AIM-7
| AIM-7 Sparrow | |
|---|---|
An Australian F-18A Hornet fires an AIM-7 Sparrow missile.
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| Type | Medium-range, semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Australia, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Unit cost | $125,000 |
| Produced | AIM-7D: 1959 AIM-7F: 1976 AIM-7M: 1982 |
| Variants | Sparrow I: AIM-7A Sparrow II: AIM-7B Sparrow III: AIM-7C, AIM-7D, AIM-7E, AIM-7E2/Skyflash/Aspide, AIM-7F, AIM-7M, AIM-7P, RIM-7M |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 510 lb (230 kg) |
| Length | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Diameter | 8 in (200 mm) |
| Warhead |
High explosive blast-fragmentation AIM-7F/M: 88 pounds (40 kg) |
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| Engine | Hercules MK-58 solid-propellant rocket motor |
| Wingspan | 2 ft 8 in (0.81 m) (AIM-7A/B) |
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Operational
range |
AIM-7C/D: 32 kilometres (20 mi) AIM-7E/E2: 45 kilometres (28 mi) AIM-7F/M: 50 kilometres (31 mi) |
| Speed | AIM-7A/B: Mach 2.5 AIM-7C/E/F: Mach 4 |
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Guidance
system |
semi-active radar |
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Launch
platform |
Aircraft: |
Aircraft:
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as other various air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile from the late 1950s until the 1990s. It remains in service, although it is being phased out in aviation applications in favor of the more advanced AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Self-Defence Forces of Japan also employ the Sparrow missile, though it is being phased out and replaced by the Mitsubishi AAM-4. NATO pilots use the brevity code Fox One in radio communication to signal launch of a Semi-Active Radar Homing Missile such as the Sparrow.
The Sparrow was used as the basis for a surface-to-air missile, the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, which is used by a number of navies for air defense of their ships. Fired at low altitude and flying directly at its target though the lower atmosphere, the range of the missile in this role is greatly reduced. With the retirement of the Sparrow in the air-to-air role, a new version of the Sea Sparrow was produced to address this concern, producing the much larger and more capable RIM-162 ESSM.
The Sparrow emerged from a late-1940s United States Navy program to develop a guided rocket weapon for air-to-air use. In 1947 the Navy contracted Sperry to build a beam riding version of a standard 5-inch (127 mm) HVAR, the standard unguided aerial rocket, under Project Hotshot. The weapon was initially dubbed KAS-1, then AAM-2, and, from 1948 on, AAM-N-2. The airframe was developed by Douglas Aircraft Company. The diameter of the HVAR proved to be inadequate for the electronics, leading Douglas to expand the missile's airframe to 8-inch (203 mm) diameter. The prototype weapon began unpowered flight-tests in 1947, and made its first aerial interception in 1952.
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