NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Air to surface missile

An air-to-surface missile (also, air-to-ground missile, ASM or AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft (bombers, 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 engines. These also tend to correspond to the range of the missiles - short and long, respectively. Some Soviet air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjets, giving them both long range and high speed. A missile (British English: miss-isle; U.S. English: missl) is, in general, a projectile—that is, something thrown or otherwise propelled. ... An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A ground attack aircraft is an aircraft that is designed to operate very close to the ground, supporting infantry and tanks directly in battle. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust from within a rocket engine. ... This article should be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Soviet redirects here. ... For the fictional method of interstellar travel, see Bussard ramjet. ...

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 wouldn't work very well against land targets which typically don't contain such a large mass of metal surrounded by empty space. Beam-riding guidance leads a missile to its target by means of radar or a laser beam. ... Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ...

There is some cross-over between air-to-surface missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. For example, there was an air-launched version of the Tomahawk missile, although this has been superceded by the AGM-86 ALCM.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. A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings. ... AGM-86A The AGM-86B and AGM-64C are sub-sonic air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) operated by the United States Air Force. ... The Penguin anti-ship missile, made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA)1, 2 of Norway from the early 1970s and upgraded several times since, is a passive-IR-seeker based short-to-medium range missile. ... The AGM-84 Harpoon is a US all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system. ... The Standoff Land Attack Missile or SLAM is an over-the-horizon, all-weather cruise missile which grew out of the Navys Harpoon anti-ship missile in the 1970s. ...

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. Fire and forget is the military term for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line of sight of the target. ...

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. An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a missile the primary purpose of which is to hit and destroy tanks. ... A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). ... A Tomahawk cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ... An Anti-ship missile (AShM) is a military missile designed for use against naval surface ships. ... An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home in on the emissions of an enemy radar installation. ... A pilot inspects an AGM-65 Maverick missile on his A-10 Thunderbolt. ...

These have been examples of air-launched ballistic missiles, 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). Polish missile wz. ...

List of air-to-surface missiles

India

France

Apache is a French air-launched anti-runway missile, manufactured by MBDA. The Apache missile system is an anti runway version of the SCALP EG. This is achieved though dispersal of cluster submunitions while the SCALP EG uses a single high-penetration warhead. ... The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile made in various versions capable of being launched from surface ships and boats, submarines, and airplanes. ...

France/UK

Brimstone test firing from Panavia Tornado The Brimstone missile is an advanced Anti_Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) developed by MBDA. The missile is a development of Boeings AGM-114 Hellfire is designed to meet the RAFs requirement for a long range anti-armour weapon, allowing strike aircraft to attack... Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA and used by Britain, France, and Italy. ...

Norway

The Penguin anti-ship missile, made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA)1, 2 of Norway from the early 1970s and upgraded several times since, is a passive-IR-seeker based short-to-medium range missile. ...

South Africa

Blue Steel was a British air-launched, rocket-propelled nuclear stand-off missile, built to arm the V bomber force. ... Brimstone test firing from Panavia Tornado The Brimstone missile is an advanced Anti_Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) developed by MBDA. The missile is a development of Boeings AGM-114 Hellfire is designed to meet the RAFs requirement for a long range anti-armour weapon, allowing strike aircraft to attack... The Green Cheese missile was a British anti-ship missile project of the 1950s. ... The Douglas GAM-87A Skybolt was an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) developed during the late 1950s. ... ALARM (Air Launched Anti Radar Missile) is a British anti-radiation missile designed primarily to destroy enemy radars for the purpose of Suppression of Enemy Air Defence. ...

USA

The AGM-12 Bullpup is an air-to-ground missile which was used on the A_4 Skyhawk, A_6 Intruder and F_4 Phantom. ... The North American AGM-28 Hound Dog was the first air-launched nuclear stand-off missile developed by the United States. ... The Shrike was developed by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1963. ... The Douglas GAM-87A Skybolt was an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) developed during the late 1950s. ... In 1962, the U.S. Navy issued a requirement for a long-range high-precision air-to-surface missile. ... AGM-62 Walleye loaded onboard an aircraft The AGM-62 Walleye is a television-guided glide bomb which was produced by Martin Marietta and used during the 1960s. ... A pilot inspects an AGM-65 Maverick missile on his A-10 Thunderbolt. ... The Boeing AGM-69 SRAM (Short-range attack missile) was a nuclear air-to-surface missile designed to replace the older AGM-28 Hound Dog stand-off missile. ... The AGM-84 Harpoon is a US all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system. ... AGM-86A The AGM-86B and AGM-64C are sub-sonic air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) operated by the United States Air Force. ... The AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-radiation Missile (HARM) is an air-to-surface tactical missile designed to seek out and destroy enemy radar-equipped air defense systems. ... Hellfire AGM-114A AGM-114 Hellfire (Helicopter launched fire-and-forget) is a U.S. air-to-ground missile system designed to defeat tanks and other individual targets while minimizing the exposure of the launch vehicle to enemy fire. ... The AGM-122 Sidearm is a U.S. anti_radiation missile. ... The SRAM II (Short-Range Attack Missile) 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. Bush for geopolitical reasons just as the first flight-test missile was delivered. ... AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapon [JSOW] Briefly The Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a joint venture of the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of defended targets at ranges outside that of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing...

USSR/Russia

See also: Laser-guided bomb, anti-tank guided missile, anti-ship missile, cruise missile, anti-radiation missile The Raduga Kh-22 (NATO reporting name AS_4 Kitchen) is a large, long_range anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union. ... The Raduga Kh-55 (NATO reporting name AS_15 Kent) is a Soviet/CIS long-range cruise missile with a nuclear warhead. ... The Raduga Kh-15 (NATO reporting name AS_16 Kickback) is Soviet/CIS short-range nuclear missile carried by bomber aircraft. ... A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a free-fall bomb, usually dropped from an aircraft, that is guided to its target by a laser designator The laser is directed at the target, illuminating it. ... An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a missile the primary purpose of which is to hit and destroy tanks. ... An Anti-ship missile (AShM) is a military missile designed for use against naval surface ships. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ... An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home in on the emissions of an enemy radar installation. ...

List of missiles

Air-to-air missile (AAM) | Air-to-surface missile (ASM) | Surface-to-air missile (SAM) | Surface-to-surface missile (SSM)
Ballistic missile | Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) | Submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) | Anti-ballistic missile (ABM)
Cruise missile | Anti-ship missile (AShM) | Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) | Anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) | Anti-radiation missile
Wire-guided missile | Infrared guidance | Beam riding | Laser guidance | Active radar guidance | Semi-active radar guidance Below is a list of (links to pages on) missiles, sorted alphabetically by country of origin. ... A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launchers an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. ... Polish missile wz. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ... Submarine-launched ballistic missiles or SLBMs are ballistic missiles delivering nuclear weapons that are launched from submarines. ... An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a missile designed to counter intercontinental ballistic missiles: the strategic ballistic missiles used to deliver nuclear weapons or their elements in flight trajectory. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ... An Anti-ship missile (AShM) is a military missile designed for use against naval surface ships. ... An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a missile the primary purpose of which is to hit and destroy tanks. ... Anti-satellite weapons (ASATs) are weapons designed to be used against artificial satellites. ... An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home in on the emissions of an enemy radar installation. ... A wire-guided missile is a missile guided by signals sent to it via thin wires reeled out during flight. ... Infra-red homing refers to a guidance system which uses the infra-red light emissions of a target to track it. ... Beam-riding guidance leads a missile to its target by means of radar or a laser beam. ... Laser guidance is a technique of guiding a missile or other projectile or vehicle to a target by means of a laser beam. ... Active radar homing is a type of missile guidance where a guided missile contains a radar transceiver and the electronics necessary for it to find and track its target autonomously. ... Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer range air-to-air and ground-to-air missile systems. ...

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