Air-to-Ground Maverick in High Demand

The US Air Force awarded Raytheon a $38.9 million Foreign Military Sales contract for Maverick missiles.

The FMS contract includes AGM-65 infrared (IR) Maverick missiles, trainers and associated spares for Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. "This is another major award for the Raytheon-U.S. Air Force Maverick team as we continue to provide our international partners with the proven air-to-ground precision engagement capability of the IR Maverick missile," said Ron Shields, Raytheon Maverick program director.

There are two versions of the IR Maverick missile: the AGM-65D and AGM-65G. The AGM-65D variant has an imaging infrared guidance system. The IR seeker presents a TV-like image on the cockpit display as it senses small differences in heat energy between that radiated by target objects and the surrounding background. The AGM-65D Maverick missile carries a 125-pound shaped charge warhead. The AGM-65G missile essentially uses the same guidance system with some software modifications that enables the missile to track larger targets. This variant carries the 300-pound blast fragmentation warhead with selected fuze delays. Work is to be completed by December 2004 and will be performed primarily at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson (AZ).

Maverick is a precision, air-to-ground missile that is used against small hard targets, armored vehicles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, and high value targets, such as ships, port facilities and communications centers. The Maverick has launch-and-leave capability to enable the pilot to lock onto the target, launch the missile and then take evasive action.

FMI: www.raytheon.com