AGM-53 Condor
| AGM-53 Condor | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| General Information | |
| Type | Air-to-surface missile |
| Manufacturer | Rockwell International |
| development | 1962 |
| Commissioning | 1970 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 4220 mm |
| diameter | 430 mm |
| Combat weight | 950 kg |
| span | 1350 mm |
| drive | Rocketdyne Mk 70 solid rocket motor |
| speed | Mach 2.9 |
| Range | 110 km |
| Furnishing | |
| Target location | TV (electro-optical) |
| Warhead | 286 kg HE, W73 nuclear warhead |
| Weapon platforms | F-14 Tomcat , Vought A-7 , Grumman A-6 |
| Lists on the subject | |
Originally under the name ASM-N-11, the development of an air-to-surface missile was started. It should have a long range and hit its target with very high precision. The client was the US Navy , and the rocket , which was renamed AGM-53 Condor in 1963, was to be developed and manufactured by Rockwell International .
During the development of the XAGM-53A prototype, there were primarily problems with the liquid-fuel rocket propulsion system required by the Navy. Because of its unreliability, the decision was made to use a much more powerful solid rocket propulsion system. Cost was another problem, compounded by the missile's radio system, which had underestimated the time it would take to develop it. The TV seeker head, which was also used later in the AGM-62 Walleye , did not cause any problems and so the first prototypes could be tested in 1970.
The planning provided that targets could be fought up to a distance of 110 km. The AGM was able to continuously correct its trajectory via a two-way communication channel between the rocket and the aircraft, and the gunner could follow the target approach on a monitor. It was also possible to fire the Condor blind, in which case the gunner could also steer the missile manually into the target. In 1975 the development was completed. 250 AGM-53A should be built by the end of 1976. But in March 1976 the program was stopped because the Condor was much more expensive than air-to-surface missiles that were already available. In addition, the missile's communications system took up so much space that only a relatively small warhead could be installed, which in turn made the AGM less effective as it could only attack smaller targets.
The AGM-53B was still to be developed; for this variant better electronics, a turbojet drive (range 185 km) and a nuclear warhead were provided. However, it remained with the planning.
