AGM-12 bullpup
| AGM-12 bullpup | |
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| General Information | |
| Type | Air-to-surface missile |
| Manufacturer | Martin Marietta , Maxson Electronics , Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk , de Havilland Aircraft Company |
| development | from 1953 |
| Commissioning | 1955 |
| Unit price | approx. 4,000-5,000 US dollars (1958) |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 3200-4140 mm |
| diameter | 300-460 mm |
| Combat weight | 259-810 kg |
| span | 940-1220 mm |
| drive |
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| speed | Mach 1.8 |
| Range | 11 km (AGM-12B) 16 km (AGM-12C) |
| Furnishing | |
| Target location | Manually |
| Warhead | - 113 kg high explosive (AGM-12A / B) - 453 kg high explosive (AGM-12C) - 68 kg W-45 nuclear warhead (AGM-12D) - 453 kg with BLU-26 / B (AGM-12E) |
| Weapon platforms | Helicopters, carrier-based fighters and fighter-bombers, submarine fighter aircraft |
| Lists on the subject | |
The AGM-12 Bullpup is a manually guided short-range air-to-surface missile (Air Ground Missile - AGM) developed by the US defense company Martin Marietta for the US Navy and the US Air Force . It was used from 1959 to 1978. It was the first mass-produced guided air-to-surface missile in the world and was also used by some other NATO states and other countries.
Technology and function
The AGM-12A and GAM-83A (AGM-12B) have a cylindrical body in which the electronics, the warhead (center section) and the fuel tank are housed. Towards the front, it is conical. At the top there are 4 canards in an X shape. With these the control commands of the gunner are implemented electro-pneumatically by the Bullpup. At the stern, near the engine, it becomes slightly conical . Shortly in front of this, four large tail fins are also attached in an X shape, which are similar to a delta wing . These wing surfaces only serve to ensure that the bullpup keeps its flight direction stable and, in cooperation with the gyro system, does not start rolling around its own axis. The ASM-N-7A (also AGM-12B) has trapezoidal tail fins. With the AGM-12C, the body shape looks considerably different due to the larger diameter, because behind the tip there is a conical enlargement from 30 to 46 cm. The tail fins are also much larger now. But they have a trapezoidal shape, with the fin height decreasing from front to back. The AGM-12D, in turn, builds on the -12B. But since it carries a nuclear warhead that is slightly larger, the diameter of the center section had to be adjusted. Due to this minimal change, the 12D is difficult to distinguish from the A and B variants.
The first version of the Bullpup, the AGM-12A, was equipped with a Mk 8 Mod 1 solid propellant rocket motor made by Aerojet -General, which delivered approx. 38 kN of thrust for 2.5 seconds . Later versions are with liquid fuel rocket motors from Thiokol of the type LR-58-RM-4 (AGM-12B / D), which provides approx. 53.9 kN of thrust for 2.04 seconds , or LR-62-RM-2 / -4 (AGM-12C / E). The LR-58 and -62 use a mixture of amines called MAF-l (mixed amine fuel-1) as fuel and red fuming nitric acid as an oxidizer , which when mixed together are hypergolic (self-igniting). The weight of all rocket motors was almost the same despite the different total mass of the bullpup and was about 91 kg .
After being shot down by the gunner, the Bullpup was manually guided by radio remote control via a joystick in the cockpit . The disadvantage of this system was that the shooter always had to have visual contact with the missile. In the first version (AGM-12A), the carrier aircraft also had to continue to fly in a straight line towards the target. This was only slightly improved with the AGM-12B, which had revised electronics. Now the respective carrier aircraft could deviate slightly from the bullpup's course without losing the radio link. The carrier aircraft itself had to be equipped with an Airborne Flight / Remote Control Radio (AN / ARW for short) of type -73 and later -77 so that it could shoot the bullpup. Only the A-4 Skyhawk and the F-105 Thunderchief were equipped with the AN / ARW-73. The AN / ARW-77, however, used the A-7, F-4, F-5, F-8, and P-3B Orion, among others.
In addition to the sub-optimal target electronics, the Bullpup had other weaknesses. Their hit probability was only 66% and this with a scattering circle radius (CEP) of just over nine meters. Furthermore, there were always problems with the weld seams and faulty interfaces between electronics and VHF antenna.
history
The development of the AGM-12 Bullpup was initiated by the US Navy in 1953 when it was discovered during the Korean War that they did not have an effective weapon to use with static targets such as B. Could fight bridges. Another requirement was the possibility of use by carrier-supported aircraft. A tender was carried out, in which Martin Marietta was awarded several offers in April 1954. The name of the missile was ASM-N-7 Bullpup, it was the first guided air-to-surface missile. During its development phase, the Bullpup was named XASM-N-7, with the X indicating the experimental status. Much of the data presented at that time roughly coincided with the later series Bullpup. Only weight (245 kg) and speed (Mach 2) could not be maintained with the production version (259 kg, Mach 1.8). Three different warheads were also proposed. They wanted to use the highly explosive AN-M57 bomb, the AN-M81 fragmentation bomb or the Mk81 . In the production version, the AGM-12A actually only used the AN-M81 and Mk81 warheads.
The ASM-N-7 was still equipped with a solid rocket motor, only with the introduction of the ASM-N-7a series was this replaced by a LR-58 liquid fuel rocket motor from Thiokol . The ASM-N-7 was officially put into service with the US Navy on April 25, 1959 on board the USS Lexington with the A-4 Skyhawk on board. In addition to the A-4 Skyhawk, it was approved for the AF-1E Fury and the SH-34 . But already in 1954 the "US Air Force" showed interest in the Bullpup. But they did not want to use the same missile as the US Navy, because at that time there was great rivalry between the armed forces. Therefore Martin Marietta was commissioned to develop a derivative with the project name White Lance and the later name GAM-79. In contrast to the Navy, a rocket engine powered by liquid fuel was to be used from the start. In addition, this version should be equipped with a nuclear warhead and the target electronics should be further improved. But the development of the GAM-79 took time, and during that development period the USAF bought the ASM-N-7 but introduced it under the designation GAM-83 and put it on the North American F-100 and Republic F- aircraft types. 105 a. The ASM-N-7 and the GAM-83 were to receive the designation AGM-12A from 1963. A training version for the pilots to practice, the AGM-12A, was also built. It was first listed as TGAM-83 and later as ATM-12A.
The US Navy took note of the Air Force's development of the GAM-79 and subsequently equipped its ASM-N-7 with a liquid rocket motor. This series, now under the designation ASM-N-7A, differed from the ASM-N-7 only in the liquid rocket motor and some small improvements to the warhead. A Mk19 Mod 0 warhead was now used. She entered service with the US Navy around 1960. The Air Force, in turn, was able to put the White Lance alias GAM-79 into service in 1958, under the name GAM-83A. Since the ASM-N-7A and GAM-83A were developed almost at the same time, they only differ in details, but especially in the target electronics (GAM-83A). Both rockets were to receive the designation AGM-12B from 1963, although there was also a trainer variant, the ATM-12B. Which of the two missiles the ATM-12B is based on is unknown.
In addition to the new warhead for the ASM-N-7A, the US Navy had another developed in 1961. This should contain 100 liters of a chemical warfare agent called GB (methyl fluorophosphonic acid isopropyl ester). The warfare agent should not be sprayed in the air, but only spread in a limited radius by the impact of the bullpup. Some feasibility studies have been commissioned and some prototypes of this warhead have been built. But the Navy terminated the program shortly after the warheads were completed, before a test even occurred.
The Navy sought an improved version than the ASM-N-7A. From 1959 the ASM-N-7B was developed. She was to get a warhead enlarged to 1000 pounds (453 kg). At the time (1959) the ASM-N-7B was also known as the Super Bullpup, although this was not an official name. An improved liquid rocket motor of the type LR-62-RM-2 / -4 was also used in order to obtain the same or a slightly longer range with the now greater total weight. The ASM-N-7B was certified for the North American A-5 , Grumman A-6 and Vought F-8 E aircraft. It was named AGM-12C from 1963.
Martin developed a derivative of the GAM-83A for the US Air Force (from February 1960), which was produced from 1962 and should have the nuclear option in the form of a W-45 nuclear warhead. Since the nuclear warhead was slightly larger than the original conventional one, the diameter of the GAM-83A was increased slightly. This nuclear version of the GAM-83A was given the designation GAM-83B, which was changed to AGM-12D from 1963. Only 100 of the D version were produced and were taken out of service between 1967 and 1978.
The last version was the E version. It got the designation AGM-12E Bullpup from the beginning, because it was put into service in 1966/67. It is based on the AGM-12C, but does not use a conventional warhead, instead it has been replaced by approx. 800–900 BLU-26 / B bomblets .
Later there were a few projects based on the Bullpup that greatly improved its capabilities. None of these experimental rockets have ever been mass-produced. They were named AGM-79 Blue Eye (Martin Marietta), AGM-80 Viper (Chrysler) and AGM-83 Bulldog (Texas Instruments).
The last of the Navy AGM-12s were fired by the Patrol Squadron VP-1 in July 1978 from three P-3B Orions and were subsequently retired.
In addition to the further development of the Bullpup, some countries had their own rockets that are controlled manually via radio. Some of these missiles are so similar to the Bullpup that they can be called a counterpart . In the Soviet Union, for example, there was an air-to-surface missile called the Ch-23 , and in France , Nord Aviation developed the AS.20 . In Argentina , the Martin Pescador MP-1000 has since been decommissioned, but some continue to exist as the AS-25K -RC.
Brief overview
| current (from 1963) | obsolete (until 1963) |
| AGM-12A | ASM-N-7 GAM-83 |
| AGM-12B | ASM-N-7A GAM-83A |
| AGM-12C | ASM-N-7B |
| AGM-12D | GAM-83B |
| AGM-12E |
Countries of operation
The Bullpup were built by the USA in different versions (A – E) about 56,668 times before they were finally retired from the US Army in a period from the beginning of the 1970s to the 1980s. In addition, the Bullpup (AGM-12B) was manufactured by a European consortium. This consortium included Norway (Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk) as the main producer, Great Britain (de Havilland), Denmark and Turkey.
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Denmark
When Flyvevåbnet you used the AGM-12B to the F-104G and Saab 35XD as a carrier aircraft.
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Greece
AGM-12B used on F-104G
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Israel
The Israeli Air Force used the AGM-12B / C on the McDonnell F-4E and Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. A total of 760 Bullpup in 2 tranches (550/210 each) were delivered from the USA between 1969 and 1976.
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Norway
The Luftforsvaret used the Bullpup as an anti-ship missile with the P-3B, F-5 and F-104G. Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk also produced the AGM-12B under license for the armed forces between 1963 and 1969, 1,500 times.
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Turkey
The Turkish Air Force used AGM-12B along with F-100 Super Saber and F-104G. All approx. 2,500 Bullpup delivered were manufactured in Norway, with individual parts being produced in Turkey.
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United Kingdom
Great Britain showed interest in the Bullpup as early as 1960, but the AGM-12B was not received until 1962. The Super Marine Scimitar, Blackburn B-103 Buccaneer and the De Havilland DH110 of the Royal Navy (from 1962-64) and Royal Air Force were used as carrier aircraft. The British company de Havilland Aircraft Company supported Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in the construction of a total of 2,500 AGM-12B. 1,000 AGM-12B were delivered from the USA to bridge the time until production started at Kongsberg.
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United States
Originally developed and improved by Martin Marietta, Maxson Electronics produced most of the AGM-12. The various versions of the Bullpup were used by flight squadrons of the US Navy , Air Force and the Marine Corps .
Carrier platforms used
- helicopter
- Sikorsky S-58 , the Bullpup was tested on the HUS-1 / UH-34D in Fort Rucker in 1961, but this combination did not come into regular service
- Planes
- Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
- North American A-5 Vigilante
- Grumman A-6A Intruder
- Vought A-7A / B Corsair II
- McDonnell F-4B / C / D / E Phantom II
- North American FJ-4B Fury
- Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter
- Vought F-8 Crusader , F-8E, H, J, K, and L only
- Lockheed P-3B Orion
- North American F-100C / D Super Saber
- Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
- Republic F-105D Thunderchief
- Lockheed F-104G starfighter
- Grumman F11F Tiger
- Blackburn B-103 Buccaneer
- Supermarine Scimitar
- De Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen
- Saab 35XD Draken
Web links
- AGM-12 on designation-systems.net (English)
- AGM-12 on globalsecurity.org (English)
- Video of the shooting down of an AGM-12 Bullpup on youtube.com (English)
- Video of the shooting down of several AGM-12 Bullpup on youtube.com (English)
- AGM-12 in the Flight International Archive (English)
- AGM-12B on blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Edition of Flight International, December 5, 1958, p. 887.
- ^ A b Department of Defense: Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles . P. 79, May 12, 2004 edition.
- ^ RH Quillin, EM Parry: Investogation of stowage hazards in air launched Missile Magazines: The Compatibility of prepackaged liquid- and solid propellant bullpup Missiles in a common shipboard magazine . US Naval Weapon Laboratory, 1962.
- ^ AN / Airborne Electronic Equipment. October 21, 2006, archived from the original on December 5, 2010 ; accessed on January 12, 2014 .
- ↑ Patrol Squadron (VP) Histories VP-1 to VP-153 , Chapter 3, p. 37.
- ↑ CHARACTERISTICS OF TACTICAL, STRATEGIC AND RESEARCH MISSILES by CM Hanson, April 22, 1957, p. 17. ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b edition of Flight International from November 6, 1959, p. 522.
- ^ A Review of Metallurgical Factors in Development of the Warhead Mk 19 Mod 0 for ASM-N-7A BULLPUP Guided Missile , by SF Magis, dated December 12, 1960
- ↑ Shipboard problems and requirements for handling and stowage of chemicals munitions, November 14, 1961, p. 10.
- ↑ Complete List of All US Nuclear Weapons
- ↑ Patrol Squadron (VP) Histories VP-1 to VP-153, Chapter 3, p. 20.
- ↑ USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers - 1908 to Present. Retrieved September 1, 2014 (USAF serial numbers 1958-70).
- ↑ Transfers of major conventional weapons: sorted by supplier. Deals with deliveries or orders made for year range 1950 to 1991, from sipri.org , generated on January 11, 2010.
- ^ Edition of Flight International, October 4, 1980, p. 1359.
- ^ Geoffrey B Mason: Royal Navy post-World War 2. CHRONOLOGY, Part 3 - 1961-70. 2007, accessed January 12, 2014 .
