Page 239 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

NAVAL WEAPONS AND AIRCRAFT 245

region, and in attacks <lgainst al Q<leda terrorists and the Taliban in ing aircraft. Once the missile closes in on the target, its active radar
Operation Enduring freedom in Afghanistan. guides it to intercept. This enables the aircraft pilot to aim and f1re
The standoffland attack missile (SLAM) was developed in the several missiles ilt once at multiple targets, and then perform eva-
icltc 1980s to give the Navy a surgical strike capability against high- sive maneuvers while the missiles guide themselves to the targets.
valuc land targets and ships. Originally used in Iraq in Operation The missile has a high-explosive Ii'agmentation w<.lrhead.
Desert Storm in 1991, it has been continuously improved and
upgraded since its introduction. The SLAM can be launched from
Navy Surface-to-A ir Missiles
a variety of Navy fighter, attack, and patrol aircraft. It has a range in
excess of 150 nautical miles. During the 1960s and 1970s, the second line of Heet defense was
centered on the "3 Ts," the N"'T'S first surt'lCe-to-air (SAM/RIM)
guided missiles: Terrier, Tartar, and Talos. The RIM-2 Terrier was
Navy A ir-to-A ir Missiles
the Navy's first operational SAM missile. \Veighing 3,000 pounds,
The ti'ont line of defense for a naval task force is its combat air patrols it was a solid-fuel missile with a range exceeding 10 miles at a speed
(CAP), which range t:lr out ti"Olll the Heet to meet incoming enemy of Mach 2. Tartar was similar to Terrier but weighed half as much.
air threats with highlycapable air intercept missiles (AIM). The Talos missile was for many years the Navy's largest ship-
The AIM-9 series Sidcwindcr missile is carried by both Navy board surface-to-air missile. It was designed for launching from
and Air Force fighter and llttack aircraft and is designed for use in cruisers, for long-range air defense. It weighed 7,000 pounds
close-range, dogfight-type air engagements. The missile is illl infi'a- ilnd was propelled by a ramjet engine. Its longest-range version
red homing heat-seeker <lir-to-air missile. It varies in weight from exceeded 100 miles, with a ceiling of 80,000 feet. It Wi.1S phased out
160 to 210 pounds depending on the version, has a speed of 1\·lach in the late 1970s.
2.5, a range of about 2 miles, and is capable of operating against Numerous improvements were made in the Terrier and Tart<.ll'
high-performance aircraft at altitudes ti'OIll sea level to over 50,000 missiles over the years, culminating in the Standard missile series,
feet. The improved fuse, warhead, imd maneuverability of the lat- featuring both medium-range (MR) and extended-range (ER) wr-
est model provides U.S. pilots with the best possible aclVi.ll1tage in sions. Presentl), the Standard-2 (SM-2) is the Nav)"s primal'), sur-
close combat. face-to-air air defense weapon. It is an integral part of the AEGIS
The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile \\'eapon system (A\VS) aboard 1'icOildcroga-ciass cruisers ilnd
(Ai\·lRAAM) is the latest in the Navy inventory. It was developed Arlcigh Bllrkc-class destroyers, and is launched from the J\·IK 41 ver-
jointl), by the United States and several NATO nations. It is a tol- tical launch s),stem (VLS). The Standard-2 /vIR, IS'h reet long and
low-on to an older missile series called the Sparrow. It has active weighing some 1,500 pOllnds, has a range in excess of 90 miles and
radar guidance and an on-board computer system that makes a ceiling greater than 80,000 feet. The Standard-2 ER, 21 ,/, feet long
the missile independent of the f1re-control s)'stem of the l<1unch- and weighing some 3,200 pOllnds, has a range exceeding 200 miles

Cross-section of the
AMRAAM air-to-air missile.