OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO -- First Lt. Charles Schuck fires an AIM-7 Sparrow medium range air-to-air missile from an F-15 Eagle here while supporting a Combat Archer air-to-air weapons system evaluation program mission. He and other Airmen of the 71st Fighter Squadron deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va., to Tyndall AFB, Fla., to support the program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Ammons)
FILE PHOTO -- A weapons loader checks the AIM-7 Sparrow missile on an F-15 Eagle. The Sparrow is a radar-guided, air-to-air missile with a high-explosive warhead. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Mission
The AIM-7 Sparrow is a radar-guided, air-to-air missile with a high-explosive warhead. The versatile Sparrow has all-weather, all-altitude operational capability and can attack high-performance aircraft and missiles from any direction. It is a widely deployed missile used by U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces.
Features
The missile has four major sections: guidance section, warhead, control and rocket motor. It has a cylindrical body with four wings at mid-body and four tail fins. Although external dimensions of the Sparrow remained relatively unchanged from model to model, the internal components of newer missiles represent major improvements with vastly increased capabilities.
Background
The AIM-7F joined the Air Force inventory in 1976 as the primary medium-range, air-to-air missile for the F-15 Eagle.
The AIM-7M, the only current operational version, entered service in 1982. It has improved reliability and performance over earlier models at low altitudes and in electronic countermeasures environments. It also has a significantly more lethal warhead. The latest software version of the AIM-7M is the H-Build that has been produced since 1987 and incorporates additional improvements in guidance. The F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters carry the AIM-7M Sparrow. U.S. and NATO navies operate a surface-to-air/surface version of this missile called the RIM-7F/M Sea Sparrow.
In the Persian Gulf War, the radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow proved to be a potent air-to-air weapon used by Air Force fighter pilots. Twenty-two Iraqi fixed-wing aircraft and three Iraqi helicopters were downed by radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missiles.
General Characteristics
Primary Function: Air-to-air guided missile Contractor: Raytheon Co. Power Plant: Hercules MK-58 solid-propellant rocket motor Thrust: Classified Speed: Classified Range: Classified Length: 12 feet (3.64 meters) Diameter: 8 inches (0.20 meters) Wingspan: 3 feet, 4 inches (1 meter) Warhead: Annular blast fragmentation warhead Launch Weight: Approximately 500 pounds (225 kilograms) Guidance System: Raytheon semiactive on either continuous wave or pulsed Doppler radar energy Date Deployed: AIM-7F, 1976; AIM-7M, 1982 Unit Cost: Approximately $125,000 Inventory: Classified
