AIM-47 Falcon
| AIM-47 Falcon | |
|---|---|
Proximity fuse | |
| Engine | Lockheed XSR13-LP-1 |
| Propellant | Solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 100 mi (87 nmi; 160 km) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 4 |
Guidance system | Semi-active radar homing, terminal infrared homing |
Launch platform | Lockheed YF-12, North American XF-108 Rapier |
The
Development
Development for XF-108
In the early 1950s, the
During its development, the capabilities of the new missile grew tremendously. Growing much larger, the missile's range was extended to 100 miles (160 km), using the Aerojet-General XM59 solid-fuel motor. The SARH seeker was a powerful system of its own, with the resolution to be able to lock onto a 100-square-foot (9.3 m2) target at 63 nm (116 km). Some consideration was given to the addition of a passive infrared homing seeker to improve terminal performance but that would have required the missile to grow by 180 lb (82 kg) and two inches in diameter, making it too large for the F-108's weapon bay. The W42 nuclear version was dropped in 1958 in favor of a 100-pound (45 kg) high-explosive design.[1]
Problems with the motor during development led to the brief consideration of using a storable
that gave it the nickname "Snoopy", and in-flight launches started in May 1962.Development for YF-12
In 1960 Lockheed started development of the Lockheed YF-12 interceptor, as a lower-cost replacement for the F-108. The GAR-9/ASG-18 were moved to this project. The F-12 would have featured four flip-open internal weapons bays on the chines behind the cockpit, one of these filled with electronics. The F-12B bays were too small for the GAR-9, so the GAR-9B was developed with flip-out fins to reduce its diameter. It weighed 805 pounds (365 kg).[2]
Test firings of the GAR-9A from the prototype F-12As resulted in six kills from seven launches, the lone miss due to a missile power failure (there were several non-guiding test launches as well). The missile was renamed AIM-47 in late 1962 as part of the transition to
In 1966, the F-12 project was cancelled just as the F-108 had been. Another project which expressed an interest in the design was the
Hughes had built 80 pre-production AIM-47 missiles.
Legacy
The AIM-47 was used as a base for the
In 1966, the basic airframe was adapted with the seeker from the AGM-45 Shrike and the 250 lb (110 kg) warhead from the Mk 81 bomb to create the high-speed AGM-76 Falcon anti-radar missile, although this did not see service.[4]
See also
- Missile designation
References
- ^ a b Sean O'Connor, Hughes GAR-9/AIM-47 Falcon, Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, 2004
- ^ "AIM-47 (GAR-9) Falcon long-range air-to-air missile". Testpilot.ru. Archived from the original on 2015-01-18. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ^ B. Rich, Skunk Works (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1994), p. 236
- ^ Andreas Parsch, Hughes AGM-76 Falcon, Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, 2004