AGM-122 sidearm
AGM-122 sidearm | |
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General Information | |
Type | Air-to-surface missile |
Manufacturer | Motorola |
development | 1980 |
Commissioning | 1981 |
Technical specifications | |
length | 2870 mm |
diameter | 127 mm |
Combat weight | 88 kg |
span | 630 mm |
drive | Solid rocket engine |
speed | Mach 2.3 |
Range | 16.5 km |
Furnishing | |
Target location | passive radar |
Warhead | 11 kg |
Weapon platforms | Bell AH-1 , AV-8B Harrier II , Douglas A-4 |
Lists on the subject |
The AGM-122 Sidearm is an American anti-radar air-to-surface missile .
In the 1980s, the US Navy decided it needed a new anti-radar air-to-surface missile. The already decommissioned AIM-9C Sidewinder , which as an air-to-air missile already had a semi-active radar seeker head, was used as a starting point . The Motorola company was commissioned to convert the AIM-9C, which was then called the AGM-122 Sidearm ( Side winder A nti- R adiation- M issile). The main difference was that the original narrowband radar head was exchanged for a broadband radar head. In 1986 the Sidearm was put into service and by 1990 more than 700 pieces were built that were only used by the Marine Corps .
In the mid-1980s, it was planned to improve the AGM-122. The variant known as AGM-122B was never implemented.
Compared to other anti-radar missiles such as the AGM-88 HARM , the Sidearm only has the advantage that it is cheaper, smaller and lighter and therefore also on lighter weapon carriers such as. B. Combat helicopters can be equipped; in everything else - especially in terms of range and accuracy - it is inferior.