThe AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile designed for close-air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel storage facilities....
(in service) - AGM-69 SRAMAGM-69 SRAMThe Boeing AGM-69 SRAM was a nuclear air-to-surface missile designed to replace the older AGM-28 Hound Dog stand-off missile....
(no longer in service) - AGM-76 FalconAGM-76 FalconThe AGM-76 Falcon is an air-to-surface missile developed by the United States of America.-Overview:The AGM-76 was developed as a ground attack version of the AIM-47 Falcon air-to-air missile, in much the same way that the AGM-87 Focus was developed from the AIM-9 Sidewinder. It was planned to use...
(project cancelled) - AGM-78 Standard ARMAGM-78 Standard ARMThe AGM-78 Standard ARM was an anti-radiation missile developed by General Dynamics, United States of America.-Overview:Originally developed for the US Navy during the late 1960s, the AGM-78 was created in large part because of the limitations of the AGM-45 Shrike, which suffered from a small...
(no longer in service) - AGM-79 Blue EyeAGM-79 Blue EyeThe AGM-79 Blue Eye was a missile developed by the United States of America.-Overview:The Blue Eye was a development of the AGM-12 Bullpup, intended to provide a more advanced homing system. The Bullpup was manually steered onto the target, whereas the guidance system in the Blue Eye was an optical...
(project cancelled) - AGM-80 ViperAGM-80 ViperAGM-80 Viper is the designation of an American air to surface missile with infrared seeker and inertial guidance system. Based upon the AGM-12C Bullpup-B, the AGM-80A Viper was developed by Chrysler at the end of the 60s, but was cancelled in the 1970s....
(project cancelled) - AGM-83 BulldogAGM-83 BulldogThe AGM-83 Bulldog is a missile produced by the United States of America.The missile has its origins in the AGM-12 Bullpup. This missile used a manual guidance system which required the launching aircraft to continue flying towards the target throughout the missile flight time, making it highly...
(project cancelled) - AGM-84 Harpoon (in service)
- AGM-86 CALCM (in service)
- AGM-87 FocusAGM-87 Focus-Overview:The missile was a development of the AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missile, intended for use against ground targets. Development took place at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center during the late 1960s. The infrared guidance method of the Sidewinder was retained, as the missile was to be...
(no longer in service) - AGM-88 HARMAGM-88 HARMThe AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile is a tactical, air-to-surface missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM system...
(in service) - AGM-112 (reserved when program renamed GBU-15GBU-15Guided Bomb Unit 15 is an unpowered, glide weapon used to destroy high-value enemy targets. It was designed for use with F-15E Strike Eagle, F-111 'Aardvark' and F-4 Phantom II aircraft, but the United States Air Force is currently only deploying it from the F-15E. The GBU-15 has long-range...
) - AGM-114 HellfireAGM-114 HellfireThe AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile developed primarily for anti-armor use. It has multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike capability, and can be launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100 lb-class air-to-ground precision...
(in service) - AGM-119 Penguin (in service)
- AGM-122 SidearmAGM-122 SidearmThe AGM-122 Sidearm was an American air-to-surface anti-radiation missile.-Development:The AGM-122 Sidearm was produced by the re-manufacture of AIM-9C missiles which had been taken out of service. The AIM-9C was a semi-active radar homing variant of the Sidewinder, developed for the US Navy's...
(no longer in service) - AGM-123 SkipperAGM-123 SkipperAGM-123 Skipper II is a short-range laser-guided missile developed by the U.S. Navy.-Overview:The Skipper is a short range missile intended for precision strikes. It is composed of a Mark 83 bomb, fitted with a Paveway kit, and an attached rocket propulsion system to allow it to be dropped at...
(in service) - AGM-124 WaspAGM-124 WaspThe AGM-124 Wasp is a missile developed by the United States of America. The Wasp grew out of the 1975 WAAM program initiated by the US Air Force in order to develop a series of new air-to-ground anti-armour weapons for close-support aircraft...
(project cancelled) - AGM-129 ACMAGM-129 ACM* Missile of the same class** Ra'ad ** TAURUS KEPD 350 ** Storm Shadow -Notes:# Alleged violations of the Antideficiency Act in the Air Force’s procurement of advanced cruise missiles.FILE B-255831, Office of the General Counsel, United States General Accounting Office.# Union Calls for Strike by...
(in service) - AGM-130AGM-130The AGM-130 is a missile developed by the United States of America.-Overview:The AGM-130 is a powered air-to-surface missile designed for strikes at long range against various targets...
(in service) - AGM-131 SRAM IIAGM-131 SRAM IIThe SRAM II was a nuclear air-to-surface missile intended as a replacement for the AGM-69 SRAM, but it was cancelled by President George H.W...
(project cancelled) - AGM-136 Tacit RainbowAGM-136 Tacit RainbowThe AGM-136A Tacit Rainbow was a United States military anti-radiation missile program run from 1982 to 1991.The requirement was for a low-cost air-launchable system to aid in the destruction of enemy air defense networks...
(project cancelled) - AGM-137 TSSAMAGM-137 TSSAM-Overview:The United States Air Force began developing the Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile in 1986; the intent was to produce a family of stealthy missiles for the Air Force, Navy and United States Army which would be capable of long range, autonomous guidance, automatic target recognition,...
(project cancelled) - AGM-142 Have NapAGM-142 Have NapThe Popeye is an air to ground missile developed and in use by Israel, of which several types have been developed for Israeli and export users. A substantially modified long range cruise missile variant of the Popeye Turbo is believed to be used to arm the Israeli submarine based nuclear forces...
(in service) - AGM-153AGM-153The AGM-153 was a missile considered for development by the United States of America.-Overview:The AGM-153 was proposed in 1992 as a new tactical air-to-surface missile. The weapon was to be launched from high and low altitudes against both fixed and mobile targets ranging from bunkers to armoured...
(project cancelled) - AGM-154 JSOW (in service)
- AGM-158 JASSMAGM-158 JASSMThe AGM-158 JASSM is a low observable standoff cruise missile developed in the United States. It is a large, semi-stealthy long-range weapon of the class. The missile's development began in 1995, but a number of problems during testing delayed its introduction into service until 2009...
(in development) - AGM-159 JASSMAGM-159 JASSMThe AGM-159 was a missile design proposed in 1996 by the Boeing company as a contender in the U.S. Air Force's JASSM project. Development halted after Lockheed Martin's AGM-158 was selected for further development in 1998....
(project cancelled) - GAM-87 Skybolt (air-launched ballistic missileAir-launched ballistic missileAn air-launched ballistic missile or ALBM is a ballistic missile launched from an aircraft. This class of missile never saw active use. The only known missile of this type that was intended for operational service, the GAM-87 Skybolt, intended to be launched from B-52 Stratofortress and Avro...
; project cancelled)
USSR/Russia
- AS-1 'Kennel' (KS-1 Kometa)
- AS-2 'Kipper' (K-10S Yen)
- AS-3 'Kangaroo' (H-20)
- AS-4 'Kitchen' (H-22 Burya)
- AS-5 'Kelt' (H-11/KSR-2)
- AS-6 'Kingfish' (H-26/KSR-5)
- AS-7 'Kerry' (H-66, H-23 Grom)
- AS-8 (9M114V Sturm-V)
- AS-9 'Kyle' (H-28)
- AS-10 'Karen' (H-25)
- AS-11 'Kilter' (H-58 Izdeliye)
- AS-12 'Kegler' (H-25MP, H-27PS)
- AS-13 'Kingbolt'Kh-59The Kh-59 Ovod is a Russian TV-guided cruise missile with a two-stage solid-fuel propulsion system and 115 km range. The Kh-59M Ovod-M is a variant with a bigger warhead and turbojet engine...
(H-59 Ovod) - AS-14 'Kedge'Kh-29The Kh-29 is a Soviet air-to-surface missile with a range of 10–30 km. It has a large warhead of 320 kg, has a choice of laser, infrared, active radar or TV guidance, and is typically carried by tactical aircraft such as the Su-24, Su-30, MiG-29K as well as the "T/TM" models of the...
(H-29) - AS-15 'Kent' (H-55/H-65S Izdeliye)
- AS-16 'Kickback' (H-15)
- AS-17 'Krypton' (H-31)
- AS-18 Kazoo (H-59M Ovod-M)
- AS-19 'Koala' (P-750 Grom)
- AS-X-19 'Koala' (3M25A Meteorit-A)
- AS-20 'Kayak' (H-35/H-37 Uran)
- AS-X-21 (Kh-90 Gela)
See also more missiles
- Surface-to-air missileSurface-to-air missileA surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
- Laser-guided bombLaser-guided bombA laser-guided bomb is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. LGBs are one of the most common and widespread guided bombs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.- Overview :Laser-guided munitions use a...
- Anti-tank guided missileAnti-tank guided missileAn anti-tank missile , anti-tank guided missile , anti-tank guided weapon or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored military vehicles....
- Anti-ship missileAnti-ship missileAnti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...
- Cruise missileCruise missileA cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
- Anti-radiation missileAnti-radiation missileAn anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home on an enemy radio emission source. Typically these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communication can also be targeted in this manner.- Air-to-Ground :Most ARM designs...
- Anti-surface warfareAnti-Surface WarfareAnti-surface warfare is a type of naval warfare directed against surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's surface ships....
- Air-to-ground weaponryAir-to-ground weaponryAir-to-ground weaponry is weapons used by combat aircraft to attack ground targets. The weapons include bombs, machine guns, autocannons, air-to-surface missiles, rockets, air-launched cruise missiles and grenade launchers.-See also:* Aircraft ordnance...