Rocket Boost - the dashing power

   The current trend is toward a greater use of low-cost ordnance with wing kits and guidance, giving a range of around 100km from high level release. Although many remain in inventories this has taken the emphasis of rocket-powered tactical missiles.

Boeing (Rockwell) AGM-130

   One of the most widely used tactcal missile in the 210 to 310kg Raytheon AGM-65 Marvick, which has been produced with two warheads  and three types of guidance. range is up to 24km. TV-guided AGM-65G2, having discovering in Kosovo that LGBs cannot be used through cloud has been ordered by Britain recently. Russia`s opposite number was 700kg Vympel Kh-29 (AS-14), which equipped with a television guidance or laser/ infrared homing and range of up to 32km.

   The 1360kg rafael Popeye or AGM-142A Have Nap has a range of 95km.The 1323kg TV/IIR-guided boeing AGM-130 which is reffered to earlier has a range up to 75km. Its lighter (1125kg) have light or Popeye 2 derivative is suitable for aircraft such as the F-16.

   The western world leader in the anti-radiation missile aregory was the Raytheon AGM-88 Harm, a supersonic missile which has a passive radar homing and a maximum range of 130km. The AGM-88D adds as a GPS/INS unit with help of  that the engagement can continue if the emitter is switched off. Development was concentrated on the AGM-88E with a dual mode (millimetric-wave and passive radar) seeker.

AGM-88E HARM

4x AGM-88 on F-16

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The  Air-launched Anti-Radiation Missile  alarm (MBDA) was the first missile in this category to employ a rocket-boosted climb, which followed by a decent on parachute, to give an extended search time. The alarm was in service with Britain`s Royal Air Force, but no export sales have so far been recorded. An active radar version is reported to be under development.

The fast anti-radiation missile is probably the ramjet powered Zvezda StrelaKh-31(AS-17) which is shown here with a laser guided region KAB-1500L penetration weapon in the background.

   Russia`s anti-radiation missile series includes the Zvezda Strela Kh-25MPU(AS-12) which has a range of 40km and weighs 320kg  and that company`s 600kg ramjet-powered Kh-31P(AS-17) with a range of 100km. The rocket-powered supersonic Ruduga Kh-58E(AS-11) was claimed to have a range of 160km.

Popeye ii (Have lite) -GPS/SSD/IIR>150km

   The anti-radiation missile trends was towed ramjet power and multi-mode seekers, as illustrated by Germany`s 230kg BGT Armiger. The US Navy was looking at major derivatives of the Harm, with a ramjet by Atlantic Research (ARC)  and a seeker developed by ATK.