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Air-to-surface missile
 
 
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An air-to-surface missile (also, air-to-ground missile, AGM, ASM or ATGM) is a missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
 designed to be launched from military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
 (bomber
Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, primarily by dropping bombs on them....
s, attack aircraft, fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets by dropping bombs....
 or other kinds) and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both.






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Agm 65 Maverick2
Taurus Ila2006
An air-to-surface missile (also, air-to-ground missile, AGM, ASM or ATGM) is a missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
 designed to be launched from military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
 (bomber
Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, primarily by dropping bombs on them....
s, attack aircraft, fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets by dropping bombs....
 or other kinds) and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both. They are similar to guided glide bombs but to be considered a missile, they usually contain some form of propulsion system. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors and jet engine
Jet engine

A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of fluid to generate thrust in accordance with Isaac Newton Newton's laws of motion....
s. These also tend to correspond to the range of the missiles — short and long, respectively. Some Soviet air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjet
Ramjet

A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, or an athodyd, is a form of jet engine using the engine's forward motion to compress incoming air, without a rotary compressor....
s, giving them both long range and high speed.

Guidance for air-to-surface missiles is typically via laser guidance, infrared guidance, optical guidance or via GPS signals. The type of guidance depends on the type of target. Ships, for example, may be detected via passive or active radar, while this would not work very well against land targets which typically do not contain such a large mass of metal surrounded by empty space.

There is some cross-over between air-to-surface missiles and surface-to-surface missile
Surface-to-surface missile

A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship....
s. For example, there was an air-launched version of the Tomahawk missile, although this has been superseded by the AGM-86 ALCM. Other missiles used in both roles include the Penguin anti-ship missile
Penguin missile

The Rb 12 Penguin anti-ship missile , made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway from the early 1970s and continually upgraded since, is a infrared homing based short-to-medium range naval cruise missile....
 and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. Many air-to-surface missiles can be used against both ships and land targets, although some of them have to be modified to perform both roles effectively. For example, the Standoff Land Attack Missile
Standoff Land Attack Missile

The Standoff Land Attack Missile or SLAM is a subsonic, over-the-horizon, all-weather Standoff cruise missile which grew out of the United States Navy's Boeing Harpoon anti-ship missile in the 1970s....
 is a land-attack version of the Harpoon.

One of the major advantages of air-to-surface missiles over other weapons available for aircraft to use to attack ground targets is the standoff distance
Standoff distance

Standoff distance is a security measure that focused on preventing unscreened vehicles from approaching within a certain distance of a building....
 they provide. This allows them to launch the weapons outside the most intense air defences around the target site. Most air-to-surface missiles are fire-and-forget
Fire-and-forget

Fire-and-forget is a third-generation method of missile guidance. The military use the term for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the target....
 in order to take most advantage of the standoff distance — they allow the launching platform to turn away after launch. Some missiles have enough range to be launched over the horizon. These missiles (typically either cruise or anti-ship missiles) need to be able to find and home in on the target autonomously.

Sub-categories of air-to-surface missiles include:
  • air-launched anti-tank guided missile
    Anti-tank guided missile

    An anti-tank guided missile or anti-tank guided weapon is a Missile guidance missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored tanks and other armored fighting vehicles....
    s (typically launched from helicopter
    Helicopter

    A helicopter is an aircraft that is Lift and propelled by one or more horizontal plane Helicopter rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades....
    s)
  • air-launched cruise missile
    Cruise missile

    A cruise missile is a guided missile missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system, usually a jet engine, to allow sustained flight; it is essentially a flying bomb....
    s
  • air-launched anti-ship missile
    Anti-ship missile

    File:Martel TV-Guided Missile - Elvington - BB.jpgAnti-ship missiles are guided missile designed for use against ships. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type and use a combination of inertial guidance system and radar guidance....
    s
  • anti-radiation missile
    Anti-radiation missile

    An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communication can also be targeted in this manner....
    s


Typically, the higher and faster the launching aircraft is flying, the further away the missile's target can be. For long range missiles this difference can be small, but short range missiles (like the AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-65 Maverick

The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground missile designed for close air support. It is effective against a wide range of Military tactic targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel storage facilities....
) often dramatically increase in range when launched at altitude.

There have been examples of air-launched ballistic missile
Ballistic missile

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistics flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead to a predetermined target....
s, but they are rare. Sometimes air-to-surface missiles are divided into the categories of tactical and strategic. Typically this indicates conventional explosive or small nuclear warhead (tactical) and large nuclear warhead (strategic).

List of air-to-surface missiles


Argentina

  • MP-1000 Martín Pescador
  • AS-25K
    AS-25K

    The AS-25K is an Argentine air-to-surface missile under development by the CITEFA in 2 versions: air-sea and air-land. The main user is the Argentine navy#NavalAviation of the Argentine Navy....


Australia

  • See USA (below)


China

  • DH-10
    DH-10

    The DongHai 10 is a cruise missile developed in the People's Republic of China.According to Janes, the DH-10 is a second-generation land-attack cruise missile , integrated inertial navigation system, GPS, terrain contour mapping system, and digital scene-matching terminal-homing system....
  • KD-88
    C-802

    The Yingji-82 or YJ-82 is a PRC anti-ship missile first unveiled in 1989 by the China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy , also known as the Third Academy....
  • KD-63
    Silkworm missile

    The HY-2 Haiying , known in Western media as the Silkworm missile, is an anti-ship missile series. The missile is also designated as C-201....
  • YJ-7 (C-701)
    C-701

    The C-701 is a Chinese missile that is roughly comparable to the American AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile. However, the C-701 is smaller and has less than half the weight of the AGM-65 Maverick....
  • YJ-91
    YJ-91

    YJ-91 is the Chinese version of the Kh-31. YJ is short for Ying Ji meaning eagle strike. After purchasing 200 Kh-31Ps from Russia, China decided to develop its own version, because the original Kh-31 missile did not fully satisfy Chinese requirements....
  • YJ-83 (C-803)
    C-802

    The Yingji-82 or YJ-82 is a PRC anti-ship missile first unveiled in 1989 by the China Haiying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy , also known as the Third Academy....
  • HJ-9
    HJ-9

    The Hong Jian-9 is an advanced, third-generation anti-tank missile system deployed by the People's Liberation Army.The missile was developed by Norinco, and one of the chief designer was Mr....
  • HJ-8
    HJ-8

    The HJ-8 or Hongjian-8 is a second generation tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank guided missile system deployed by the People's Liberation Army since the late 1980s....
  • HJ-73


France

  • MBDA AS 30
  • MBDA Apache
    MBDA Apache

    The MBDA Apache is a France-developed air-launched anti-runway missile, manufactured by European arms company MBDA. The Apache system is at the base of the SCALP EG concept, notably for the aerodynamics and the stealth feature....
  • MBDA Exocet
  • Storm Shadow
    Storm Shadow

    Storm Shadow is an United Kingdom-France-Italy air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA and used by France, Italy and the United Kingdom....


Germany

  • Taurus KEPD 350
    Taurus missile

    TAURUS KEPD 350 is a Germany/Sweden air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by TAURUS Systems GmbH and used by Germany and Spain. TAURUS Systems is a partnership between LFK and Saab Bofors Dynamics....
  • AGM Armiger
    AGM Armiger

    The ARMIGER missile was being developed by the Diehl BGT Defence to replace existing AGM-88 HARM missiles in the German Air Force by the end of the decade....
  • PARS-3
    Trigat

    The PARS 3 LR in Germany service, also known as TRIGAT-LR and AC 3G in France, is a currently in development fire-and-forget air-to-ground missile....
  • Euromissile HOT
    Euromissile HOT

    HOT is an anti-tank missile system developed by Euromissile , a joint venture of France and Germany, and produced since 1978. It has become one of the most successful missiles of its class, used by no fewer than a dozen countries worldwide and has been validated in actual combat....
  • AS.34 Kormoran
    AS.34 Kormoran

    The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-produced Anti-ship missile. The Kormoran utilizes an inertial guidance system for the midcourse phase, switching to active radar homing during the terminal attack phase....
  • RBS 15 (in cooperation with Sweden)


India

  • BrahMos
    BrahMos

    BrahMos is a Cruise_missile#Supersonic_cruise_missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between India's Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited....
  • Nag
    Nag missile

    Nag is a third generation "Fire-and-forget" Anti-tank guided missile developed in India. It is one of five missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program ....


Iran

  • Qased
    Qased

    Qased is a 2000-pound Iranian developed smart bomb....


Norway

  • Penguin missile
    Penguin missile

    The Rb 12 Penguin anti-ship missile , made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway from the early 1970s and continually upgraded since, is a infrared homing based short-to-medium range naval cruise missile....
  • Joint Strike Missile
    Naval Strike Missile

    The Naval Strike Missile is an anti-ship missile and land-attack missile developed by the Norway company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, and whose initial serial production contract was signed in June 2007....


Pakistan

  • Baktar-Shikan
  • Babur missile
    Babur missile

    Babur is a subsonic cruise missile, the first cruise missile to be developed by Pakistan.Babur is capable of carrying either conventional weapon or nuclear warhead and has a reported range of 700 km ....
  • Ra'ad
    Ra'ad

    Ra'ad ALCM is a Pakistan Air Launched Cruise missile, operational with Pakistan Air Force. Though initially launched from a PAF Dassault Mirage III fighter during testing, the missile is planned to be integrated with and launched from other PAF platforms such as the JF-17....


South Africa

  • Mokopa
    Mokopa

    The Mokopa is a South African air-to-ground missile, designed primarily for use as an anti-tank weapon. It is currently in its final stages of development, and is being integrated onto the South African Air Force's Rooivalk attack helicopters....


Sweden

  • Rb 05
    Rb 05

    The Rb 05A is a short-range air-to-surface missile missile that was developed in the 1960s by the Sweden company Saab Bofors Dynamics....
  • RBS 15


Turkey

  • Cirit
  • UMTAS
    UMTAS

    UMTAS is a long range air-to-surface missile anti-tank missile developed by Turkey weapons manufacturer Roketsan. UMTAS program was initiated in 2005 by Turkey's Undersecretariat of the Defence Industry, specifically to provide Agusta A129 Mangusta combat helicopters with an indigenously produced guided missile....


UK

  • Blue Steel missile
    Blue Steel missile

    Blue Steel was a United Kingdom air-launched, rocket-propelled nuclear weapon stand-off missile, built to arm the V bomber force. It was the primary British nuclear deterrent weapon until the Royal Navy started operating Polaris missile armed nuclear submarines....
  • Brimstone missile
    Brimstone missile

    Brimstone is an advanced air-launched anti-tank guided missile developed by MBDA....
  • Green Cheese missile
    Green Cheese missile

    The Green Cheese missile was a United Kingdom radar-guided anti-ship missile tactical nuclear warhead missile project of the 1950s. It was developed by Fairey Aviation, and was originally called Fairey Project 7 and was supposed to be used by the Fairey Gannet shipborne anti-submarine warfare aircraft....
     (canceled in 1956)
  • AGM-48 Skybolt
    AGM-48 Skybolt

    The Douglas GAM-87A Skybolt was an air-launched ballistic missile developed during the late 1950s. It was intended to provide a mobile basing for the USAF's ICBM missile force by mounting them on heavy bombers rather than in fixed missile silos....
     (canceled)
  • ALARM
    Alarm

    An alarm gives an audible or visual warning about a problem or condition.Alarms include:* burglar alarms, designed to warn of burglaries; this is often a silent alarm: the police or guards are warned without indication to the burglar, which increases the chances of catching him or her....
  • Storm Shadow
    Storm Shadow

    Storm Shadow is an United Kingdom-France-Italy air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA and used by France, Italy and the United Kingdom....
  • BAe Sea Eagle


USA

  • AGM-12 Bullpup
    AGM-12 Bullpup

    The AGM-12 Bullpup is an Air-to-surface missile which was used on the A-4 Skyhawk, A-6 Intruder and F-4 Phantom among others. It has been superseded by more advanced armaments, notably the AGM-62 Walleye and AGM-65 Maverick....
  • AGM-22
  • AGM-28 Hound Dog
    AGM-28 Hound Dog

    The North American Aviation Corporation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, Jet engine powered, Air launch cruise missile. The Hound Dog was initially given the designation B-77, later re-designated GAM-77, and finally being designated AGM-28....
  • AGM-45 Shrike
    AGM-45 Shrike

    AGM-45 Shrike is an United States anti-radiation missile designed to home in on hostile antiaircraft radars. The Shrike was developed by the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in 1963 by mating a seeker head to the rocket body of an AIM-7 Sparrow....
  • AGM-48 Skybolt
    AGM-48 Skybolt

    The Douglas GAM-87A Skybolt was an air-launched ballistic missile developed during the late 1950s. It was intended to provide a mobile basing for the USAF's ICBM missile force by mounting them on heavy bombers rather than in fixed missile silos....
  • AGM-53 Condor
    AGM-53 Condor

    In 1962, the U.S. Navy issued a requirement for a long-range high-precision air-to-surface missile. The missile, named the AGM-53A Condor, was to use a television guidance system with a data link to the launching aircraft similar to the system of the then projected AGM-62 Walleye....
  • AGM-62 Walleye
    AGM-62 Walleye

    The AGM-62 Walleye is a television-guided glide bomb which was produced by Martin Marietta and used by the United States armed forces during the 1960s....
  • AGM-63
    AGM-63

    The AGM-63 was a missile design produced by the United States of America. It was conceived in March 1962 when the U.S. Navy issued two requirements for long-range Anti-Radiation Missiles to complement the short-range AGM-45 Shrike....
  • AGM-64 Hornet
    AGM-64 Hornet

    The AGM-64 Hornet is a missile produced by the United States of America.The weapon began life in the early 1960s. North American produced a missile design for the U.S....
  • AGM-65 Maverick
    AGM-65 Maverick

    The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground missile designed for close air support. It is effective against a wide range of Military tactic targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel storage facilities....
  • AGM-69 SRAM
    AGM-69 SRAM

    The Boeing AGM-69 SRAM was a nuclear weapon air-to-surface missile designed to replace the older AGM-28 Hound Dog stand-off missile.The requirement for the weapon was issued by the Strategic Air Command of the USAF in 1964, and the resultant AGM-69A SRAM entered service in 1972....
  • AGM-76 Falcon
    AGM-76 Falcon

    The AGM-76 Falcon is an air-to-surface missile developed by the United States of America....
  • AGM-78 Standard ARM
    AGM-78 Standard ARM

    The AGM-78 Standard ARM was a missile developed by General Dynamics, United States of America. ARM stands for anti-radiation missile....
  • AGM-79 Blue Eye
    AGM-79 Blue Eye

    The AGM-79 Blue Eye was a missile developed by the United States of America....
  • AGM-80 Viper
    AGM-80 Viper

    AGM-80 Viper is the designation of an American air to surface missile with infrared seeker and inertial guidance system. Based upon the AGM-12 Bullpup, the AGM-80A Viper was developed by Chrysler at the end of the 60's but was cancelled in the 1970s....
  • AGM-83 Bulldog
    AGM-83 Bulldog

    The AGM-83 Bulldog is a missile produced by the United States of America.The missile has its origins in the AGM-12 Bullpup. This missile used a manual guidance system which required the launching aircraft to continue flying towards the target throughout the missile flight time, making it highly vulnerable to counter-attack....
  • AGM-84 Harpoon
  • AGM-86 CALCM
  • AGM-87 Focus
    AGM-87 Focus

    The AGM-87 Focus is a missile developed by the United States of America....
  • AGM-88 HARM
    AGM-88 HARM

    The AGM-88 High-speed Anti-radiation missile is a tactical, air-to-surface missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems....
  • AGM-112
  • AGM-114 Hellfire
    AGM-114 Hellfire

    The AGM-114 Hellfire is a multi-platform, multi-target United States modular missile system. The name comes from the fact that it was originally intended to be a helicopter-launched fire-and-forget weapon ....
  • AGM-119 Penguin
  • AGM-122 Sidearm
    AGM-122 Sidearm

    The AGM-122 Sidearm was an United States Air-to-surface missile anti-radiation missile....
  • AGM-123 Skipper
    AGM-123 Skipper

    AGM-123 Skipper II is a short-range laser-guided missile developed by the United States Navy....
  • AGM-124 Wasp
    AGM-124 Wasp

    The AGM-124 Wasp is a missile developed by the United States of America. The Wasp grew out of the 1975 WAAM program initiated by the US Air Force in order to develop a series of new Air-to-surface missile anti-armour weapons for Close air support aircraft....
  • AGM-129 ACM
    AGM-129 ACM

    The Raytheon AGM-129 ACM is a low observable, sub-sonic, turbo-fan powered, Air launch cruise missile built by Raytheon Missile Systems. The AGM-129A is carried exclusively by the US Air Force's B-52 Stratofortress#B-52Hs....
  • AGM-130
    AGM-130

    The AGM-130 is a missile developed by the United States of America....
  • AGM-131 SRAM II
    AGM-131 SRAM II

    The SRAM II was a nuclear weapon air-to-surface missile intended as a replacement for the AGM-69 SRAM, but it was cancelled by President George H.W....
  • AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow
    AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow

    The AGM-136A Tacit Rainbow was a United States military anti-radiation missile program run from 1982 to 1991.The requirement was for a low-cost air-launchable system to aid in the SEAD....
  • AGM-137 TSSAM
    AGM-137 TSSAM

    The Northrop AGM-137 was a missile developed by the United States of America....
  • AGM-142 Have Nap
    AGM-142 Have Nap

    The AGM-142 Have Nap is an Air-to-surface missile developed in Israel and the United States....
  • AGM-153
    AGM-153

    The AGM-153 was a missile considered for development by the United States of America....
  • AGM-154 JSOW
  • AGM-158 JASSM
    AGM-158 JASSM

    The AGM-158 JASSM is a Standoff cruise missile developed in the United States....
  • AGM-159 JASSM
    AGM-159 JASSM

    The AGM-159 was a missile design proposed in 1996 by the Boeing company as a contender in the U.S. Air Force's JASSM project. Development halted after Lockheed Martin's AGM-158 JASSM was selected for further development in 1998....


USSR/Russia

  • AS-1 'Kennel' (KS-1 Kometa)
  • AS-2 'Kipper' (K-10S Yen)
  • AS-3 'Kangaroo' (H-20)
  • AS-4 'Kitchen' (H-22 Burya)
  • AS-5 'Kelt' (H-11/KSR-2)
  • AS-6 'Kingfish' (H-26/KSR-5)
  • AS-7 'Kerry' (H-66, H-23 Grom)
  • AS-8 (9M114V Sturm-V)
  • AS-9 'Kyle' (H-28)
  • AS-10 'Karen' (H-25)
  • AS-11 'Kilter' (H-58 Izdeliye)
  • AS-12 'Kegler' (H-25MP, H-27PS)
  • AS-13 'Kingbolt'
    Kh-59

    The Kh-59 Ovod is a Russian TV-guided cruise missile with a two-stage solid-fuel propulsion system and 115 km range. The Kh-59M Ovod-M is a variant with a bigger warhead and turbojet engine....
     (H-59 Ovod)
  • AS-14 'Kedge'
    Kh-29

    The Kh-29 is a Russian air-to-surface missile with a range of 10-30 km. It has a large warhead of 320 kg, has a choice of laser or TV guidance, and is typically carried by tactical aircraft such as the Su-24 'Fencer' and Su-30 'Flanker'....
     (H-29)
  • AS-15 'Kent' (H-55/H-65S Izdeliye)
  • AS-16 'Kickback' (H-15)
  • AS-17 'Krypton' (H-31)
  • AS-18 Kazoo (H-59M Ovod-M)
  • AS-19 'Koala' (P-750 Grom)
  • AS-X-19 'Koala' (3M25A Meteorit-A)
  • AS-20 'Kayak' (H-35/H-37 Uran)
  • AS-X-21 (Kh-90 Gela)


See also

  • Laser-guided bomb
    Laser-guided bomb

    A laser-guided bomb is a precision-guided munition that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than a free-fall bomb....
  • Anti-tank guided missile
    Anti-tank guided missile

    An anti-tank guided missile or anti-tank guided weapon is a Missile guidance missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored tanks and other armored fighting vehicles....
  • Anti-ship missile
    Anti-ship missile

    File:Martel TV-Guided Missile - Elvington - BB.jpgAnti-ship missiles are guided missile designed for use against ships. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type and use a combination of inertial guidance system and radar guidance....
  • Cruise missile
    Cruise missile

    A cruise missile is a guided missile missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system, usually a jet engine, to allow sustained flight; it is essentially a flying bomb....
  • Anti-radiation missile
    Anti-radiation missile

    An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communication can also be targeted in this manner....
  • Air-to-ground weaponry
    Air-to-ground weaponry

    Air-to-ground weaponry includes all weapons used by airplanes and helicopters to destroy ground targets. This class of weapons have, since the first world war, take a great importance on the conduct of war....