The AIM-4 Falcon was an American short-range air-to-air missile. Its first prototypes appeared in the late 1940s, and it entered the US armed forces in 1956. The AIM-4 Falcon was a solid fuel-powered missile with a range of up to 9,700 meters, capable of carrying a warhead weighing 12 kg with a total curb weight of 54.4 kg.
The AIM-4 Falcon missile was developed by Hughes Aircraft in response to US Air Force demand for a guided missile with supersonic velocity. The manufacturer used semi-active radar guidance in it. In order to reduce the weight of the missile, Hughes used plastic elements made of glass fiber in the AIM-4 Falcon, which was a rare production solution at that time (late 1940s). The first mass-produced version of this missile was the AIM-4, later it entered the production of the AIM-4B, guided by its own thermal warhead. Both versions, however, were clearly limited in maneuverability and their use against maneuverable Soviet fighters could have ended in failure. Therefore, the development of two more versions (AIM-4C and AIM-4A) in which this feature of the missile was clearly improved. There were also new versions of the missile (AIM-4 D, E and F), which had a changed rocket propulsion and a higher maximum speed. In the US armed forces, AIM-4 was carried by such planes as: F-89 Scorpion, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-101 Voodoo and F-4 Phantom II. The users of the AIM-4 missiles were also other countries, for example: Sweden or Canada.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a modern American short-range air-to-air missile. Its first prototypes appeared in the early 1950s, and it entered the US armed forces in 1955/1956, remaining there today. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a missile with a range of up to 35 kilometers, capable of carrying a warhead weighing 9.4 kg with a total curb weight of 91 kilograms.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder proved to be the first effective and combatable air-to-air missile in the history of the US military. Raytheon was primarily responsible for its development, but also Philco and General Electric. Many variants of this missile were created in the course of serial production. One of the most important was the AIM-9L, which was put into service in 1977. It could track the enemy plane no matter what direction it was launched towards it (from the side, from below, etc.). It also had much better guidance systems than the previous versions. The latest version is the AIM-9X, which was first tested in 1999. AIM-9X can be used in all weather conditions, day and night, it can also be launched without prior "lighting" the target. It is characterized by a very high degree of maneuverability and high resistance to jamming. In the US armed forces, AIM-9 missiles of various versions were or are carried by such aircraft and helicopters as, for example: F-4 Phantom, F-15 Eagle, F-16 C / D Fighting Falcon or AH-64 Apache. The users of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles were or are also many other countries, for example: Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Kuwait, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Missiles of this type were used in combat, among others during the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), the Falklands War in 1982 and during the Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991).
The AGM-45 Shrike was an American class air-to-ground missile from the Cold War period. Its first prototypes appeared in the mid-1950s, and the missile was used by the US armed forces in 1963-1992. The AGM-45 was a solid-fuel missile with a range of up to 40 kilometers, capable of carrying a warhead weighing 68 kg, and its total mass was 177 kg.
The AGM-45 Shrike was the first American missile designed from the ground up to destroy enemy radar stations. The company Texas Instruments (now part of the Raytheon concern) was responsible for its development. In fact, the AGM-45 is a far-reaching modernization of the AIM-7 Sparrow missile, which primarily concerned the missile guidance system and the installation of a new warhead. Two basic versions of this missile were created: AGM-45A and AGM-45B, which differed mainly in the rocket engine used. Its effective use required the pilot to find himself in the enemy's radar beam and launch the AGM-45 missile at the right angle. Missiles of this type were used, among others, by the F-4 Phantom or the F-105 F / G Thunderchief. They were used on a large scale in the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), where, however, they proved to be effective at the level of only 25%, which led to their supplementation first with AGM-78 missiles, and later with much more perfect AGM-88 HARM missiles. Israel was the only official foreign user of the AGM-45 missiles.
The AGM-65 Maverick is a modern American air-to-ground or air-to-water missile. Its first prototypes appeared in the mid-1960s, and the missile was produced in 1972-1999. The AGM-65 is a solid-fuel missile with a range of up to 27 kilometers, capable of carrying a warhead weighing from 56 to 135 kg, and its total mass - depending on the version - from 208 to 302 kg.
The AGM-65 Maverick was developed to replace the AGM-12 Bullpup missiles. Hughes and Raytheon were responsible for its development. The new missile had a better range than its predecessor, was less reliable, and in later versions it also used a more effective guidance system. Several versions of this missile were created in the course of serial production. The first, produced on a large scale, was the AGM-65A model, which was still guided via a television link, and its actual effective range was very limited. In 1975, the AGM-65B version with a modified guidance system entered service. In the next version - AGM-65D - infrared guidance has already been used. In turn, in the AGM-65E missile, the weight of the warhead increased significantly (from 56 to 135 kilograms). Missiles of this type were or are used by many American aircraft, including: A-4 Skyhawk, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair II, F-4 Phantom, F-15 E Strike Eagle or F / A-18 Hornet. In addition to the US armed forces, AGM-65 missiles have been or are used by Great Britain, South Korea, Germany and Sweden.