From Defense Aerospace

 

Raytheon's Laser-Guided Maverick Missile Meets Urgent Air Force Need

(Source: Raytheon Co.; issued Aug. 16, 2007)

 

TUCSON, Ariz. --- Having published an urgent operational need for a close air support weapon to defeat high-speed moving targets with minimal collateral damage, the U.S. Air Force has expressed interest in re-establishing production of Raytheon Company's laser-guided Maverick.

 

The laser-guided AGM-65E Maverick missile is an air-to-ground weapon that can meet the service's needs in the near-term.

 

The Air Force currently operates with television- and infrared-guided versions of Maverick. Until now, only the Navy and Marine Corps have employed the laser-guided version. The laser-guided Maverick has a combat-proven record of effectiveness and reliability against armored and moving surface targets in scenarios involving urban environments and during close air support missions.

 

"Maverick missiles constitute a key capability required for use in the modern battlespace," said Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of the Strike product line. "Maverick has proved itself over many years of service to be a very versatile weapon system, and the newest laser version will significantly enhance the Air Force's precision capability required to save lives in close combat and quick-reaction situations.

 

"To get that capability on Air Force aircraft in short order, the Navy has agreed to transfer some of its inventory of laser-guided Mavericks to the Air Force."

 

Maverick is a precision air-to-ground missile that has multiple warhead and seeker variants and is used against moving or stationary small or hard targets; armored vehicles; surface-to-air missile sites; and high-value targets such as ships, port facilities and communications centers. The missile has launch-and-leave capability that enables a pilot to fire it and immediately take evasive action or attack another target as the missile guides to the target.

 

First employed in Southeast Asia more than 30 years ago, Maverick is the most widely used precision-guided missile in the world. Maverick has been upgraded to meet evolving threats, playing a key role in recent conflicts. The weapon's seeker technology has improved significantly since the initial television-guided version was delivered to the Air Force in 1972. Increased capabilities were added with the introduction of scene magnification optics; modern charge-coupled-device television technology; and improved software, infrared and laser seekers.

 

Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of $20.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

 

 

[With the loss of the Joint Common Missile program, it seems we're going back in time to try and find a suitable weapon to meet the requirement. To refresh our memories, here are the H4.1 specs for the laser guided AGM-65E Maverick:

 

AGM-65E Maverick

Guidance SALH

Gen 2

Min range 1.1 nm

Max range 10.8 nm

Speed 791 kt

Trajectory Ballistic

Flight altitude Low

Hang weight 293 kg

Warhead 136 kg

Damage points 27

RCS VSmall

IOC 1985

Notes Uses Pave Spike or Pave Tack designator]

In light of the fact that the USAF is looking for a low colateral damage weapon it would not be supprising if the Shaped Charge warhead is used and thus it would be the AGM-65C that was put into LRIP before being canceled in the very early 80s. The last of those stocks made during LRIP were used up during Desert Storm by USMC Harriers.

 

AGM-65C uses all the same info as AGM-65E except the warhead is the 17DP Shaped charge warhead used to defeat Tanks and strong fortifications.

Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)

August 22, 2007

 

Air Force Mulls Maverick

 

Raytheon says newer, laser-guided version of combat-proven missile could meet the need for a precision-strike weapon

 

By Jack Gillum, Arizona Daily Star

 

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems says the U.S. Air Force is interested in using the company's laser-guided Maverick missile to fill a need for precision-guided weapons.

 

The Maverick AGM-65E air-to-surface missile, currently used by the Navy and Marine Corps, has a relatively small warhead and laser guidance that helps limit collateral damage when striking targets.

 

The Air Force currently uses earlier, television- and infrared-guided versions of the Maverick, which was first used in Southeast Asia more than 30 years ago.

 

The Air Force has said it has "an urgent operational need for a close air support weapon to defeat high-speed moving targets with minimal collateral damage," and has "expressed interest in re-establishing production" of the laser-guided Maverick, Raytheon said.

 

"Maverick has proved itself over many years of service to be a very versatile weapon system, and the newest laser version will significantly enhance the Air Force's precision capability required to save lives in close combat and quick-reaction situations," Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of strike products, said in a prepared statement.

 

To give Air Force aircraft that capability quickly, the Navy has agreed to transfer some of its inventory of laser-guided Mavericks to the Air Force, Schulte said.

 

Air Force officials could not be reached for comment.

 

Ramping up production of the laser-guided Maverick could have long-term implications for Raytheon, perhaps allowing the company to not only produce Mavericks but to develop future surface-attack weapons for the Air Force, said Paul Nisbet, a financial analyst and principal in Newport, R.I.-based JSA Research Inc.

 

Besides the Maverick, other missiles made by Raytheon Missile Systems include the Navy's Tomahawk cruise missile, the Standard Missile series of ship-defense weapons, the Javelin portable anti-tank missile, the Sidewinder air-to-air missile and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

 

Raytheon said the laser-guided Maverick would help the Air Force provide close-air support for fighters in urban settings, the company said. Raytheon produced components for the Air Force's TV-based Mavericks under a $49.5 million contract ending in 2005.

 

Carried by Air Force A-10, F-15E and F-16 aircraft, Mavericks range in cost from $17,000 to $110,000 each, depending on the version, according to the Air Force.

 

A military analyst said the Maverick's laser-guided precision could help reduce collateral damage in settings such as Iraq.

 

"It's a small but important element in putting a lid on the violence" in Iraq, said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org in Alexandria, Va.

 

Such weapons can send the message to fighters that they "cannot operate with impunity because they cannot use the civilian population as human shields," Pike said.

 

The transfer of Navy Mavericks, Pike said, allows the Air Force to get "something into the fight this summer" in Iraq, while also "retaining some elements of competitive procurement" for future bids.

 

In 2005, Raytheon was awarded a $5.3 million U.S. Air Force contract option to conduct an evaluation of the Lock-On-After-Launch, or LOAL, version of the Maverick.

 

The LOAL Maverick uses satellite data and radio links to allow pilots to retarget missiles in flight for more precise attacks at greater range.

 

Raytheon said in February 2006 that it had completed test flights of the LOAL Maverick at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, but there has been no word since on that program.

 

Raytheon Missile Systems is Southern Arizona's biggest employer, with more than 11,000 full-time workers at the end of 2006, according to the Star 200 survey of major employers.

From DefenseNews

 

Posted 09/27/07 13:47

USAF To Fly With Mavericks for First Time in Years

By GAYLE S. PUTRICH

 

WASHINGTON — An old missile could get new life with the U.S. Air Force, Raytheon executives said this week at the annual Air Force Association conference.

To meet what the Pentagon says is an urgent close air support need, the Air Force is considering using a laser-guided version of the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile.

Developed in the late 1960s and early 70s for use in Southeast Asia and still being produced, the Maverick has come to be viewed as an “older, outdated” weapon after years without upgrades, said Dorsey Price, Raytheon’s director of business development for strike weapons.

“We basically lost the recipe because the government didn’t put money into it,” Price said.

The Air Force has about 8,000 old Mavericks in deep storage. Raytheon has been buying them back, refitting them so non-U.S. aircraft can carry them, and selling them abroad.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy and Marines have been using the new laser-guided AGM-65E. After tests, Air Force officials decided to give the old missile a new whirl, Price said.

Raytheon has granted the Air Force $50 million in what amounts to “store credit” for the remilled Mavericks — more than enough to cover upgrades to all of the service’s old Mavericks, Price said.

Service officials are waiting for Pentagon permission, he said.

In the meantime, the air service can “borrow” AGM-65Es from the Navy, which has been using the updated weapon on its Hornets, said Harry Schulte, vice president for Raytheon’s Strike product line. The Air Force is expected to use the AGM-65E on the A-10 for close air support in urban environments.

Because the laser detector for the Maverick is supplied by the same vendors that build the lasers used in Paveway missiles, which are in use by the Air Force, they are already air-qualified so paperwork on the Maverick upgrade was minimized, Price said.

Air Force officials could not respond by press time.

It looks like my earlier guess was correct. the "Deep store" Mavericks are all AGM-65A/B/D models with the Shaped Charge AKA HEAT warhead.

 

USAF is still using G/K Mavs off of A-10s and F-16s (local A-10 ANG was seen flying with an aquisition round less than 12 months ago!)

 

My bet is the re manufactured Mavs will retain their shaped charge warhead and be called something new. They WON'T be called AGM-65C or C-2 but they will be for HARPOON game purposes AGM-65C which is in the next main annex release (Harpoon5 or whatever Chris and Larry will call it.)

 

 

Lastly I should note the following comments. LOAL Maverick was tested. That would be the long fabled AGM-65L "Longhorn" Maverick.

 

Craig P

Good call, Craig.