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AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-65 Maverick
	;
Type	Air-to-surface guided missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	August 1972–present
Used by	See users
Production history
Manufacturer	Hughes Aircraft Corporation; Raytheon Corporation
Unit cost	Up to US$160,000
Specifications
Weight	466–670 lb (211–304 kg)
Length	8 feet 2 inches (2.49 m)
Diameter	12 inches (300 mm)
Warhead	125 pounds (57 kg) hollow charge with contact fuze in A, B, D and H models;; 300 pounds (140 kg) high explosive penetrator with delayed fuze in E, F, G, J and K models
Engine	Thiokol TX-481 dual-thrust solid propellant rocket motor;
Wingspan	2 feet 4 inches (710 mm)
Operational; range	15 nmi (17 mi; 28 km)
Speed	Mach 0.93
Guidance; system	Electro-optical in A, B, H, J and K models; infrared imaging in D, F and G models; laser guided in E models

A-10 Thunderbolt II firing off an AGM-65.

The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile (AGM) designed for close air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel storage facilities.

The AGM-65F (infrared targeting) used by the U.S. Navy has an infrared guidance system optimized for ship tracking and a larger penetrating warhead than the shaped charge warhead used by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force (300 pounds/140 kilograms vs. 125 pounds/57 kilograms). The infrared TV camera enables the pilot to lock-on to targets through light fog where the conventional TV seeker's view would be just as limited as the pilot's. The AGM-65 has two types of warheads; one has a contact fuze in the nose, and the other has a heavyweight warhead with a delayed fuze, which penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before detonating. The latter is most effective against large, hard targets. The propulsion system for both types is a solid-fuel rocket motor behind the warhead.

The Maverick missile is unable to lock onto targets on its own; it has to be given input by the pilot or Weapon Systems Officer (WSO). In an A-10, for example, the video feed from the seeker head is relayed to a screen in the cockpit, where the pilot can check the locked target of the missile before launch. A crosshair on the head-up display (HUD) is shifted by the pilot to set the approximate target while the missile will then automatically recognize and lock on to the target. Once the missile is launched, it requires no further assistance from the launch vehicle and tracks its target automatically. This makes it a fire-and-forget weapon.^[1]

[edit] Variants

Maverick A model is the basic model and use a electro-optical television guidance system.
Maverick B model is similar to the A model, although the B model can identify and lock onto targets.
Maverick D model can track heat generated by a target (infrared homing).
Maverick E model use a laser designator guidance system optimized for fortified installations.
Maverick F model use a infrared guidance system optimized for tracking ships.
Maverick G model essentially has the same guidance system as the D with some software modification that enables the pilot to track larger targets. The G model major difference is its penetrator warhead, while the basic models employ the shaped-charge warhead.

[edit] Operators

AGM-65 missiles were employed by F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 to attack armored targets. Mavericks played an important part in the destruction of Iraq's military force.

LAU-117 Maverick launchers have been used on American Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps aircraft: